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.


The Jungle Book watercolour by Edward Detmold

‘Lost’ Jungle Book watercolours head to south London auction

20 February 2026

Emerging unrecognised from a London home, two ‘lost’ illustrations from a celebrated edition of Rudyard Kipling’s The Jungle Book will be offered at Roseberys next month.

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Specimen book for The Curwen Press is one of the joys from newspaper art critic’s packed home

20 February 2026

According to an article in The Times ahead of the estate sale of the paper’s former theatre, film and art critic John Russell Taylor (1935-2025), the west London flat where he lived was crammed not only with artworks but also 20,000 books.

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Collections of watercolours, Asian art and more showcased in dealer catalogues

19 February 2026

Recent dealer catalogues include a Japanese Edo period mask, a private collection of British watercolours and a first edition of Pride and Prejudice.

A photograph of Oscar Wilde

White gloves for Oscar Wilde auction at Bonhams

18 February 2026

All 156 lots of the Jeremy Mason collection are sold as bidders vie for choice items related to iconic figure.

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The Godfather letter among highlights of Rare Books LA

13 February 2026

Peter Harrington Rare Books of London brings a letter by Mario Puzo, author of The Godfather, written to Francis Ford Coppola to Rare Books LA (February 21-22).

Books and works on paper auction calendar, February 18 to March 10, 2026

13 February 2026

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

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An unlikely but warm friendship revealed in a fascinating archive

13 February 2026

Group lot shows how a shared interest in communication linked Louis Mountbatten and a telegraphist

Slang dictionary

17th century dictionary of slang emerges at Gloucestershire auction

06 February 2026

Visitors to London at the end of the 17th century needed to take care: banditts, adamtilers and fencing-cullies were out looking to prey on unwitting buzzards, fat culls and fuddlecaps.

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Family of artist Anne Clark come back to life as more documents emerge at auction

06 February 2026

Fresh batch of material related to artist Anne and husband Hezekiah brings extra family detail

Books and works on paper auction calendar, February 11 to March 4, 2026

06 February 2026

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

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Dedicated Nelson sale: Bidding farewell to a naval hero

06 February 2026

Special sale focuses on the death of Nelson, the first commoner given a state funeral

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The story behind The Hobbit with a spaced-out Smaug that brought a £3000 sum for Oxfam

03 February 2026

As befits one of the most read and best-selling works of English literature, JRR Tolkien’s The Hobbit involves a bewildering array of editions over the many decades since the great fantasy novel made a debut on September 21, 1937.

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Pioneers of modern genetics catch the attention in a varied sale full of fascination

30 January 2026

Collection of molecular biologist Brenner attracts a lively response

Books and works on paper auction calendar, February 4-25, 2026

30 January 2026

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

Caitlin Riley of Quire Auctions

Why we decided to provide a special new Quire service

23 January 2026

Last August, Caitlin Riley, rare book specialist at Bristol and Bath-based Auctioneum, was making headlines around the world.

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Another magical Harry Potter result

23 January 2026

The records for JK Rowling’s early work sold at auction keep tumbling, both hardback and paperback

Books and works on paper auction calendar, January 28 to February 18, 2026

23 January 2026

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

Manuscript diary by Giles Roberts

Georgian pharmacist’s autobiography returns to his home county after museum buys manuscript at auction

22 January 2026

An autobiographical manuscript by a Georgian pharmacist in Dorset will return to the county after the local museum purchased it at auction.

John Russell Taylor

‘A collection that mirrors its owner’s encyclopaedic mind’

21 January 2026

The collection of art and books amassed by one of Britain’s most influential critics of the post-war era, the late John Russell Taylor (1935-2025), has been consigned to west London saleroom Olympia Auctions.

Portrait minaiture of Robert Graham

Dealers celebrate Burns Night with selling exhibitions of portrait miniatures and books

16 January 2026

A portrait miniature of Robert Burns’ (1759-96) best friend is part of a pop up exhibition in Mayfair ahead of Burns Night.

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