30 years of extraordinary sales

A monumental five-volume work on ornithology, commissioned by the Grand Duchess of Tuscany and published in Florence in 1765. The book contains over 600 hand-colored copperplate engravings of birds, illustrated by Violante Vanni and Lorenzo Lorenzi, with text by Saverio Manetti, an Italian physician and ornithologist who oversaw Florence's botanical garden for over three decades.

What makes the illustrations remarkable is their theatricality. The artists worked from specimens in a nobleman's private collection, posing the birds in exaggerated, almost human stances. Some scholars have read the work as a subtle satire of 18th-century Italian high society, with each bird striking a pose that wouldn't be out of place at court.

British artist Damien Hirst, best known for dominating the UK art scene in the 1990s, reimagined Disney's Mickey Mouse as an abstract screenprint, reducing the iconic character to twelve colored dots. The original oil painting was created in 2012 for a charity auction, and this pencil-signed print captures one of Hirst's more playful works, a departure from the preserved animals that made him infamous.

Hirst's 1997 autobiography, I Want To Spend the Rest of My Life Everywhere, with Everyone, One to One, Always, Forever, Now, doubles as an art book, blending artwork with drawings, photography, typography, pop-ups, and other effects to create something as unconventional as the artist himself.

Sold by Peter Harrington

This screenprint is after an original oil commissioned by Disney to be auctioned in aid of a children’s charity. Hirst uses his signature ‘dot’ motif to create the iconic and universally recognisable character of Mickey Mouse, part of a project that also included a matching Minnie Mouse artwork. Issued in limited editions that sold out on release, it places Hirst within a long line of pop artists who have paid homage to this cult Disney figure, and stands as a sought-after example of his more light-hearted works.

Pom Harrington (owner of Peter Harrington)

Accompanied by a typed letter signed by Enzo Ferrari requesting a brief report on the 1956 New Zealand Grand Prix race dated 18 February 1956 in Modena, Italy. Boldly signed by Ferrari at the bottom of the page.

Enzo Ferrari (1898-1988) was an Italian automotive pioneer and founder of the Ferrari marque, whose legacy as a racing driver, team manager, and industrialist profoundly shaped the history of motorsport and high-performance engineering. This association copy connects two titans of racing.

Sold by Raptis Rare Books

A fantastic pairing, linking two racing legends—Ferrari, who built a brand synonymous with luxury, performance, and the romance of racing, and Stirling Moss, among the most revered drivers of his era. It is difficult to find the iconic first edition in English of Ferrari’s memoirs in such nice condition, and the addition of the letter signed by Ferrari offers a rare glimpse into the mind of the man who defined an era of motor racing.

Matthew Raptis (Raptis Rare Books)

One of just 500 copies from the original June 1997 Bloomsbury print run, split between 200 promotional copies and 300 sent to libraries. This particular copy belonged to Edinburgh Public Library, the city where Rowling wrote the novel.

Its library card tells a quiet story of its own: 27 borrowers checked it out between December 1997 and October 1999, before the book was pulled from circulation. Those readers experienced Hogwarts before the world caught on.

A hardcover issued without a dust jacket, this copy has since been restored and housed in a full red leather box lined with black suede. It ranks fifth among our most expensive sale of all time, proof that the Harry Potter phenomenon hasn't lost any of its pull since 1997.

For context, AbeBooks sold another true first edition of the Philosopher's Stone back in 2005 for $37,000. That price now looks like a steal.

Sold by First and Fine

We were quite honoured to sell this Edinburgh Public Library first edition copy of Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone. Rowling famously penned much of the story in Scotland and commented herself: "Edinburgh is very much home for me and is the place where Harry evolved over seven books and many, many hours of writing in its cafés". This makes the sold copy the most desirable among the approximately 300 ex library first edition copies. Perhaps the author even ventured into the Library to check whether her book would be found on the shelf. We have handled a few Philosopher's Stone copies over the years but this copy was quite unique indeed.

Alexander Wochnik (First and Fine)

A rare photographic atlas of the Moon with 71 photogravure plates, reserved exclusively for members of the Belgian Astronomical Society. Maurice Loewy, director of the Paris Observatory, and Pierre-Henri Puiseux spent more than fifteen years compiling this monumental work. Five hundred evenings of observation were necessary to produce nearly six thousand photographs.

The Society had only 200 to 400 members at the time, and not all purchased the atlas, making the print run extremely limited. This copy is exceptional, published in nine bound fascicles as originally issued, representing one of the most complete surviving examples. This photographic map of the Moon remained the standard reference until the arrival of the first space probes in the 1960s.

