Books and Works on Paper

A collection of nine letters from Winnie the Pooh author AA Milne sold at Derbyshire saleroom Irita Marriott (24% buyer’s premium) had been passed down through the family of Vincent Seligman and his wife Barbara, who were lifelong friends of the author.

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

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

Book dealers and auction houses are all saying the same thing about fantasy and sci-fi novels: once derided as not serious objects of desire, they are now eagerly sought after by collectors and achieving really big prices.

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.

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

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

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

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

Collection of molecular biologist Brenner attracts a lively response

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

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

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

A set of JRR Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings realised a premium-inclusive $250,000 (£187,500) at Heritage Auctions of Dallas.

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

Lots from the Royal Society of Medicine boost Christie's sale result to best of its type since 2016

A scarce copy of Beatrix Potter’s 'The Fairy Caravan' sold for £3000 in Tennants’ (24% buyer’s premium) Books, Maps & Manuscripts Sale.

A rare first edition of Enid Blyton’s first published book, Child Whispers, hammered at £1400 in the Thomson Roddick (20% buyer’s premium) book sale on December 4.

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

While not instantly familiar to many non-American readers, The Velveteen Rabbit by Margery Williams (1881-1944) has never been out of print and its many reprints have sold over a million copies in the US alone.