Fine Books News: Recent
In 18th century Paris the Palais Royal housed booksellers in the galleries under the arcades and a…
168 years after London’s 'Great Stink' which forced the government to pass a law to build the sewer…
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Here are the auctions I'll be watching this week:
Earlier this week, we learned the sad news that Florida book collector Jerry Morris, whom we profiled in our winter 2015 issue, has passed away. His friend and fellow Florida Bibliophile Society (FBS) member Gary Simons wrote:
Berkeley, CA – PBA Galleries' Fine Literature Sale 757, held on March 24th, was a success with an active early bidding and competitive bidding during the live sale.
Over 400 lots featuring a large selection of important literature from the 19th and 20th centuries, scarce works from the…
The Ripley Scrolls, those cryptic, illustrated manuscripts named after the Renaissance-era author and alchemist George Ripley, of which only 23 remain extant, have long beguiled book lovers. Figures like Sir Isaac Newton and John Dee were also drawn to their promise of health and wealth.
New York — Swann Auction Galleries’ sale of Fine Photographs on Thursday, April 14, will feature a selection of classical twentieth-century prints alongside contemporary works.
Austin, Texas — Thomas F. Staley, author, professor emeritus and 25-year director of the Harry Ransom Center at The University of Texas at Austin, died March 29. He was 86.
Under his leadership of the Ransom Center, more than 100 authors’ archives were acquired, including the papers of J.M.…
Crossing the auction block in New York tomorrow is this incredibly neat piece of library ephemera: a ca. 1801 bookplate from a Farmington, Connecticut, library that lists the “5 Laws for Library Borrowers.”
Philadelphia — Freeman’s is honored to present John Hancock’s July 8, 1776 letter to Georgia announcing the Declaration of Independence. It is being offered in Freeman’s May 4 Books and Manuscripts auction, estimate upon request.
Kelmscott Manor in Oxfordshire, England, the home of designer and writer William Morris (1834-1896), reopened to the public on April 1, after a 30-month refurbishment project.
London – If you set out to build a library of classic works of English literature, the novels of Charles Dickens would probably be high on the list. That at least was the view of Jeremy and Penny Martin whose wonderful collection of first editions, boasting works by Isaak Walton, Thomas Hardy and…
