Past Timed Auction

Rare Books, Autographs & Maps

Soft close begins Thu, Dec 09, 2021 at 10am EST

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Sale Total Far Surpasses Expectations Amid Competitive Bidding

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Successful Auction of Rare Books, Autographs & Maps Closing on December 9, 2021
Sale Total Far Surpasses Expectations Amid Competitive Bidding
Consignments Are Currently Being Accepted for Future Auctions

NEW YORK, NY -- Doyle held a successful auction of Rare Books, Autographs & Maps including Final Selections from the Estate of Arnold “Jake” Johnson on December 9, 2021. The auction showcased a diverse range of material from early illuminated manuscripts to modern first editions. Highlights feature landmark works in Americana, science, literature, including finely bound library sets, and original illustration art.

With competitive bidding, the sale totaled a successful $583,840, far surpassing the pre-sale estimate of $286,310-439,210, with an exceptional $93% sold by lot and 100% sold by value.

Highlighting the sale was a fine example of the first edition of Walt Whitman’s Leaves of Grass, 1855, that achieved $63,000. Whitman himself was active in the printing of the first edition and Ed Folsom's Census of the 1855 Leaves of Grass notes that: "Leaves of Grass began, of course, as a self-publication. No publisher was interested in producing what seemed an odd and inelegant group of twelve untitled poems. So Whitman did it himself: he designed the cover, chose the binding, and set some of the type."

An early 14th century manuscript illumination attributed to Neri da Rimini soared past its estimate of $2,000-3,000 to realize a stunning $28,350. The manuscript centered a large initial ‘H’ cut from choir book with two scenes: a Birth of Jesus with the three magi and their attendants bearing gifts and the other, Jesus baptized by John the Baptist.

The rare English edition of Alexander Hamilton’s Report of the Secretary of the Treasury of the United States, on the Subject of Manufactures, 1791, and James Kent's copy of Hamilton's The Examination of the President's Message at the Opening of Congress, 1801, each fetched the identical price of $13,860, far exceeding their respective estimates.

We Invite You to Auction!

Consignments are currently being accepted. We invite you to contact us for a complimentary auction evaluation. Our specialists are always available to discuss the sale of a single item or an entire collection.

For information, please contact Peter Costanzo at 212-427-4141, ext 248, or Edward Ripley-Duggan at ext. 234, or email Books@Doyle.com

Consignments are currently being accepted

To have your property evaluated for possible consignment in the next auction, please contact:

Peter Costanzo
212-427-4141, ext 248
Books@Doyle.com

Media Contact

Louis LeB. Webre
SVP, Marketing & Media
212-427-4141, ext 232
Louis@Doyle.com

Including Property From

Estate of Arnold 'Jake' Johnson
Estate of Isobel Robins Konecky
Estate of Larry Elgart
From a Private New York Collector
Property from an Ohio Collection
Property from the Collection of Jacqueline & Pierre Simon
Property from the Estate of Dr. James Lawrence Pool
Property from The Monroe and Elizabeth Dreher Collection
Property of a Massachusetts Gentleman
The Collection of Jane and John Gunther
The Julius and Theodore Cohn Library
The Library of Duncan Cranford

A Selection of Auction Highlights

Lot image - WHITMAN, WALT Leaves of Grass.

Lot 178

WHITMAN, WALT Leaves of Grass.

C Property from an Ohio Collection

Estimate: $70,000 - $100,000

Sold for $63,000 (includes buyer's premium)

Lot image - [MANUSCRIPT ILLUMINATION] NERI DA RIMINI (attributed). Large excised initial N from a choirbook, extensively historiated.

Lot 105

[MANUSCRIPT ILLUMINATION] NERI DA RIMINI (attributed). Large excised initial "N" from a choirbook, extensively historiated.

C

Estimate: $2,000 - $3,000

Sold for $28,350 (includes buyer's premium)

Lot image - [AMERICANA-ANTIQUARIAN] A large group of finely bound works on early American subjects, many of revolutionary and antiquarian interest.

Lot 6

[AMERICANA-ANTIQUARIAN] A large group of finely bound works on early American subjects, many of revolutionary and antiquarian interest.

