Auctions | October 30, 2017

Douglas Fairbanks, Exploration, Ephemera at National Book Auctions

 November4_02_pics.jpgIthaca, NY—National Book Auctions, located in Ithaca, NY, announces the launch of their next auction catalog.    

This catalog features rare, antique and decorative books as well as select additions of ephemera. Featured is a second session of selections from a substantial private library that belonged to Hollywood icon, Douglas Fairbanks, Jr.. Volumes from the holdings of James Hurley will also be offered, alongside a range of titles covering American history, including the opening of the American West.              

Antique and rare books are numerous in this catalog. Among the earliest examples are the 1765 printing of Steele's "The Spectator," complete in eight leather-bound volumes, Rowe's "Friendship in Death in Twenty Letters from the Dead to the Living," produced in 1795, and a 1798 leather-bound printing of Booth's "The Reign of Grace from Its Rise to Its Consummation." Additional rare and antique selections include titles relating to Egyptology, military history, Civil War, travel & exploration, children's pop-up & mechanicals, art history, decorative antique, multi-volume sets, and beyond.                       

Several pleasing collections will also be showcased. Highlighted is our next session from a varied and sizable collection of books from the private library of Douglas Fairbanks, Jr., famed actor, director and producer. Born into the epicenter of emerging Hollywood, he was the son of Douglas Fairbanks who married pioneering silent film star icon, Mary Pickford. Douglas Fairbanks Jr. first married Joan Crawford, then survived his second wife, Mary Lee, and this personal collection was generously donated to a local non-profit by his widow, Vera Fairbanks. These books include his handwriting, personal bookplate, and personal inscriptions and notes by authors and other notable figures. A second private library of note featured in this auction is our next session of titles belonging to James Hurley, a member of the 1960 International Saltoro Expedition which made the first attempt on the unclimbed K12 Peak in the Himalayas.    

Found throughout this catalog are interesting ephemera offerings. Of particular note are vintage original animation cells featuring Betty Boop. Other ephemera lots present categories such as Victorian chromolithographs, postcards, antique maps, photography, travel-related and more.    

National Book Auctions is a public auction service specializing in books, ephemera, and art. National Book Auctions is a targeted service offering experience and expertise unique to marketing antique and modern books and ephemera for consignors and collectors alike. The upcoming auctions will feature a wide assortment of collectible, signed, and first edition books. For more information, please contact the gallery at 607-269-0101 or email mail@nationalbookauctions.com.