Sold by Hugues de Latude

It took over 15 years to take the photos for this atlas of the Moon! And it’s a book I’d never seen complete before. The kind of gem that makes me love the work I’ve been doing for 40 years.

Hugues de Latude

A single leaf from Ptolemy's 1482 'Ulm' atlas, showing the Arabian Peninsula. Printed in the German city of Ulm, this was the first atlas produced north of the Alps. One side features a double-page woodcut map, while the other carries descriptive text. This was only the third time the Arabian Peninsula had appeared in a printed atlas.

Sold by Libreria Oreste Gozzini Spc

Typed letter on White House stationery, signed, addressed to "Harry," dated February 19, 1944. In it, Roosevelt discusses the rights of citizenship regardless of color or creed, articulating a position that put her ahead of many in her own party at the time.

Letters from the Roosevelt White House that address civil rights this directly are uncommon. That this one does so plainly, without hedging, on official stationery, makes it a notable piece of American political correspondence.

Sold by Seth Kaller Inc

A first edition in unread, as-new condition with its dust jacket intact. But the condition isn't what makes this copy remarkable.

It's signed by director Steven Spielberg, special effects director Stan Winston, and ten cast members from the 1997 film adaptation: Jeff Goldblum, Julianne Moore, Vince Vaughn, Pete Postlethwaite, Peter Stormare, Harvey Jason, Richard Schiff, Arliss Howard, Vanessa Chester, and Thomas F. Duffy.

Published in 1995, The Lost World was Crichton's follow-up to his 1990 bestseller Jurassic Park. Spielberg brought it to the screen two years later.

Sold by Mystery Pier Books

Fourth edition with four hand-colored plates by John Leech. Bound in original cinnamon cloth with all edges gilt. Published shortly after the groundbreaking first edition of 1843, this copy features four hand-colored etched plates by and after Leech, plus four plain woodcut vignettes by Linton after Leech. The title page is printed in red and blue.

The story that transformed how the English-speaking world celebrated Christmas. Near pristine interior with only slight bumping to spine ends.

Sold by MFR Rare Books

Though a British edition appeared first, this 1851 American first edition is considered the definitive text. It restores 35 passages and an epilogue that were cut from the London printing.

When it was first published, Moby-Dick was dismissed as a failure, ignored by readers and misunderstood by critics. It wasn't until the 20th century that the novel was rediscovered and celebrated for its themes of defiance, diversity, and obsession, its layered symbolism, and its unflinching reflection on human nature. Today it's a fixture on literature syllabuses worldwide.

Sold by Peter Harrington

Owning the first American edition of Moby-Dick, is a tribute to its enduring legacy. Unlike the earlier English edition, it preserves Melville’s complete text, making this the definitive version. It is rare in nice condition in its original cloth binding, as in this copy.

Pom Harrington (owner of Peter Harrington)

The script on this surviving manuscript leaf is a fine example of Caroline minuscule, the dominant handwriting style across Europe in the ninth century. It's known for its legibility: clear letterforms, generous spacing between letters and lines, and minimal use of abbreviations (the most frequent being "&" for "et").

The leaf likely originated from a homiliary compiled by Paul the Deacon at the request of Charlemagne, a text that circulated widely throughout the Carolingian Empire during the eighth and ninth centuries.

Sold by Phillip J. Pirages Rare Books

It's not every day that one has the opportunity to handle a scribal text that is 1,200 years old. This specimen is not only among the earliest leaves we've ever offered for sale, but it is also one of the most extraordinary survivals in terms of condition that we could hope to acquire.

Kaitlin Manning (Phillip J. Pirages Rare Books)

Since its publication in 1922, The Velveteen Rabbit has remained one of the most cherished children's stories ever written. This first edition includes seven color illustrations by William Nicholson, some spanning double pages, each accompanied by its original printed caption. The endpapers are filled with charming drawings of rabbits.

This copy still has its original paper-covered boards featuring Nicholson's artwork, along with the publisher's pictorial dust wrapper in a matching design. It's in near-fine condition with only a short split at the foot of the upper joint and light spotting on the early pages. The dust wrapper shows a small chip at the spine foot and minor fraying, but is remarkably intact for such a fragile book.

