Books & Periodicals

Material in this specialist market ranges from the early printed works of the Gutenberg Press and William Caxton right through to Modern First Editions and now up to signed copies of Harry Potter. Condition and rarity are the keys to this sector.


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Big bucks for British documents as James I royal warrant and Trafalgar order of battle emerge

01 May 2026

Two choice British documents emerged across two different sales at Amherst, New Hampshire firm RR Auction (25% buyer’s premium).

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Ignatius Sancho second edition sells in New York

01 May 2026

Letters of the Late Ignatius Sancho, an African, tells the remarkable story of an African born on a British slave ship who earned a place among the London elite.

Books and works on paper auction calendar, May 6-24, 2026

01 May 2026

Our regular listing of UK and Irish books and works on paper sales

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Naturalist got into a flap after his pigeons book was hijacked

01 May 2026

While many people have a decided aversion to pigeons, this did not apply to the bidders at Kiefer (25% buyer’s premium) in Pforzheim, Germany.

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Why running out of PBFA carrier bags is a good sign

01 May 2026

Visitors to the PBFA’s two-day spring event once again proved they come to buy not just browse

Richard Burton books

Personal library of a pioneering British scholar of Armenian and Iranian studies comes to auction

28 April 2026

Volumes from the personal library of a pioneering British scholar of Armenian and Iranian studies form part of Sworders’ latest Books and Maps auction.

1812 Imperial Almanac

Stolen books and letters valued at more than $3m recovered after 35 years thanks to book dealers

24 April 2026

A group of rare books and a bound collection of 37 love letters written by the Romantic poet John Keats to his fiancée Fanny Brawne have been recovered and returned to the family.

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Golden opportunity to buy a work marking Magna Carta anniversary

24 April 2026

Peter Harrington Rare Books presents a selection of British treasures fit to delight a US audience at the New York Antiquarian Book Fair.

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Natural history books from stock of Amsterdam specialist shine in London saleroom

24 April 2026

The global market for natural history books is alive and well as demonstrated by the 326-lot sale dubbed Natural History: the remaining stock of Antiquariaat Junk 1899-2026 at Forum Auctions (27/26% buyer’s premium).

Books and works on paper auction calendar, April 29-May 19, 2026

24 April 2026

Our regular listing of UK and Irish books and works on paper sales

Winnie the Pooh

Winnie the Pooh museum among buyers of previously unseen drawings by EH Shepard

23 April 2026

A small group of previously unseen preliminary drawings by Winnie-the-Pooh illustrator EH Shepard were offered by book dealer Peter Harrington.

Florence Nightingale letter

Florence Nightingale opines on the first Geneva Convention

17 April 2026

A letter written by Florence Nightingale in which she discusses the creation of the Red Cross and the Geneva Convention is being sold by Sworders.

Ephemera from the Red Barn Murder

Pick of the week: A barnstorming tale of murder most foul attracts bidders at Essex auction

17 April 2026

The Red Barn Murder of 1827, which occurred in the tiny rural village of Polstead, Suffolk was the biggest crime story of the era.

Henry VIII letter

Henry VIII letter protesting against French 'piracy' sells above estimate

17 April 2026

Henry VIII, King of England 1509-47 was not a happy man on July 14, 1539, it seems.

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Nansen’s book travelled to South Pole with Amundsen

17 April 2026

Arch Books of Richmond, southwest London, recently sold the personal expedition copy of Fridtjof Nansen’s Fram over Polhavet [Farthest North] (1897), owned and signed by fellow Norwegian explorer Roald Amundsen (1872-1928).

Books and works on paper auction calendar, April 22-May 13, 2026

17 April 2026

Our regular listing of UK and Irish books and works on paper sales

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Chorister commended by Elizabeth II

17 April 2026

This copy of The Holy Bible, Containing the Old and New Testaments and the Apocrypha (Cambridge: at the University Press, 1961) is signed in ink by Queen Elizabeth II on a mounted presentation plate, dated Christmas 1961.

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Mollie of Sydenham became a valued member of Hartnell’s team making sumptuous royal fashion

17 April 2026

Royal costumes and fashion have long been a source of fascination.

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Véra Russell collection: A window into the world of art

17 April 2026

Collection of gallery owner and exhibition organiser includes letters from the likes of Bacon and Hockney

Books and works on paper auction calendar, April 15-30, 2026

10 April 2026

Our regular listing of UK and Irish books and works on paper sales

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