Latest News Articles by Ian McKay
Spider-Man flies high at Heritage
08 November 2021Spider-Man became the most expensive comic book superhero in a Heritage (20% buyer’s premium) sale this autumn.
‘Surprizing’ Crusoe result in Oxford
08 November 2021Top lot in a sale held by Mallams (25% buyer’s premium) of Oxford was a 1719-20, first edition set of 'The Life and Strange Surprizing Adventures of Robinson Crusoe…', 'The Farther Adventures…' and 'The Serious Reflections…' in later but very smart bindings of red morocco gilt by Francis Bedford of London.
British and Irish book auctions: November 9-28, 2021
08 November 2021Our regular listing of UK and Irish book auctions.
Dowland’s composition for the lute proves key at Sotheby's
08 November 2021Relating to perhaps the most famous of all compositions for the lute, a version of John Dowland’s 'Lachrimae pavane' proved a major attraction in a music sale held by Sotheby’s (26/20/13.9% buyer’s premium).
Richly illustrated Book of Hours sells at Chorley’s
08 November 2021A great many of the lots that brought prices in the £1000-10,000 range in a recent Cheltenham sale were multiples of varying size – some running to as many as a hundred volumes – but noted here are a couple with that same Spetchley Park provenance that can be more precisely defined.
The sevenpenny Churchill work
01 November 2021Copies of the 1900, first edition of Winston Churchill’s novel Savrola have made as much as £3500 at auction.
British and Irish book auctions: November 2-19, 2021
01 November 2021Our regular listing of UK and Irish book auctions.
Down Under cookery comes up trumps in Oz saleroom
01 November 2021A couple of surprise results emerged in a sale held in Armadale, Victoria, by Australian Book Auctions (19.8% buyer’s premium).
Alan Turing’s letter on the likelihood of success in a casino strikes big win at Bonhams
01 November 2021Letter from cryptology expert describes his analysis of a Monte Carlo betting system
Charles Dickens Christmas Books provide early festive gift
27 October 2021Though the matching bindings were much later ones commissioned by London dealer Sotherans, a set of Charles Dickens’ five famous Christmas Books offered on August 28 by Potter & Potter (20% buyer’s premium) of Chicago were all firsts of 1843-48, and in some instances first issue or first state copies.
British and Irish book auctions: October 26-November 13, 2021
27 October 2021Our regular listing of UK and Irish book auctions.
The quaint side of Dundee
27 October 2021Illustrated from drawings made by William Gibb, printed under his supervision and signed by the author, George Petree, one of 16 special copies of Dundee, its Quaint and Historic Old Buildings that were printed on Japanese paper in 1895 made a far higher than expected result at auction.
Maps and plans make a mark
27 October 2021Stand-out cartographic lots sold in Gloucestershire include a string of early rarities
Tiger burns bright at £2200
27 October 2021Complete year runs of Beano from the years 1958 and ‘59 that sold at £3050 and £3550 topped the bidding in a Comic Book Auctions (20% buyer’s premium) timed online sale that ended on August 29.
Records and recipes for success
18 October 2021High demand today for manuscripts revealing 17th century domestic arrangements.
British and Irish book auctions, October 19-November 6, 2021
18 October 2021Our regular listing of UK and Irish book auctions.
Group lot with a temperance licence to thrill
18 October 2021Bid to a much higher than expected £4000 on August 19 at Thomson Roddick (18% buyer’s premium) was a lot offering 10 volumes of pamphlets, offprints, reports, legal evidence, etc, relating to licensing laws and the campaign to regulate consumption in the UK.
Uncle Brook created real flights of fantasy for kids
18 October 2021Oddly titled by its creator as such, an extraordinary watercolour featured on August 10 at John Nicholson’s (25% buyer’s premium) of Fernhurst.
Tolkien signature discovery boosts Hobbit value
18 October 2021It was when the book was in the process of being catalogued by Bretells (19% buyer’s premium) of Newport, Shropshire, that a second impression copy of Tolkien’s The Hobbit was seen to bear the author’s signature.
Pullman’s first haunt
18 October 2021Bid to £2400, a signed and inscribed copy of Philip Pullman’s nowadays scarce first novel, The Haunted Storm of 1971, was an unexpectedly successful lot in an online modern literature auction held by Forum (25/20/12.5% buyer’s premium) on August 5.