- For the PBA Rare Books and Manuscripts sale on 19 November, full results are here. The expected high spots did not sell. The top prices were $9,600 for Lot 135 (a first edition in English of Plato's Republic, 1763); $7,800 for Lot 159 (a first edition in English of Virgil's Aeneid, 1562); and $7,200 for Lot 138 (a presentation copy of Karl Popper's The Open Society and its Enemies, 1945).
Some upcoming Sotheby's sales include Books and Manuscripts in Paris on 26 November and Western Manuscripts in London on 8 December. In the former, some very interesting books with French royal provenance, a neat selection of books on orchids, and some tremendously interesting bindings.
In the latter, just 53 lots, but what 53 lots! A miniature, showing silver mining in Bohemia, which formed the frontis of an illuminated manuscript choirbook (lost since the 1920s and probably not exhibited publicly since the Middle Ages, est. 200,000-300,000 GBP); the missing volume of the Grammont Abbey Missal (est. 100,000-150,000 GBP); an illuminated copy of the gospels in Greek from the 12th century (illuminated late in the 14th), est. 80,000-120,000 GBP; a pre-Wycliffe English translation of the Psalms by Richard Rolle, est. 40,000-60,000 GBP (this once owned by Thomas Phillipps); some classical fragments, and several other really interesting goodies. Do check out this catalog.
