Books and Works on Paper

The books sale at Koller (25% buyer’s premium) in Zurich on September 17 was topped at SwFr250,000 (£237,250) by a first edition of the book Einstein described as “perhaps the greatest intellectual stride that it has ever been granted to any man to make”.

A musket ball-riddled handkerchief of a Royal Navy captain cut down at the Battle of Trafalgar stood out at a London sale, but it was a letter to his eight-year-old daughter also retrieved from his pocket that added a particularly poignant touch.

Influential scientific papers were originally bought by library after a bequest from a local surgeon

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

A sale conducted by US firm Connecticut River Book Auction (15% buyer’s premium) on September 5 included a very rare copy of Antoine de Saint-Exupery’s Le Petit Prince.

Original manuscript copies of the famous medieval Paston Letters come to the rostrum in Norfolk

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

This copy of 'The Night Land' (1912) is a presentation first inscribed on the front endpaper 'Mrs N. Harrison from William Hope Hodgson, Nov 28th /12'.

UK bidder competes with US counterpart for horological pamphlets published in London and Madrid

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

A c.1891 cabinet card that captures a significant episode of both Native American and US history realised six times its low estimate at Grant Zahajko Auctions (27% buyer’s premium).

US auction house Potter & Potter (20% buyer’s premium) enjoyed great success with its event titled Select Rarities: Exceptional Books & Manuscripts Sale.

Our regular listing of UK and Irish book sand works on paper sales

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

An original printing plate for one of the best-known images of the abolitionist movement emerged at a recent Forum Auctions (27% buyer’s premium) sale in London.

Manuscript work offered in Nottingham covers contents of Georgian private museum in north London

A private collection of children’s illustrated books formed over the past 50 years provided several stand-out lots in The Collector’s auction held by Catherine Southon (27.6% buyer’s premium inc VAT).

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

When William Golding (1911-93) wrote his debut novel Lord of the Flies in 1953 it was rejected by nine publishers and damned as ‘rubbish and dull’ before being picked up by Faber & Faber.

Frank Frazetta’s cover painting for a 1967 Lancer/Ace Conan paperback, a landmark of modern fantasy art commonly known as Man Ape, sold for a world record $13.5m (£9.99m) including the buyer’s premium at Heritage Auctions.