Features

The Memphis Miliano design movement was born on the evening of December 11, 1980, when architect-designer Ettore Sottsass (1917-2007) invited young creators and architects to discuss the future of Italian ‘post-modern’ design.

Rupert Powell of Forum Auctions reflects on a busy year in the ‘stage-play’ of rare books

A wide range of dealers are set to offer a variety of items at upcoming fairs

First editions are not always the be-all and end-all for collecting

A selection of stand-out lots coming up at a variety of auctions

Designs promoting exhibitions can be a great way to collect on a tight budget

Based on his own experiences and those of his clients, a seasoned rare books buyer offers advice on getting the most from the collecting journey

ATG takes a whistlestop tour of the globe via the greatest recent collection of colour plate travel and costume books

ATG meets Jeffrey Johnson, whose collection of classic ‘Whodunnits’ was recently on public display at the Grolier Club in New York

London dealership AntikBar brings a major collection of pieces relating to Intourist, the 20th century USSR travel company, to 'Firsts London' book fair.

Small books have long been objects of wonder. The history of tiny type can be traced back to the smallest cuneiform clay tablets of ancient Mesopotamia or the diminutive papyrus codices treasured by Christians in Roman Egypt.

The first ‘Thumb Bibles’, paraphrased or abridged versions of the good book, were published in the early 17th century – the London printer John Weever offering his 128- page An Agnus Dei, measuring just over 1in, in 1601.

Ladies and gentlemen of the Georgian period carried not only prayer books and bibles, but also books of poems and the annual miniature almanacs containing practical information on everything from the phases of the moon to the currency exchange rates of Europe.

When James Abbott McNeill Whistler (1834-1903) arrived in Paris in 1855 determined to pursue a career as an artist, printmaking was experiencing a revival.

While the market-defining sales of Asian works of art are now held in New York and Hong Kong, the UK still holds its own.

It was a piece of modern design that led Kinghams’ (25/18/15% buyer’s premium) latest dedicated sale of silver and objects of vertu.

This early 20th century 10in (25cm) long sporran impressed in Edinburgh at Franklin Browns (18% buyer’s premium).

Until late last year, few people involved in the Modern British art market, even veteran dealers, had ever heard of Hedwig Pillitz (1896-1987).

A highlight of Anderson & Garland’s (25% buyer’s premium) recent silver sale was a particularly early and rare North Country seal top spoon.

A table bell was among the more sought-after lots in a dedicated 200-plus lot silver sale held by Roseberys (26/25/20% buyer’s premium) on March 20.