Book fairs have long played an important role in the rare book field. We date the beginning of printing with Gutenberg’s invention of the printing press circa 1450. Less known is the first book fair was the Frankfurt Book Fair in 1462. In 1564 the first book fair catalogue (Messkatalog) provided an organized listing of show material. In America Mathew Carey organized the first Literary Fair in New York in 1802.
With the emergence of literacy, the development of faster presses and pulped paper in the 19th century, collectable paper became a more widely followed field. Auctions and dealer...
Auction sales of books and collectible paper were up again in 2025. The total dollar volume of sales of items of books and paper at auctions we cover (the great majority of sales) again settled com...
As Rare Book Hub’s databases have grown, so too has their complexity.
When you log on Rare Book Hub, you’ll see an unfamiliar heading that shows:
Transaction History Upcoming Auctions ...
Pasadena: Feb 21-22; ABAA San Francisco: Feb. 27-March 1
Two big California antiquarian book fairs are coming up in late February. Rare Books Pasadena welcomes booksellers and bibliophiles fro...
NYC Christie’s Auction Just Cleared $35M+ 🗽🍎
NYC really ate with the Christie’s 250th US Anniversary auction. Early 2026 is officially peaked because the vibes were immaculate and the Americana...
Christie’s New York is setting its sights skyward with Valuable Books in the History of Astronomy from the Collection of Jay M. Pasachoff, the centerpiece of its Fine Printed Books Manuscripts inc...
A new record price has been set for a comic book and it blew away all previous prices - $15 million! The comic was Action Comics #1, published in 1938. What makes it so valuable is that it introduc...
Sotheby's is off to a fast start for 2026. They already have four sales in the field of collectible paper under their belt, three in New York, one in London, with several more already planned for F...
Sotheby’s Masters Week: it begins on February 4th –
The first week of February is a major event for Sotheby’s, especially for high-end manuscripts and historical documents. Here is one of the h...
In 1846, the first plank road in the United States was completed between Salina (Syracuse, New York) and Central Square. Another plank road nearby, the Auburn and Moravia Plank Road, was organized ...
If you’re a history buff or a museum fan or anyone who thinks that the treasures of the past should be preserved and displayed you’ve no doubt read and heard about the current pressure on the Smith...
There recently has been perhaps an odd combination in the used and old book marketplace. It is somewhat like Amazon's taking over AbeBooks, but there are significant differences in how it works. Th...
There are several major international and regional book fairs scheduled between now and April 1st. The “Big Three” of the spring season – London, Leipzig, and Taipei – all fall in the first months ...
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 Ne...
ABAA California International Antiquarian Book Fair 2026
The Antiquarian Booksellers’ Association of America (ABAA) is pleased to announce the return of the California International Ant...
In 1702, Mr. Durret offered to take his readers around the world. He’d sail with them, he promised, from Marseille, France, to Lima, Peru. An exciting prospect, indeed! Mr. Durret kept his word, ex...
The Rare Book School (RBS) at the University of Virginia is offering a full schedule for 2026. They are currently accepting applications for nearly 50 courses, including both in-person sessions in ...
This month we review two new bookseller catalogues. Librairie Clavreuil of Paris and Stéphane Clavreuil Rare Books of London offer a selection of books from the 15th through the 19th century. David...