Sold by Jonkers Rare Books

The Velveteen Rabbit has struck a chord with child and adult readers alike since its original publication in 1922, with its combination of Margery Bianco Williams’s underlying message and William Nicholson’s striking double page color illustrations, which work in harmony with the text. The first edition is both rare and inherently fragile so copies in such exemplary condition are very seldom found. In thirty years as a specialist in rare children’s books this is only the fourth such copy we have sold.

Christiaan Jonkers (Jonkers Rare Books)

Published in 1930 by Photoplay Magazine, one of the earliest movie periodicals (founded in 1911), this book contains 250 black-and-white portraits of film stars alongside short biographical sketches.

What makes this copy extraordinary is its owner. Janice Clutterham, a Chicago radio singer, convinced 124 of the featured stars to sign their respective pages. Among the signatures: Charlie Chaplin, Greta Garbo, Gary Cooper, Mary Pickford, Douglas Fairbanks Sr. and Jr., Laurel and Hardy, Jean Arthur, Myrna Loy, William Powell, Will Rogers, Maurice Chevalier, and Eric von Stroheim.

Clutterham also annotated the book with notes on the films each star appeared in. Despite some wear, it stands as a one-of-a-kind autograph collection spanning the transition from silent film to the talkies.

Sold by Kurt Gippert Bookseller

This one-of-a-kind archive captures an intimate moment in early Hollywood history and stands as both a rare autograph collection and an irreplaceable entertainment industry artifact.

Kurt Gippert

A first edition of Watson's book of the discovery of DNA, published in 1968. Watson shared the Nobel Prize for Medicine in 1962 with Francis Crick and Maurice Wilkins for their groundbreaking work on the structure of DNA. All three Nobel laureates signed the title page of this copy.

Sold by Raptis Rare Books

A first edition, first printing from 1926 in its original green cloth binding with dust jacket. The rear flap reads "117th Thousand," a testament to the book's instant popularity. The jacket has only light rubbing and edge wear, with a small nick at the head of the spine, but is in remarkable shape for a children's book nearing its centenary.

The text is clean with minor offsetting to the endpapers and a couple of spots to the fore-edge. Neat former owner initials appear in the corner of the half-title. First editions with their original dust jackets are becoming increasingly hard to find, especially in near-fine condition like this.

Sold by Kerr & Sons Booksellers

The great Persian poet Nizami Ganjavi first told the romantic tragedy of Layla and Majnun in the 12th century.

This 19th-century illustrated manuscript in Farsi dates from the Qajar period and contains 26 miniature paintings depicting key scenes from the romance, rendered in the vivid colors characteristic of the Qajar style.

Lord Byron called the story "the Romeo and Juliet of the east," and centuries later it inspired Eric Clapton to write his song Layla.

Sold by Shapero Rare Books

A November 1861 Civil War document featuring a seven-line endorsement signed by President Lincoln. General McClellan recommended several appointments to the Union Army, and Lincoln added: "Let all the appointments within recommended by Gen. McClellan be made adding thereto as a Brigadier General, George W. Morgan."

The document beautifully preserves the chain of command from McClellan through the Secretary of War to Lincoln's desk. Notable names include John Buford, later famous at Gettysburg.

Sold by Boppa's Books

Wonderful association piece linking Lincoln to two key players in his early war department. The document testifies to the truly hands-on involvement Lincoln demonstrated with his several generals throughout the war. His first was McClellan who was a fine builder of armies, but one who shied away from battle. His last and decisive commander of all the union armies was Lieutenant General Ulysses S. Grant who delivered for the president and the nation. I relished my stewardship of this document for well over fifty years!

Alan A. Kubitz (Boppa's Books)

An album of 97 vintage photographs documenting Kuwait's oil industry construction from the 1950s through 1978, likely at Burgan and Al Bahrah oil fields. Several photographs by European engineers who moved to Kuwait; some bear the stamp of photographer Vartan Derounian. A rare visual record of the infrastructure development that transformed Kuwait's economy.

Sold by Antiquariat INLIBRIS Gilhofer Nfg. GmbH

At Inlibris, we have long paid special attention to manuscripts, printed books, and other documents relating to the Southwest Asian and North African regions, including early photographs. This substantial album forms a particularly fine contemporary record of the oil boom that so radically transformed the face of the Middle East in the mid-20th century.