C

Estimate: $1,000 - $1,500

Sold for $16,380 (includes buyer's premium)

Lot image - ADAMS, JOHN The Works of John Adams, Second President of the United States: with a Life of the Author, notes and illustrations, by his Grandson Charles Francis Adams.

Lot 1

ADAMS, JOHN The Works of John Adams, Second President of the United States: with a Life of the Author, notes and illustrations, by his Grandson Charles Francis Adams.

C

Estimate: $1,500 - $2,500

Sold for $15,120 (includes buyer's premium)

Lot image - [HAMILTON, ALEXANDER] Report of the Secretary of the Treasury of the United States, on the Subject of Manufactures. Presented to the House of Representatives Dec. 5, 1791.

Lot 22

[HAMILTON, ALEXANDER] Report of the Secretary of the Treasury of the United States, on the Subject of Manufactures. Presented to the House of Representatives Dec. 5, 1791.

C

Estimate: $1,000 - $1,500

Sold for $13,860 (includes buyer's premium)

Lot image - [HAMILTON, ALEXANDER] The Examination of the Presidents Message at the Opening of Congress December 7, 1801. Revised and Corrected.

Lot 23

[HAMILTON, ALEXANDER] The Examination of the President's Message at the Opening of Congress December 7, 1801. Revised and Corrected.

C

Estimate: $400 - $600

Sold for $13,860 (includes buyer's premium)

Lot image - [AMERICANA-ANTIQUARIAN] A large group of finely bound works on early American subjects, many of revolutionary and antiquarian interest.

Lot 7

[AMERICANA-ANTIQUARIAN] A large group of finely bound works on early American subjects, many of revolutionary and antiquarian interest.

C

Estimate: $1,000 - $1,500

Sold for $11,340 (includes buyer's premium)

Lot image - [WASHINGTON, GEORGE] Message of the President of the United States to Congress, Enclosing Three Letters from the Minister Plenipotentiary of the United States in London...

Lot 63

[WASHINGTON, GEORGE] Message of the President of the United States to Congress, Enclosing Three Letters from the Minister Plenipotentiary of the United States in London...

C

Estimate: $200 - $300

Sold for $10,710 (includes buyer's premium)

Lot image - DICKENS, CHARLES Twelve volumes of first and early editions of the major works of Dickens, uniformly bound in scarlet morocco.

Lot 164

DICKENS, CHARLES Twelve volumes of first and early editions of the major works of Dickens, uniformly bound in scarlet morocco.

C

Estimate: $2,000 - $3,000

Sold for $10,710 (includes buyer's premium)

Lot image - [SNOWDEN, RICHARD] History of the American Revolution in Scripture Style...

Lot 50

[SNOWDEN, RICHARD] History of the American Revolution in Scripture Style...

C

Estimate: $100 - $200

Sold for $9,450 (includes buyer's premium)

Lot image - [AMERICAN REVOLUTION] GORDON, WILLIAM. The History of the Rise, Progress, and Establishment of the ... United States.

Lot 10

[AMERICAN REVOLUTION] GORDON, WILLIAM. The History of the Rise, Progress, and Establishment of the ... United States.

C

Estimate: $1,000 - $1,500

Sold for $8,190 (includes buyer's premium)

Lot image - [HAMILTON, ALEXANDER] History of the Republic of the United States of America, as Traced in the Writings of Alexander Hamilton.

Lot 25

[HAMILTON, ALEXANDER] History of the Republic of the United States of America, as Traced in the Writings of Alexander Hamilton.

C

Estimate: $200 - $400

Sold for $8,190 (includes buyer's premium)

Lot image - McKENNEY, THOMAS L. [and HALL, JAMES] History of the Indian Tribes of North America, with Biographical Sketches and Anecdotes o...

Lot 40

McKENNEY, THOMAS L. [and HALL, JAMES] History of the Indian Tribes of North America, with Biographical Sketches and Anecdotes of the Principal Chiefs. Embellished with One Hundred Portraits, from the Indian Gallery in the Department of War, at Washington.

C Property from an Ohio Collection

Estimate: $3,000 - $5,000

Sold for $6,930 (includes buyer's premium)