Old World Auctions (Nov 11): Lot 41. Rare First State of the First Printed Map Devoted to the Arctic (1595) Est. $14,000 - $17,000
Old World Auctions (Nov 11): Lot 63. The Largest of the Strada "Leo Belgicus" Editions (1632) Est. $3,250 - $4,000
Old World Auctions (Nov 11): Lot 71. Blaeu's Stunning Carte-a-Figures Map of the Americas (1640) Est. $4,000 - $4,750
Old World Auctions (Nov 11): Lot 8. Mariette's Rare and Decorative Map of the World Based on the Work of Hondius (1642) Est. $4,750 - $6,000
Old World Auctions (Nov 11): Lot 172. 1775 Edition of the Landmark Fry-Jefferson Map of Virginia and Maryland (1775) Est. $12,000 - $15,000
Old World Auctions (Nov 11): Lot 46. Doppelmayr's Fine Celestial Chart (1742) Est. $800 - $950
Old World Auctions (Nov 11): Lot 212. First Edition Ski Country Map by Pioneer Hal Shelton (1965) Est. $500 - $700
Old World Auctions (Nov 11): Lot 732. Ruscelli's Complete Atlas with 69 Maps and Updated Maps of the Continents (1599) Est. $8,000 - $9,500
Old World Auctions (Nov 11): Lot 329. Ortelius' Map of Iceland Surrounded by Sea Monsters (1585) Est. $11,000 - $13,000
Old World Auctions (Nov 11): Lot 600. Heinrich Bunting's Rare Map of Asia in the Form of a Pegasus (1581) Est. $3,000 - $3,750
Old World Auctions (Nov 11): Lot 716. Bible Leaf with Hand-Colored Image of the Adoration of the Magi (1490) Est. $2,000 - $2,300
Heritage, Nov. 18: Orson Welles. Signed Third Revised Final Draft for Citizen Kane (RKO, 1941). July 16, 1940.
Heritage, Nov. 18: Bob Dylan. Autograph manuscript working lyrics to "Man on the Street."
Heritage, Nov. 18: Ernest Hemingway. Death in the Afternoon. Inscribed by the author to the daughter of the Spanish Ambassador.
Heritage, Nov. 18: Jack London. The Call of the Wild. Inscribed by the author.
Heritage, Nov. 18: John Steinbeck. East of Eden. Inscribed by 27 members of the movie cast and crew, including James Dean and Elia Kazan.
Sotheby’s Nelson, His Life and His Navy: The Clive Richards Collection of Letters and Manuscripts November 18, 2026
Sotheby’s Nelson, His Life and His Navy: The Clive Richards Collection of Letters and Manuscripts November 18, 2026
Sotheby’s Nelson, His Life and His Navy: The Clive Richards Collection of Letters and Manuscripts November 18, 2026
ALDE Livres anciens Alchimie & Sciences occultes November 4, 2026
ALDE, Nov. 4: DU BELLAY (JOACHIM). Les Œuvres françoises. Reveuës, & de nouveau augmentées de plusieurs poësies non encores auparavant imprimées. Paris, 1569. €3,000 to €4,000.
ALDE, Nov. 4: PIRANESI (GIOVANNI BATTISTA). Carceri d'invenzione. [Paris, Firmin Didot, vers 1807-1835]. €25,000 to €35,000.
ALDE, Nov. 4: PIRANESI (GIOVANNI BATTISTA). Vedute di Roma. Rome, chez l'auteur, s.d. [vers 1760-1778]. €50,000 to €60,000.
ALDE, Nov. 4: RACINE (JEAN). Bérénice. Tragédie. Paris, Claude Barbin, 1671. €5,000 to €6,000.
ALDE, Nov. 4: MAIER (MICHAEL). Arcana arcanissima, hoc est Hieroglyphica ægyptio-græca. S.l.n.d. [Londres, Thomas Creede, 1614]. €3,000 to €4,000.
ALDE Livres anciens Alchimie & Sciences occultes November 4, 2026
ALDE, Nov. 4: MAIER (MICHAEL). Atalanta fugiens, hoc est, emblemata nova de secretis naturæ chymica. Oppenheim, 1618. €20,000 to €30,000.
ALDE, Nov. 4: [MANUSCRIT ALCHIMIQUE]. La Science divine. [Traité d’alchimie]. Manuscrit signé et date à Paris par Pierre de la Borde le douze décembre 1749. €3,000 to €4,000.
ALDE, Nov. 4: [MANUSCRIT ALCHIMIQUE]. Italie, XVIIe ou XVIIIe siècle. €1,500 to €2,000.
ALDE, Nov. 4: PIGNORIA (LORENZO). Mensa Isiaca, qua sacrorum apud Ægyptios ratio et simulacra subjectis tabulis æneis simul exhibentur et explicantur. Amsterdam, Andreas Frisius, 1669. €1,000 to €1,200.
ALDE, Nov. 4: TAISNIER (JEAN). Opus mathematicum octo libros complectens. Cologne, Johann Birckmann et Werner Richwin, 1562. €1,500 to €2,000.
