Books & Periodicals

The moment has arrived for bibliophiles missing the physical sight and touch of books at actual fairs.

The book section of a twice postponed Gloucestershire sale – one that included the rare white Chelsea owl featured on the front page of ATG No 2486 – comprised books from the library at Spetchley Park in the neighbouring county of Worcestershire.

The familiar red-lettered, yellow-cloth covers of an 1897 first of Bram Stoker’s Dracula, though now somewhat soiled, prompted a far higher than predicted bid of $21,000 (£15,150) to lead a Chicago auction of March 19 – a sum bettered only by a handful of inscribed copies.

Ground level views of Ceylon offered in same sale as uplifting account of balloon voyages.

Our regular listing of UK and Irish book auctions.

I am sad to report the passing of my dear friend Reginald ‘Reg’ Charles Remington (1931-2021) who died peacefully in hospital after a very short illness on Friday, April 2.

Bid to a far higher than predicted £1000 in a recent West Country sale was a broadside whose lengthy title read: 'Life, Trial, and Execution of T.Cooper. Who was executed at Newgate this Morning for the Murder of Timothy Daly, a Policeman, at Highbury.'

Account of a temple study in Scotland is one of the stand-out auction lots in South Cerney

A group of some 40 letters and greetings cards sent in 1990-97 by Diana, Princess of Wales, to her good friend Roger Bramble sold for almost £70,000.

Having missed the ritual of perusing bookshelves in shops and fairs due to lockdown, Marc and Marcia Harrison of Netherlands gallery Harrison Hiett Rare Books have launched a digital ‘fully clickable’ catalogue to replicate the experience for their clients.

Henry Dean’s 'The Whole Art of Legerdemain; or Hocus Pocus in Perfection', is one of the rarities in the conjuring and magic publications’ section of Potter & Potter Auctions’ next Magic sale.

Our regular listing of UK and Irish book sales.

The story of the fall of the Alamo is familiar to many, even if only from a famous film version

Lack of a dust jacket is not always crucial to a high price, as Erskine Childers’ much-loved The Riddle of the Sands of 1903 shows.

Manuscript demonstrating young lady’s educational achievements sells for £35,000

Our regular listing of UK and Irish book auctions.

The binding is an early 20th century one, and the very last leaf has been supplied as an autograph facsimile, but on March 17 the 1578 first English edition of Rembert Dodoens’ A Nievve Herball, or Historie of Plants shown here was bid to £3000.

Talented amateur artist enjoyed riding excursions with the author to antiquarian sites

First published in the UK as a ‘Collins Crime Club’ title in 1970, an Agatha Christie novel brought a bid of £850 at Claydon Auctioneers (19.5% buyer’s premium).

Our regular listing of UK and Irish book auctions.