News | July 13, 2023

Darwin Corrected Proofs and Einstein Letter Smash Auction Estimates

Christie's

Darwin's revised proof sheets for Insectivorous Plants

At the Christie’s Valuable Books and Manuscripts live auction in London, the two leading lots achieved remarkable results both surpassing their estimates.

The top lot of the sale was an autograph letter by Albert Einstein to Rudi W. Mandl which sold for £604,800 hugely surpassing its estimate of £50,000-80,000.

The second highest achieving lot was a series of corrected proof sheets for Insectivorous Plants by Charles Darwin, showing substantial revisions in his own hand which sold for £378,000 against an estimate of £150,000-200,000.

For more details of this auction, read our preview here on Fine Books.