Past Auction

Rare Books, Autographs & Maps

Thu, May 11, 2023 at 10am EDT |
New York
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Sale Total Tops $1 Million Amid International Bidding

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  • Successful Auction of Rare Books, Autographs & Maps on May 11, 2023
  • Sale Total Tops $1 Million Amid International Bidding
  • We Invite You to Contact Us for a Complimentary Auction Evaluation of Your Rare Books, Autographs & Maps

NEW YORK, NY -- Doyle held a successful auction of Rare Books, Autographs & Maps on May 11, 2023. Amid competitive bidding, the sale topped $1 million with strong results throughout the auction.

Highlighting the sale was a copy of Les voyages du sieur de Champlain that surpassed its estimate, selling for $151,200. Champlain’s account of his voyages, published in Paris by Berjon in 1613, is one of the most important early accounts of travels in North America, and is especially rare with the complete series of maps, the large folding Carte Geographique de la Nouvelle Franse Faictte... being of especial rarity. This copy was distinguished by having all of these present, and was in a binding of the period. It had been in a religious institution, reputedly a convent, where the nuns had inked out the male figures in some of the illustrations in the text, as the naked figures offended their sense of decency.

A First American Edition of Mark Twain’s Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (Tom Sawyer's Comrade) from 1885 achieved an exceptional $81,900, many times its estimate of $10,000-15,000. From the Collection of Erica Jong and Ken Burrows, the book was inscribed by Twain with an autograph quotation from Pudd'nhead Wilson and a second (later) inscription by Twain's friend Poultney Bigelow.

A special section of the sale presented a remarkable selection of private press and artist books, primarily from The Margolis Collection and the Collection of Erica Jong and Ken Burrows. Highlighting this section was David Hockney’s Paper Pools, which realized an impressive $44,100, surpassing its $20,000-30,000 estimate. In late summer 1978, Hockney created a series of large format works known as Paper Pools, in which dyed paper pulp was pressed into prepared colored sheets, imitating the iridescent effects of light on the surface of water. Their creation was the subject of a 1980 limited edition, issued with an original color lithograph signed by the artist, now one of the most desirable artist books of the period.


We Invite You to Auction!

Consignments are currently being accepted for future auctions. 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
Peter.Costanzo@Doyle.com

Edward Ripley-Duggan
212-427-4141, ext 234
Edward.Ripley-Duggan@Doyle.com

Media Contact

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

  • A Beverly Hills Lady
  • Collection of a New York Surveyor
  • Property from a Prominent Private Collection
  • Property from the Collection of Alistair Bradley Martin
  • Property from the Collection of Phyllis Weil
  • Property from The Estate of Dr. Alex Eliseo Asencio
  • Property of a Collector, Fifth Avenue
  • Property of a Florida Lady
  • Property of J.I. Kislak, Inc.
  • Soldiers, Sailor's, Marines & Airmen's Club
  • The Collection of Erica Jong and Ken Burrows
  • The Collection of Jay I. Kislak sold to benefit the Kislak Family Foundation
  • The Collection of Thomas Bishop
  • The Daniel and Joanna S. Rose Collection
  • The Estate of Sara Roosevelt Wilford
  • The Margolis Collection
  • The Property of a New England Family

A Selection of Auction Highlights

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