Best of:
U.S. Books & Manuscripts
Top Success Stories of 2022
Ruth Bader Ginsburg's Annotated Copy of the 1957-58 Harvard Law Review. Sold for US$100,312.50 inc. premium
Ruth Bader Ginsburg's Annotated Copy of the 1957-58 Harvard Law Review. Sold for US$100,312.50 inc. premium
Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg
The department started strong in January 2022 with the personal library of Justice Ginsburg, including her annotated copy of the Harvard Law Review which blew estimates of $2,500-3,500 out of the water, selling for a total of $100,312.50. Also offered in this sale were many items from influential authors and figures of the 20th century, from Gloria Steinem to Jane Goodall as well as many of the Justice’s own works.
Later in the fall, Books and Manuscripts partnered again with SOS Children’s Village, a charity close to the Justice’s heart, to offer some of the Ginsburg’s personal property from her Watergate apartment. Featured were a gavel used by RBG ($20,400) at legal conferences and mock trials as well as 2 pairs of her iconic lace gloves, one black ($16,575) and one white ($12,750). Both sales were 100% sold and together made nearly $3 million.
Historical Americana
Printed and manuscript Americana continue to be a strong component of the overall book market. Last year we sold the first Federal Copyright Law ($201,975) signed by Thomas Jefferson in 1790; a letter from Frederick Douglass ($353,175) describing his treatment during his return to America in 1845; and finally an important letter from Robert E. Lee to Ulysses S. Grant written during the Battle of Cold Spring and known as “The Letter That Arrived Too Late”($138,975).
From the other side of the continent, we had the pleasure to offer an 18th Century Map of California ($693,375) by Miguel de Castonsó, considered the most important map of the region of the time. All of these pieces capture an important moment in time and our team was happy to be stewards of their journeys.
The Most Important 18th-Century Map of California. Original Manuscript Map of Coastal California Signed ("Miguel de Costansó"). Sold for US$693,375 inc. premium
The Most Important 18th-Century Map of California. Original Manuscript Map of Coastal California Signed ("Miguel de Costansó"). Sold for US$693,375 inc. premium
Kepler Investigates Planetary Motion. Kepler, Johannes. 1571-1630. Autograph scientific manuscript, in Latin, containing calculations and notes on the relative velocity of the moon and the sun referring to Tycho Brahe's Tabulae. Sold for US$1,008,375 inc. premium
Kepler Investigates Planetary Motion. Kepler, Johannes. 1571-1630. Autograph scientific manuscript, in Latin, containing calculations and notes on the relative velocity of the moon and the sun referring to Tycho Brahe's Tabulae. Sold for US$1,008,375 inc. premium
Science and Space
Science continues to be one of the strongest growth areas in the Books and Manuscripts market. Here at Bonhams we sold not one ($882,375), but two ($1,008,375) manuscripts of Johannes Kepler showing his work on understanding the movement of planets. The second, offered in December, directly references Tycho Brahe’s Tabulae and Copernicus. In April, our Space History sale offered samples of Lunar dust from a contingency collection done by Apollo 11 ($504,375). Can we just say, 2022 was out of this world.
Coming back to earth, we sold several items from different eras of natural science, from a 15th century Alchemical Illustrated Manuscript ($75,975) to a draft leaf from Darwin’s Descent of Man ($239,775). Finally, we were happy to conduct a private sale of Albert Einstein’s Doctorate Certificate from the University of Zurich. This certificate was specifically awarded for his work "Eine neue Bestimmung der Molekuldimensionen" ("A New Determination of Molecular Dimensions").
Literature
What is a Books and Manuscript department without literature? In June we offered highlights from the David Lloyd Collection of Modern Literature, including a copy L. Frank Baum’s Road to Oz ($25,500) thought lost to most collectors, as well as a first edition of The Hobbit ($60,855) and complete collections of P. G. Wodehouse, Fleming, Orwell and more.
Last but certainly not least, we sold the final illustration of Winnie the Pooh and Piglet ($220,000) in the Hundred-Acre woods in our December auction. In the spirit of these two friends as we move into 2023, we ask, “…I wonder what’s going to happen exciting today.”
Tolkien, J.R.R. 1892-1973. The Hobbit, or There and Back Again. London: George Allen & Unwin Limited, 1937. Sold for US$60,855 inc. premium
Tolkien, J.R.R. 1892-1973. The Hobbit, or There and Back Again. London: George Allen & Unwin Limited, 1937. Sold for US$60,855 inc. premium
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