I didn't make it over there this year, but Skinner's annual Fine Books and Manuscripts sale was held this past Sunday, 15 November. Some highlights:
- A broadside copy of Thomas Jefferson's first inaugural address, printed on silk, sold for $3,851; it was estimated at $600-900.
- The big sellers were two Aubrey Beardsley original illustrations for Oscar Wilde's Salome (1894); one sold for $142,200, and the other for $213,300. Both were estimated at $15,000-20,000. [Update: The higher-selling lot set a new record price for a Beardsley illustration.]
- An ex-lib copy of Catlin's North American Indian Portfolio (1845) made $88,875, not quite meeting its estimate.
- Among the (many) Audubon offerings, the Great Horned Owl was the highest-selling single illustration, making $17,775. A complete first octavo set of the Birds sold for $50,363.
