The Internet made it possible for auction houses to attract bids worldwide. With that ability, they invested in cataloging, photography and promotion, expecting they could encourage bidding interest. And they have. Auction sales in the collectible paper category reached $1.371 billion dollars last year. They have been extraordinarily successful.
The dealer model, composed of printed and eCatalogues, listing sites, and shows has also been effective to connect with their audience but has been losing market share to auctions. With our eCatalogues platform visible on our pages under News ...
This is one of those nightmare stories brought to us courtesy of the internet. Technology is wonderful, but...
Andrew Cope is a highly respected British children's book author. His most popular...
Are you reading the long form?
We are in the middle of an undeclared war.
We know that print was financially unhealthy. The Internet has been killing off newspapers. Books are resisting the...
If you are a regular reader of RBH Monthly you’ve noticed we have been expanding our services. We’ve increased our auction coverage both for free readers and paid subscribers. Every Sunday we send ...
Books have never had a rating system like movies, but a new certification process has recently been developed to combat an issue Shakespeare never faced. Actually, no publisher or author has been q...
There are book fairs both large and small. Many annual book related events have storied histories, storied participating dealers and occasionally famous collectors. The Boston book fairs have all o...
Boston “Shadow Fair” Has Come Full Circle and Reports Full House
The annual Boston “shadow show”, now promoted by MW Book Fairs, has come full circle since its beginnings almost 30 years ago at th...
17 October, 2025
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
The 2025 Northampton Book Antiquarian Book, Ephemera, and Book Arts Fair, the ninth edition, will be Friday, November 21st from 5 – 8pm and Saturday, Novemb...
When Robert Badinter (1928-2024) had the death penalty abolished in France in 1981, he didn’t destroy the last guillotine, but stored it instead. He wanted it to be later exhibited in a museum. Lat...
Don't Say “Banned Book”
Hawaii does a work-around as libraries throughout the state rebrand using the term “Freedom to Read” instead of the familiar “Banned Books” during 2025 Banned Book Week.
O...
Recently I noticed that Swann Galleries of New York was preparing an appealing sale of book and manuscript material. I asked them to send me their news release about it because I’ve bought many lot...
The Ohio Attorney General and a religious institution have reached a settlement of the state's claims against the institution's alleged plans to deaccession some of the books in its library. In wha...
Doyle‘s November 25 auction of rare books includes a diverse and inviting array of material in many subject areas. As is usual with our sales, there is a strong component of Americana. This include...
"Bring Out The Hellmann's, and Bring Out the Best." You've undoubtedly heard the jingle for the mayonnaise many times through the years (unless you live west of the Rockies where it's "Bring Out th...
This month we review eight new bookseller catalogues. Hale Co. has released their first catalogue and it is quite a presentation! James Cummins bookseller has combined with the George S. MacManus ...
Sotheby's Fine Books, Manuscripts & More Available for Immediate Purchase
Sotheby’s: William Shakespeare. The Temple Shakespeare. Housed in Custom Bookcase. $6,365.
Sotheby’s: Frederick Douglass. Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, Boston: Anti-Slavery Office, 1845. $14,000.
Sotheby’s: Charles Dickens. A Christmas Carol. London: William Heinemann, 1915. $2,900.
Sotheby’s: F. Scott Fitzgerald. First Edition Set, Including This Side of Paradise, The Great Gatsby, and others. Charles Scribner's Sons. 1920 – 1941. $24,180.
Sotheby’s: Lewis Carroll [Charles Lutwidge Dodgson], John Tenniel. Alice's Adventures in Wonderland First Edition. Macmillan & Co., 1866. $15,000.
Swann Autographs November 6, 2025
Swann, Nov. 6: Lot 93: Autograph album containing 29 autograph letters signed by each president from Washington to Coolidge, 1785-1945.
Swann, Nov. 6: Lot 166: Franz Schubert, Autograph Musical Manuscript, fragment from Die Taucher, 1813.
Swann, Nov. 6: Lot 111: Thomas Jefferson, holograph plat drawing: map of field near Monticello, 1790s.
Swann Autographs November 6, 2025
Swann, Nov. 6: Lot 208: George Sand, Autograph Manuscript Signed, draft of her one-act play, Francia, ca. 1872.
Swann, Nov. 6: Lot 218: Walt Whitman, Manuscript Signed, draft of three complete poems from Leaves of Grass, 1891.
Swann, Nov. 6: Lot 8: James Dean, Photograph Signed and Inscribed, still from Giant, 1955.
Swann Autographs November 6, 2025
Swann, Nov. 6: Lot 20: John Lennon, Typescript Signed, interview discussing Paul, Linda, and Yoko, 1971.
Swann, Nov. 6: Lot 215: Mark Twain, engraved portrait Signed, "Mark Twain / SL. Clemens," 1890s.
Swann, Nov. 6: Lot 81: Vaslav Nijinsky, reproduction of an artwork by Léon Bakst Inscribed and Signed, 1916.
Swann Autographs November 6, 2025
Swann, Nov. 6: Lot 73: Malcolm X, The Harvard Crimson Signed and Inscribed: his street address and phone number, 1961.
Swann, Nov. 6: Lot 11: Lou Gehrig, Photograph Signed and Inscribed, ca. 1939.
Swann, Nov. 6: Lot 153: George Gershwin, Photograph Signed and Inscribed, portrait by Renato Toppo.
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Doyle, Nov. 5: The Director's copy of the first edition of Samuel Beckett's Waiting for Godot, inscribed by Beckett. $7,000 to $10,000.
Doyle, Nov. 5: Don McLean's personal test pressing of American Pie before mass production, gifted in 1971. $8,000 to $12,000.
Doyle, Nov. 5: The important and extensive archive of original fashion photographs of model Dorothy Rice, 1945-58. $20,000 to $30,000.
Doyle, Nov. 5: A Charles Adams theater advertisement. $8,000 to $12,000.
Doyle, Nov. 5: A Small Patinated Bronze Bust of Marlene Dietrich. $800 to $1,200.
Doyle, Nov. 5: Marlene Dietrich Studio Photograph. $100 to $200.
Doyle, Nov. 5: The very large and uncommon British Quad for Hitchcock's The Birds. $500 to $800.
Doyle, Nov. 5: An Original Crystal "Sputnik" from the 1966 Met Opera Chandelier. $3,000 to $5,000.
Doyle, Nov. 5: The rare poster from the first American performances of Endgame, 1958. $1,000 to $1,500.
Doyle, Nov. 5: The original Coconut Grove Playhouse poster for Waiting for Godot, possibly unique. $3,000 to $5,000.