Christopher Frey (Antiquariat INLIBRIS Gilhofer Nfg. GmbH)

E.B. White and British novelist Elizabeth Taylor built a literary friendship largely through letters, rarely meeting in person. Their connection grew through The New Yorker, where White's wife Katherine served as Taylor's first editor. This first edition of Charlotte's Web carries that relationship in ink. White's inscription reads "For Elizabeth Taylor / and I do like Irish whiskey," a playful note from an author known to store manuscripts in whiskey boxes and keep a bottle on hand for guests.

A first issue (marked 'First edition, I-B' on verso) with Garth Williams' original color dust wrapper and line drawings, showing only slight toning to the spine.

Sold by Jonkers Rare Books

Charlotte's Web has long been popular with children the world over, but what makes this book particularly special is the inscription by the book's author, E.B. White to fellow novelist, Elizabeth Taylor. The notion of author to author associations strikes a particular chord with sophisticated book collectors, the book marking an intersection of the author’s creative endeavor and their life outside the text. It is evidence of this personal contact which influences the author’s work which gives books like this an animation all of their own.

Christiaan Jonkers (Jonkers Rare Books)

Better known as Around the World in 80 Days, this is the first American printing of Verne's famous adventure. The book was rebound in green calf leather in 1952 and belonged to Mrs. Nellie W. Pillsbury. One of Nellie's daughters, Nellie Ruth King, was the mother of horror novelist Stephen King.

The book comes with a handwritten note from Verne himself, signed and dated October 1883, in which he describes two upcoming titles. Also tipped in is a handwritten note from American journalist Nellie Bly, who was inspired by Verne's story to make her own trip around the globe, later chronicled in her book Around the World in Seventy-Two Days.

Sold by SF & F Books

A complete autograph manuscript in A major for voice and piano, likely for one of Offenbach's numerous "opéras bouffes." The manuscript features text and music incorporating animal voices: the cuckoo (cou cou), the duck (quoi, quoi), and the cat (miau, miau), followed by an extended coda. Two cartoon portraits in pencil appear on the right margin, adding a playful touch to this humorous composition.

The leaf has been extended with 5.5 cm glued at the top to accommodate two additional systems. Offenbach (1819-1880) was a German-French composer who became one of the most influential figures in 19th century musical theater, known for his wit, melodic invention, and satirical edge.

Sold by Antiquariat J. Voerster

Jacques Offenbach used onomatopoeic animal imitations on multiple occasions as a comic stylistic device in his 'Opéras Bouffes.' In our manuscript, several animals—cuckoo, duck, and cat—sing and communicate with one another.

Eva-Maria Voerster & Oliver Voerster

This may be the most important collection of poetry in American literature.

When Leaves of Grass first appeared, it was met with derision and outright hostility. Boston's district attorney tried to have some of the poems suppressed as obscene, and Whitman lost his job over the book. In time, it claimed its rightful place in the American canon.

Whitman helped pay for the printing of the first edition himself, published in 1855. That initial run produced only 800 copies, most of which were left unbound.

Sold by Whitmore Rare Books, Inc

Leaves of Grass is an exceptional work in all respects. It was self-published by the author, who was involved in all aspects of the design and production of the book, even helping to set the type for this first print run. It doesn't look like any other first American book of poetry published in the mid-nineteenth century!

Dan Whitmore (Whitmore Rare Books, Inc.)

First edition, first printing signed by Ursula K. Le Guin and inscribed to a former owner. Bound in publisher's original turquoise cloth stamped in black.

Near Fine condition with a Near Fine dust jacket showing "11 up $3.95" at the top corner of the front flap. Originally published by a small press, signed copies of the first printing are scarce.

This influential fantasy novel introduced readers to the archipelago world of Earthsea, a richly imagined setting of islands, wizards, and ancient magic, and established Le Guin as one of the defining voices in the genre.

Sold by Burnside Rare Books

The Wizard of Earthsea is a fantasy masterpiece with real depth and complexity, and beautifully written prose. A minor error by the printer has led to a fun quirk of collecting this book--first printings have an ever-so faint vertical smudge on the title page!

Rachel Phillips (Burnside Rare Books)

James Madison is remembered as a Founding Father of the United States and its fourth president. But his most enduring legacy is as the "Father of the Constitution," a title earned through his central role in drafting both the Constitution and the Bill of Rights, two of the most consequential documents in American history.

The Papers of James Madison are a primary source for the legislative process behind these documents. They include personal notes, draft correspondence with figures like Thomas Jefferson and George Washington, and Madison's own journal of the 1787 Constitutional Convention.

After Madison's death, his widow Dolley sold The Papers to Congress, though Madison had been asked to publish them during his lifetime. He declined, suggesting they were better released posthumously, or once the Constitution had been "well settled by practice."

