Bloomsbury Auctions

2010-02-01

Bloomsbury Auctions, New York
Presents
Autographs and Fine Printed Books
Wednesday February 24, 2010
10 am and 2 pm

Bloomsbury Auctions, the world’s leading auction house for rare books and works on paper, announces their first sale of the winter season- Autographs & Fine Printed Books (web, 3D, pdf) on Wednesday, February 24th with sale times at 10:00am and 2:00pm.

The sale will showcase over 100 lots of autographs which will include artists, musicians and figures of Americana with a selection of signed editions and manuscript material from literary figures such as T.S. Eliot, Robert Frost, Truman Capote, John Ruskin and champions of flight Amelia Earhart and Charles Lindberg. American political figures Marquis de Lafayette and Ronald Reagan, and artists Kate Greenaway and Arthur Rackham are also included.

An envelope signed by Amelia Earhart and postmarked from the 1932 Olympic Games in Los Angeles is priced at $600-$800, and a first edition of In Cold Blood, (1965) signed by Truman Capote in the dust jacket is valued at $400-$600.

The collection of Tom Shelton includes over 50 lots: Walt Whitman. Leaves of Grass (1855), Brooklyn; a first edition of “America’s second Declaration of Independence,” with the provenance of the Whitman family, $35,000-$45,000.

Other lots include, T.S. Eliot’s The Cocktail Party (1950), New York, Playbill from the January 1950 Broadway debut of Eliot’s comedy at Henry Miller’s Theatre and signed by T.S. Eliot and stars Alec Guinness and Irene Worth, $400-$600; and James Joyce’s. Ulysses (1935), with illustrations by Henri Matisse, New York, Limited edition, $12,000-$16,000.

The sale of Fine Printed books, which commences at 2 pm on Wednesday, February 24, contains the 1817 edition of Lewis & Clarke’s Expedition with a large map of the Missouri River, “Travels to the Source of the Missouri River, and Across the American Continent to the Pacific Ocean. Performed by Order of the Government of the United States, in the Years 1804, 1805, and 1806” (1817), London, three volumes with six engraved maps in excellent condition. $3500-$4500, and a first edition of East of Eden (1952), New York, signed by John Steinbeck, $800-$1200.

The afternoon sale also includes over 60 lots of private press and artist’s books. Highlights include Titus Andronicus [The Gehenna Shakespeare], Leonard Baskin and William Shakespeare, one of only 250 portfolios with an additional suite of signed engravings, $2000-$3000, and The Holy Bible (1999), 2 volumes, Barry Moser, the crowning achievement of Moser's Pennyroyal Press, one of 400 copies on Zerkall Bible Paper, $4000-$6000, as well as Jim Dine’s Glyptotek (1988), New York/London, Pace Editions, Elephant folio with 40 copper-engraved prints, one of 90 copies of the signed, numbered edition, $2000-$3000.

Exhibition viewings are:
Saturday February 20, 10 am- 3 pm
Monday February 22, 10 am- 5 pm
Tuesday February 23, 10 am- 5 pm
Or by private appointment
 

2010-01-20

Bloomsbury Auctions Announces Innovative New Approach to International Photographs Sales

Beginning with the spring 2010 auction season, Bloomsbury Auctions is introducing a more inclusive approach to its photography sales. Under the singular title, The Photographs Sale, Bloomsbury will present on a single day in May, successive auctions in New York, London and Rome. Marketed in a single catalogue with separate sections and sale sessions for each sale room, this three-center approach for global sales reaffirms Bloomsbury's dedication to photography worldwide and is an unparalleled opportunity to present new material to even the most veteran of collectors.

2009-12-07

Bruce McKinney’s Extraordinary Collection of Books on the Exploration of the New World Establishes A World Record For A Travel Book at Bloomsbury Auctions in New York The Sale Totals $3,500,000

Lot 67. Samuel de Champlain (1567-1635)  Les Voyages du Sieur de Champlain Xaintongeois...  Paris: Chez Jean Berjon, 1613  Realized $758,000

Bloomsbury Auctions announces the success of The De Orbe Novo Collection: Exploration of The New World 1492-1625. Consigned by collector Bruce McKinney, this spectacular collection sold for a double low estimate $3,500,000 and was a complete sell through with 100% sold by lot and 133% by value. A world record for a travel book was set when Samuel de Champlain’s Les Voyages du Sieur de Champlain Xaintongeois... Paris: Chez Jean Berjon, 1613, sold for double the high estimate at $758,000 (premium included). The renowned Siebert copy of this landmark of French Americana and New World Exploration is a work whose importance is perhaps only surpassed by its scarcity. It is a first edition in complete and unsophisticated condition and is a pioneering work in ethnography and the first accurate mapping of the New England coast. The book was purchased by London book dealer Peter Harrington. The collection of 81 books, documenting the European exploration of the New World, ranks as one of the finest in private hands. Tom Lamb, International Head of Books and Manuscripts at Bloomsbury Auctions said "This tremendously successful sale brought together an international gathering of collectors and their agents competing to secure some of the rarest books on the early history of the Americas. Clients came to Bloomsbury Auctions’ New York saleroom from France, Spain, Italy, England, Canada, and the Americas intent on acquiring these rare works. We were delighted with the results, which are a testament to the collecting acumen of Bruce McKinney."      Lot 26. Bartolomé de Las Casas,  Bishop of Chiapa (1484-1566). A  complete set of the Indian tracts.  Realized $134,200  Lot 69. Samuel de Champlain (1567-1635)  Les Voyages de la Nouvelle France occidentale, dicte Canada...   Paris: chez Louis Sevestre, 1632  Realized $195,000 Another volume from Samuel de Champlain (1567-1635), Lot 69, Les Voyages de la Nouvelle France occidentale, dicte Canada faits par le Sr Champlain, dated 1629 and containing 3 parts in one volume with the rare double sheet engraved map, realized $196,200 (presale estimate $70,000-100,000). Lot 2, the Hartmann Schedel (1440-1514) Das Buch der Croniken und Geschichten, a first edition and the most extensive illustrated book of the 15th century and fully colored, sold for $183,000 (presale estimate $100,000-150,000). Lot 50, Jan Huygen van Linschoten (1563-1633) Itinerario, Voyage ofte Schipvaert naer oost ofte Portugaels Indien. sold for $146,000, (presale estimate $100,000-150,000). This richly illustrated travel guide was held in such high esteem that, for nearly a century, copies were given to all ships sailing to India from Portugal. A complete set of Las Casas’ Indian Tracts, a great rarity, 8 parts in 2 volumes, sold for $134,200 (presale estimate $30,000-50,000). Richard Austin, Director of Bloomsbury Auctions, New York says "Our approach to the presentation of this collection and the wonderful books it contained encouraged the reappearance of established collectors and brought new collectors to the marketplace. Great books brought strong prices and the magnificent copy of Champlain’s Les Voyages, one of the most important travel books of the 17th century, brought a world record."