The Croÿ-Arenberg Hours (image courtesy of Dr. Jorn Gunther Rare Books, Basel).
The 2026 European edition of TEFAF will take place in Maastricht (Netherlands) on March 14-19. TEFAF, The European Fine Art Foundation, has been hosting art shows since 1988 and now has shows in New York as well as in Europe. It supports fine arts all over the world, including providing grants for art restoration. While the New York show focuses on modern and contemporary art, the Maastricht show covers 7,000 years of art.
Of course, this leads to the question, what does a fine arts fair have to do with books? Books mostly are textual in nature, but some cross the line to being works of art. It may be because the appearance of the physical book is a work of art or the illustrations within are art. A few dealers specialize in or feature books along the borderline of books and art. One such dealer is Dr. Jorn Gunther Rare Books. They have published a press release about their participation describing some of the items they will be bringing to the fair. They describe them as “masterpieces,” a good description, and we note that they are also very old, half a millennium or more.
There is an unusual herbal from northern Italy dating from 1500-1520. It contains almost 400 watercolor drawings of plants, along with a few fruits, some insects, and a lizard to devour the pests. Gunther believes this may have been used to guide apprentices at a high-end workshop. They are highly naturalistic illustrations, with some having labels identifying the species in different languages. Gunther explains that the lifelike illustrations bear “witness to the late 15th and early 16th centuries illustrators' renewed interest in the accurate observation of nature."
The Croÿ-Arenberg Hours: Gunther says this book “represents one of the finest examples of Flemish illumination” and, most likely, “was made for a high-ranking member of the English royal court. The commission for this book was undoubtedly motivated by the patron’s desire for uniqueness and luxury.” Gunther further notes that “most of the large miniatures are the work of the Master of the Older Prayer Book of Maximilian I, a leading artist in celebrated manuscript projects.” This beautiful Book of Hours dates to 1508-1520.
The St. Pantaleon Legendarium: It is a very early manuscript and Gunther tells us “this masterpiece of medieval bookmaking holds numerous breathtaking illustrations, including a full-page penwork diagram with 14 roundels with portraits of saints and other personalities, arranged genealogically. This manuscript is really old, dating to 1140-1180, with one added quire circa 1050.
Dr. Jorn Gunther Rare Books is a leading specialist in Medieval manuscripts. They bring 40 years of experience in the the field from their headquarters in Basel, Switzerland.
The list of 276 exhibitors provided by TEFAF also contains a few other rare book dealers, all important figures in the field of art books, including Daniel Crouch Rare Books (UK), Stéphane Clavreuil Rare Books (UK), Peter Harrington (UK and US), and Librairie Camille Sourget (France).
Leland Little, June 12: The First Illustrated Edition of Mary Shelley's Frankenstein.
Leland Little, June 12: John Morton, Signer of the Declaration of Independence, Signed Pennsylvania Land Survey.
Leland Little, June 12: The Scarce Jansson Edition of a Remarkable Early View of London.
Leland Little, June 12: Signed Limited Edition of The Works of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle.
Leland Little, June 12: Faden’s Important and Scarce Map of the Southern Campaign of the American Revolution.
Leland Little, June 12: William J. Tate (NC, 1869-1953), Archive of the "Original host to the Wright brothers at Kitty Hawk.”
June 25, 2026
Doyle, June 25: Houdini's biography, boldly signed. $3,000 to $5,000.
Doyle, June 25: A volume from Abraham Lincoln's library, signed just before heading to Washington for his inauguration. $20,000 to $30,000.
Doyle, June 25: A very early Confederate recruiting manual belonging to the chief commissary in Lee's Army. $600 to $800.
Doyle, June 25: Rare hand-colored lithographs of the life of Napoleon. $20,000 to $30,000.
Doyle, June 25: The "Holster Atlas" of the American Revolution. $5,000 to $8,000.
Doyle, June 25: Jewish ceremonies in fine hand-colored engravings. $7,000 to $10,000.
Doyle, June 25: A very rare work on Turkish military costume. $1,000 to $1,500.