Sold by 19th Century Rare Book & Photography Shop

An extraordinary 19th century Bible accompanied by an equally impressive brass lectern. The Bible features color lithographic plates and maps, steel-engraved and wood-engraved plates, all bound in elaborate gilt-decorated paneled morocco with metal clasps. The binding won the highest prize at an International Exposition in December 1881.

The brass lectern is a work of art in itself, featuring open arabesque metalwork on its four rectangular sides. The front displays the Last Supper depicted in relief, while an adjustable top piece is pierced with an open leaf pattern surrounding the JHS Christogram, a traditional Christian symbol representing Jesus Christ.

Sold by Between the Covers-Rare Books

A complete 1950 volume of Mind: A Quarterly Review of Psychology and Philosophy containing the first publication of "Computing Machinery and Intelligence" (pages 433-460). This is probably the single most influential paper on artificial intelligence ever published. In it, Turing introduced what became known as the Turing Test, proposing a method for determining whether a machine can think. The paper begins with the famous question: "Can machines think?" and explores the philosophical and practical implications of machine intelligence.

This exceptionally well-preserved copy is housed in a custom-made cloth-covered clamshell case. The binding remains tight and unmarked, with only slight tanning to end-papers and page-block edges. A remarkable condition for a 76-year-old academic journal.

Sold by David Bunnett Books

The first edition edited by Thomas Speght (1598), the sixth published edition overall. This folio volume represents a landmark in Chaucerian scholarship, introducing for the first time a biography of Chaucer in English and a glossary of Chaucerian words. The volume features an engraved portrait of Chaucer after Hoccleve, woodcut arms of Chaucer, and a woodcut illustration for the "Knight's Tale."

Speght had the assistance of notable scholars including John Stowe, Francis Thynne, Francis Beaumont the elder, and Robert Glover. Bound in eighteenth-century paneled calf, expertly rebacked with the original spine laid down. Despite some worming and toning throughout, this remains a very good copy of a foundational text in English literature, housed in a custom quarter morocco clamshell.

Sold by Heritage Book Shop

A Surrealist exhibition box from the 1959-1960 E.R.O.S. exhibition organized by André Breton and Marcel Duchamp, designed by Mimi Parent. Contains catalogs, six color postcards, four signed lithographs, one signed etching, a 45 rpm record, a Duchamp telegram, and nine "lascivious letters".

The exhibition title, Exposition inteRnatiOnale du Surréalisme, cleverly spells out EROS with capital letters. This was one of only 200 numbered deluxe copies produced.

Sold by Chloé et Denis Ozanne

Second edition (1832-1833) in three volumes. Lyell's work fundamentally changed scientific understanding of the Earth's age, arguing that the planet was far older than the 6,000 years suggested by biblical chronology.

Volume 1 (1832) contains 586 pages with folding plates and 34 woodcuts. Volume 2 (1833, second edition corrected) features a colored frontispiece, folding colored map, and 9 woodcuts. Volume 3 (1833) includes 398 pages plus extensive appendices on fossil shells compiled by G.P. Deshayes, with 5 plates and 93 woodcuts.

This work profoundly influenced Charles Darwin, who took the first volume with him on the voyage of the Beagle. Expertly rebacked in full calf with original spine labels relaid.

Sold by Fossil Books

The biggest book ever sold on AbeBooks.

Its full title is The National Union Catalog (NUC), Pre-1956 Imprints, compiled by the Library of Congress and the National Union Catalog Subcommittee of the Resources Committee of the Resources and Technical Services Division, American Library Association.

It is the largest book ever published, in every sense. We're talking 754 heavy folio volumes bound in green cloth with gilt-lettered spines, weighing in at three tons. The NUC is a reference work listing books published before 1959 that were cataloged by the Library of Congress and other American libraries. Editors began compiling it in 1909. This is the first and only edition. It runs to approximately 530,000 pages and lists around 12 million titles. The Bible section alone has 63,000 entries. Shakespeare and Plato are similarly substantial.

Each entry reproduces the Library of Congress catalog card along with information gathered from original editions by librarians, plus additional notes accumulated over decades. A remarkable feat when it was finally published in 1968, the NUC stands as a tribute to American librarians, and perhaps the ultimate book about books. Shipping it to its new owner was no small task either. The NUC was loaded onto pallets and delivered by a truck hired specifically for the job.

Sold by Todd Pratum Bookdealer