FALLS CHURCH, VA.- The premier attraction of Waverly’s March 1 Fine and Rare Books, Maps & Manuscripts auction is an 1840 first edition of John James Audubon’s The Birds of America. It comes with provenance from the Washington, DC-area collection of Charles Truitt and is estimated at $40,000-$60,000.
Known as an “octavo” edition, the 9-inch-tall book is especially desirable because it is complete, with all 500 illustrations present.
“Usually Audubon editions of this type are pilfered for their famous and decorative illustrations, which people frame and display. This one is special because it is 100 percent complete,” said Waverly’s specialist Anson Brown.
The consignor of the Audubon book is Charles Truitt’s son, who has kept and cared for the important book from his father’s collection for many years. He has also consigned to auction an edition of John James Audubon and John Bachman’s The Quadrapeds of North America. It is estimated at $3,000-$6,000.
Another highlight of the 215-lot sale is a circa-1900 fully leather-bound edition of The Life of Napoleon, which came to Waverly’s from a couple in Winchester, Va., who had it on a bookshelf for 38 years.
Continued: http://www.artdaily.org/index.asp?int_sec=2&int_new=53661
Showing posts with label Audubon. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Audubon. Show all posts
Saturday, February 18, 2012
Friday, September 10, 2010
World's most expensive book goes up for sale (via Dawn Holloway)
A rare copy of John James Audubon's Birds of America, billed as the world's most expensive book, is to go on sale at Sotheby's, it has been announced.
Only 119 complete copies of the 19th-century book are known to exist, and 108 are owned by museums and libraries.
A separate edition of the wildlife book sold for a record-breaking price of $8.8m (£5.7m) a decade ago.
The copy going under the hammer in December comes from the collection of Lord Hesketh.
It contains 1,000 life-sized illustrations of almost 500 breeds.
It took wildlife artist John James Audubon 12 years to complete his study.
He did so by travelling across America, shooting the birds. He would then hang them on bits of wire to paint them.
The artist then went to Britain to print the volumes and targeted the rich to buy copies.
Lord Hesketh's collection also includes a rare copy of Shakespeare's First Folio, which Sotheby's said is "the most important book in all of English Literature".
Of the 750 that were probably printed, only 219 are known to exist today.
The copy being offered for sale, which dates back to 1623, has a valuation of up to £1.5 million, and only has three pages missing.
It is one of only three textually complete copies to exist in private hands in a comparably early binding.
Letters written from Elizabeth I relating to Mary Queen of Scots are also going under the hammer at the sale, which takes place on 7 December.
David Goldthorpe, a senior specialist in Sotheby's books and manuscripts department in London, said: "To have all these items in one sale is remarkable; it's certainly never happened in my time, 15 years, and people who've been here longer can't recall it."
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-11242275
Only 119 complete copies of the 19th-century book are known to exist, and 108 are owned by museums and libraries.
A separate edition of the wildlife book sold for a record-breaking price of $8.8m (£5.7m) a decade ago.
The copy going under the hammer in December comes from the collection of Lord Hesketh.
It contains 1,000 life-sized illustrations of almost 500 breeds.
It took wildlife artist John James Audubon 12 years to complete his study.
He did so by travelling across America, shooting the birds. He would then hang them on bits of wire to paint them.
The artist then went to Britain to print the volumes and targeted the rich to buy copies.
Lord Hesketh's collection also includes a rare copy of Shakespeare's First Folio, which Sotheby's said is "the most important book in all of English Literature".
Of the 750 that were probably printed, only 219 are known to exist today.
The copy being offered for sale, which dates back to 1623, has a valuation of up to £1.5 million, and only has three pages missing.
It is one of only three textually complete copies to exist in private hands in a comparably early binding.
Letters written from Elizabeth I relating to Mary Queen of Scots are also going under the hammer at the sale, which takes place on 7 December.
David Goldthorpe, a senior specialist in Sotheby's books and manuscripts department in London, said: "To have all these items in one sale is remarkable; it's certainly never happened in my time, 15 years, and people who've been here longer can't recall it."
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-11242275
World's most expensive book goes up for sale (via Dawn Holloway)
A rare copy of John James Audubon's Birds of America, billed as the world's most expensive book, is to go on sale at Sotheby's, it has been announced.
Only 119 complete copies of the 19th-century book are known to exist, and 108 are owned by museums and libraries.
A separate edition of the wildlife book sold for a record-breaking price of $8.8m (£5.7m) a decade ago.
The copy going under the hammer in December comes from the collection of Lord Hesketh.
It contains 1,000 life-sized illustrations of almost 500 breeds.
It took wildlife artist John James Audubon 12 years to complete his study.
He did so by travelling across America, shooting the birds. He would then hang them on bits of wire to paint them.
The artist then went to Britain to print the volumes and targeted the rich to buy copies.
Lord Hesketh's collection also includes a rare copy of Shakespeare's First Folio, which Sotheby's said is "the most important book in all of English Literature".
Of the 750 that were probably printed, only 219 are known to exist today.
The copy being offered for sale, which dates back to 1623, has a valuation of up to £1.5 million, and only has three pages missing.
It is one of only three textually complete copies to exist in private hands in a comparably early binding.
Letters written from Elizabeth I relating to Mary Queen of Scots are also going under the hammer at the sale, which takes place on 7 December.
David Goldthorpe, a senior specialist in Sotheby's books and manuscripts department in London, said: "To have all these items in one sale is remarkable; it's certainly never happened in my time, 15 years, and people who've been here longer can't recall it."
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-11242275
Only 119 complete copies of the 19th-century book are known to exist, and 108 are owned by museums and libraries.
A separate edition of the wildlife book sold for a record-breaking price of $8.8m (£5.7m) a decade ago.
The copy going under the hammer in December comes from the collection of Lord Hesketh.
It contains 1,000 life-sized illustrations of almost 500 breeds.
It took wildlife artist John James Audubon 12 years to complete his study.
He did so by travelling across America, shooting the birds. He would then hang them on bits of wire to paint them.
The artist then went to Britain to print the volumes and targeted the rich to buy copies.
Lord Hesketh's collection also includes a rare copy of Shakespeare's First Folio, which Sotheby's said is "the most important book in all of English Literature".
Of the 750 that were probably printed, only 219 are known to exist today.
The copy being offered for sale, which dates back to 1623, has a valuation of up to £1.5 million, and only has three pages missing.
It is one of only three textually complete copies to exist in private hands in a comparably early binding.
Letters written from Elizabeth I relating to Mary Queen of Scots are also going under the hammer at the sale, which takes place on 7 December.
David Goldthorpe, a senior specialist in Sotheby's books and manuscripts department in London, said: "To have all these items in one sale is remarkable; it's certainly never happened in my time, 15 years, and people who've been here longer can't recall it."
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-11242275
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