Source : Johnson

Source Title The Barbara Johnson Collection
Description The Barbara Johnson Collection: Books & Manuscripts on Whales, Whaling and Related Subjects in two parts.

Part I, Auction Sales conducted October 28 and 28, 1996 (Sale #1737).

Part II, Auction Sales conducted September 25th, 1997  (Sale #1766).

Both sales conducted by Swann Galleries in New York City.
Scope of Text "If the adage "too much of a good thing" has any merit, it would ideally describe The Barbara Johnson Collection. The strengths of the collection are manifold. As a private library of printed literature on Whaling worldwide from the 16th century to the present, it is unsurpassed. The same is easily said for the manuscript portion of the collection, and for the print collection as well. In addition to the classics on whales and whaling, there are hundreds of rarely seen pieces. There are rarities for collectors in many fields, including travel and exploration, early printed books, illustrated books, natural history, economics, literature, and children's books.

The manuscript material includes every type of whaling document, from the much-prized crew lists to uncommon and virtually unknown types of invoices and receipts. There are large archives relating to particular ships, some of them well-known, covering single voyages and multiple voyages over many years."

From the Cataloguer's Preface to Vol. I.
Total Records in AED 1415
  • Sotheby’s
    Modern First Editions
    Available for Immediate Purchase
    Sotheby’s, Available Now: Winston Churchill. The Second World War. Set of First-Edition Volumes. 6,000 USD
    Sotheby’s, Available Now: A.A. Milne, Ernest H. Shepard. A Collection of The Pooh Books. Set of First-Editions. 18,600 USD
    Sotheby’s, Available Now: Salvador Dalí, Lewis Carroll. Alice's Adventures in Wonderland. Finely Bound and Signed Limited Edition. 15,000 USD
    Sotheby’s
    Modern First Editions
    Available for Immediate Purchase
    Sotheby’s, Available Now: Ian Fleming. Live and Let Die. First Edition. 9,500 USD
    Sotheby’s, Available Now: J.K. Rowling. Harry Potter Series. Finely Bound First Printing Set of Complete Series. 5,650 USD
    Sotheby’s, Available Now: Ernest Hemingway. A Farewell to Arms. First Edition, First Printing. 4,200 USD
  • Ketterer Rare Books
    Auction May 27th
    Ketterer Rare Books, May 27:
    K. Marx, Das Kapital,1867. Dedication copy. Est: € 120,000
    Ketterer Rare Books, May 27:
    Latin and French Book of Hours, around 1380. Est: € 25,000
    Ketterer Rare Books, May 27:
    Theodor de Bry, Indiae Orientalis, 1598-1625. Est: € 80,000
    Ketterer Rare Books
    Auction May 27th
    Ketterer Rare Books, May 27:
    Breviary, Latin manuscript, around 1450-75. Est: € 10,000
    Ketterer Rare Books, May 27:
    G. B. Piranesi, Vedute di Roma, 1748-69. Est: € 60,000
    Ketterer Rare Books, May 27:
    K. Schmidt-Rottluff, Arbeiter, 1921. Orig. watercolour on postcard. Est: € 18,000
    Ketterer Rare Books
    Auction May 27th
    Ketterer Rare Books, May 27:
    Breviarium Romanum, Latin manuscript, 1474. Est: € 20,000
    Ketterer Rare Books, May 27:
    C. J. Trew, Plantae selectae, 1750-73. Est: € 28,000
    Ketterer Rare Books, May 27:
    M. Beckmann, Apokalypse, 1943. Est: € 50,000
    Ketterer Rare Books
    Auction May 27th
    Ketterer Rare Books, May 27:
    Ulrich von Richenthal, Das Concilium, 1536. Est: € 9,000
    Ketterer Rare Books, May 27:
    I. Kant, Critik der reinen Vernunft, 1781. Est: €12,000
    Ketterer Rare Books, May 27:
    Arbeiter-Illustrierte Zeitung (AIZ) / Die Volks-Illustrierte (VI), 1932-38. Est: €8,000