Bloomsbury Auction's Bibliophile Sale - 18th February 2010
Bloomsbury Auctions held another bibliophile sale last week, and a thorough examination suggests it was somewhat successful. 348 of 441 lots sold representing a decent sell-through rate of around 79%. The total sale was £64,570 with an average lot price of £186. A number of the lots, consisted of numerous volumes making them attractive purchases not only for collectors but also for resellers. The lots were a mixed bunch, I've outlined some of the highlights or interesting pieces below.
One of a huge lot of angling books sold for a respectable £750 against an estimate of £200 to £300. The books in question included W. Walker's Angling in the Kumaun Lakes and Major F.P. Hopkins' Fishing Experiences of Half a Century and about 140 others.
Another interesting lot was lot number 29 which contained, amongst about 20 other items, a presentation copy of William Randolph Hearst's Wonder of Italy signed by Hearst to the ffep. Other items included signed books by Laurence Olivier, Dirk Bogarde and Arthur Miller. Hearst was to a large extent the inspiration for the character Citizen Kane in the seminal Orson Welles film. The collection sold for £420 against a seemingly low estimate of £120 - £180.
44 Wisden's Almanaks sold for £400 (est. £200-£300) with publication dates ranging from 1892 to 2002.
A collection of 12 golfing books and 13 magazines belonging to golfer Jack McLean including a reprint of O.B. Keeler and Robert T. Jones Jr's Down the Fairway: The Gold, Life and Play of Robert T. Jones, Jr signed to McLean sold for £950 against an estimate of £400 - £600.
A first edition copy of The Field of Mars signed by the Admiral Sir Thomas Bertie (a messmate of Lord Nelson) and in good condition sold for £600 - double the estimate.
Tennyson's Some Poems
Number 6 of 150 of Some Poems by lord Tennyson, published in 1901 sold for a strong price of £400 against a low-ish estimate of £150-£200. The book, as can be seen above, is bright and in very good condition.
A set of four signed Martin Amis first editions including Money sold for a low £50 (est. £40-£60). Indicitive perhaps of a failing Martin Amis market.
A first edition of Peter Benchley's Jaws sold for a low £40 (est. £100 - £150), the book has seen a significant decline in value over the last couple of years.
A first UK edition of Arthur C. Clarke's 2001: A Space Odyssey signed by the actors who played the two astronauts in the film sold for an impressive £400 (est. £250-£350). My initial reaction to this item when I first saw it for sale was that the signatures wouldn't make a huge difference, but apparently I stand corrected.
A jacketless copy of Diamonds are Forever by Ian Fleming sold for a whopping £750, further indicating the upward trend in Fleming values.
Perhaps the bargain lots of the sale were a set of 32 Goethe volumes and a set of 50 Balzac volumes, the first lot being presented with a number of other items and the second lot being presented with a 17 volume set of Edward Gibbon's Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire. The estimates for the lots were £100-£150 and £200-£300 respectively. Each sold for only £20.
Overall I would suggest that a stronger economy and perhaps better marketing and visibility of multi-volume lots would have helped. Some of the lots should've at least met their low reserves. One lot that surprised me contained Aravind Adiga's The White Tiger, Kiran Desai's The Inheritance of Loss and a signed limited copy of Haruki Murakami's Blind Willow, Sleeping Woman. All signed. Along with 50 other modern world editions. The low reserve was £250. The three mentioned above would fetch at least half of that. I guess the right people just weren't there - they would probably have sold better on eBay!
Images courtesy of bloomsbury auctions.
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