Latest News Articles by Ian McKay
Original working manuscripts show evolution of Darwin
13 August 2018Two of only 11 leaves of the original, working manuscript of Charles Darwin’s On the Origin of Species… known to remain in private hands were sold at auction in London last month.
The Starke but not the naked truths
13 August 2018Sold for £2500 in a Dominic Winter (20% buyer’s premium) sale of July 25 was an enormous archive of work produced in the 1950s and ‘60s by Leslie Starke (1905-74), a cartoonist once very popular in both the UK and US.
Art Deco hits the big screen
13 August 2018Sold at £620 in a July 2 sale held by Hansons (20% buyer’s premium) was a leather-bound promotional catalogue issued by the Walturdaw Cinema Supply Co of Birmingham.
The alternative Quentin Blake revealed at auction
13 August 2018Preparatory and other unused drawings relating to Roald Dahl classics come to auction
Striking binding of Thomas Gray work
13 August 2018A selection of fine or unusual bindings seen at auction during the summer months will feature more prominently in a future issue, but shown here is a 1751 first of Thomas Gray’s An Elegy Wrote in a Country Church Yard in a striking later binding that was among lots offered at Chiswick Auctions (25/12% buyer’s premium) on July 12.
Summer brings books and works on paper auction riches
06 August 2018June and July brought a rich crop of auctions in London, around the country and overseas. A few of those sales and stand-out results have already been reported on these and the ATG news pages, but many more hammer highlights were achieved.
Sketches and scraps make hit albums
06 August 2018Two albums of 19th century watercolours and drawings produced unexpected results in summer sales.
British and Irish book auctions: August 7-18, 2018
06 August 2018ATG’s calendar of book auctions taking place in the UK and Ireland from August 7-18, 2018.
New gallery kicks off with library of computing through the ages
06 August 2018One of the earlier big attractions of the new season will be the September 18-19 auction at Sotheby’s of the Erwin Tomash library on the history of computing.
British and Irish book auctions: July 25-August 15, 2018
23 July 2018ATG’s calendar of book auctions taking place in the UK and Ireland from July 25-August 15, 2018.
Extensive library dedicated to agriculture sold over two days in London auction
23 July 2018Comprising some 3000 books ranging in date from 1473-1840, one of the finest collections of books on agriculture ever assembled was dispersed by Forum Auctions (30/24/14.4% buyer’s premium inc VAT) in a July 10-11 sale that totalled £1.6m.
Donne with George Eliot extra
16 July 2018A copy of the posthumously published, 1633 first edition of John Donne’s Poems in a neatly rebacked but contemporary sheep binding is a desirable volume in itself.
Ornithological work that caused a big flap in Edinburgh auction
16 July 2018One of a collection of ornithological and other natural history works from a country house library offered in an Edinburgh sale was a scarce, complete copy of a work that created a bitter fall-out between author and illustrator.
Playing cards from 1830s appear at Suffolk sale
16 July 2018Issued by ‘Hunt & Sons, Card Makers to His Majesty’, a ‘Great Mogul’ deck of playing cards of c.1830, the labels that seal the packaging still unbroken after all those years, featured in a recent Suffolk sale.
How to create Harry Potter price magic
16 July 2018There were two 1997, first-impression copies of JK Rowling’s Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone in the June 21 sale held by Bonhams.
British and Irish book auctions: July 17-28, 2018
16 July 2018ATG’s calendar of book auctions taking place in the UK and Ireland from July 17-28, 2018.
Cynographia, or coloured canine rarities
09 July 2018Once described as “one of the rarest dog books printed in the English language”, a copy of Cynographia Britannica: Consisting of Coloured Engravings of Various Breeds of Dogs existing in Great Britain sold at $14,000 (£10,525) at Christie’s New York (25/20/12.5% buyer’s premium) on June 14.
Not quite all his own work?
09 July 2018An early 17th century work on …the Whole Practise of Artillery made a record sum in sale held by Tennants (20% buyer’s premium) of Leyburn.
Ticking off the profits and losses
09 July 2018Sold for $32,000 (£24,060) at Christie’s New York (25/20/12.5% buyer’s premium) on June 14 was an Edison Universal Stock Ticker.
Darwin distressed – but not dismissed
09 July 2018Two 1859 firsts of Darwin’s On the Origin of Species…, neither in what could be called good condition, made very strong prices in recent weeks. This is a book nowadays so desirable that such shortcomings can be overlooked.