Books & Periodicals

Three extra French auctioneers are to assist in the mammoth disposal of the Aristophil collections of historic manuscripts.

Bid to €60,000 (£53,100) in a March 16 sale held by Venator & Hanstein (23% buyer’s premium) was a group of letters sent by Charles Darwin in the 1860s and ‘70s to a German botanist, Friedrich Hildebrand.

Boasting a new name and venue, the ABA’s annual book fair seems poised to expand its reach to a wider range of clients while retaining its strong exhibitor base.

The coming weeks will offer some special, if sometimes very costly, opportunities for bird lovers.

Likely to be the rarest and most expensive book available at the PBFA’s 'London Antiquarian Book Fair' is a copy of 'Caractères' by the French philosopher and satirist Jean de La Bruyère.

ATG’s calendar of book auctions taking place in the UK and Ireland from May 15-25, 2018.

Mexican lots, one of them relating to the working of a silver mine in the 16th century, produced some of the higher bids in a recent Americana sale.

Pierre-Yves Guillemet recently opened PY Rare Books.

The first Guide Michelin was published in 1900 and no fewer than 35,000 copies were printed for the World Fair in Paris, where it was was distributed free of charge to motorists.

An unusual collection of more than 300 blue-toned cyanotypes showing American railroads in the early 1900s is on offer at the third annual London Photograph Fair Special Edition (May 19-20).

Four years in, Photo London is growing and has many of the marks of remaining a popular and respected fair for dealers in both historic and contemporary photography.

ATG’s calendar of book auctions taking place in the UK and Ireland from May 8-18, 2018.

Those who worry about the art and antiques market’s ability to react to its big three challenges – digitisation, changing tastes and an ageing collector base – should look to the books, maps and prints sector and take heart.

How do aspiring dealers acquire the skills and expertise needed to enter the rare books or works on paper trade?

Kelmscott’s finest achievement is probably its edition of 'The Works of Geoffrey Chaucer'. It is described in Printing and the Mind of Man as “perfect… both in design and in the quality of the printing”.

Limited to 111 copies (105 on paper and six on vellum), ‘The Ashendene Dante’ is the rarest of the three magnum opi of the English private press movement.

ATG's pick of books and works on paper recently sold at auction...