June 25, 2026
Doyle, June 25: The most important illustrated work on the Mexican-American War. $10,000 to $15,000.
Doyle, June 25: The finest illustrated book on Afghanistan. $10,000 to $15,000.
Doyle, June 25: Henry Justice Ford St. George rescues the Princess from the horrible Dragon. $2,000 to $3,000.
Doyle, June 25: A rare work of Prussian Army uniforms under Frederick William II, with exquisite hand-colored engravings. $800 to $1,200.
Doyle, June 25: Lenny Bruce typed letter signed to a Village bohemian during his obscenity trials, with a manuscript note and drawing. $300 to $500.
Doyle, June 25: Schiff's scarce Shanghai Sketchbook. $300 to $500.
Doyle, June 25: The first accurate published representation of the American flag. $2,000 to $4,000.
Freeman’s How History Unfolds on Paper: Important Americana from the Eric C. Caren Collection, Part X June 30
Freeman’s, June 30: [Queen Anne's War] Extraordinarily Large Manuscript Petition Signed by a Who's Who of Colonial New York Accomplished to Queen Anne. $8,000/12,000
Freeman’s, June 30: [Mormonism] A Unique Manuscript Account of Joseph Smith's Final Words Offered to His Congregation, the Day Before his Violent Death, 1844. $8,000/12,000
Freeman’s, June 30: [Baseball] [Mantle, Mickey] Mickey Mantle's First Cover: The Earliest Front-Page Newspaper Image of Mickey Mantle, "Something Good from Joplin". $8,000/12,000
Freeman’s, June 30: [Baseball] A Striking Type 1 Press Photograph of Lou Gehrig's Hands. $8,000/12,000
Freeman’s, June 30: [Declaration of Independence] One of the First Printed Announcements of American Independence, Subscriber Ebenezer Hazard's Copy, in the Exceedingly Rare Original Wrappers, 1776. $10,000/15,000
Freeman’s How History Unfolds on Paper: Important Americana from the Eric C. Caren Collection, Part X June 30
Freeman’s, June 30: [American Revolution] Born in the USA: First Day of Printing in the United States, July 4, 1776! $15,000/25,000
Freeman’s, June 30: [War of 1812] "We Have Met the Enemy and They are Ours": The Critical Promotion of a Naval Hero, Oliver Hazard Perry is Appointed Master Commandant in the United States Navy, 1812. $40,000/60,000
Freeman’s, June 30: [Star-Spangled Banner] Eyewitness Account of the Shelling of Fort McHenry in the War of 1812, in a Manuscript Logbook from the HMS Trave, Present at the Battles of Baltimore and New Orleans, 1814-16. $60,000/80,000
Freeman’s, June 30: [American Revolution] Thomas Jefferson at the Birth of a New Nation: An Important Letter Carried by a Jewish Patriot Communicating the Definitive Treaty of Paris, January 16, 1784. $100,000/200,000
Freeman’s, June 30: [Colonial America] [Plymouth Colony] Plymouth Colony Seeks a Royal Charter: A Rare and Important Plymouth Colony Document, 1690/91. $6,000/9,000
Sotheby’s Selections from The Jay T. Snider Collection of Benjamin Franklin Live Sale 24 June
Sotheby’s, June 24: (Benjamin Franklin). The founding—and funding—of the Pennsylvania Hospital. $150,000 to $200,000.
Sotheby’s, June 24: Benjamin Franklin, "the Day of the Declaration of Independence is everywhere annually celebrated”. $80,000 to $120,000.
Sotheby’s, June 24: Benjamin Franklin, “probably the most fundamental thing ever done in the field of electricity”. $75,000 to $125,000.
Sotheby’s, June 24: Benjamin Franklin. One of Franklin's very earliest surviving letters. $40,000 to $60,000.
Sotheby’s, June 24: Roger More and Benjamin Franklin. The only complete copy known of Poor Roger. $25,000 to $35,000.
Sotheby’s, June 24: John Jerman. The American Almanack ... for 1731 — the only known copy in private hands. $25,000 to $35,000.
