Fine Books News: Recent

Items related to the Gettysburg Address and Abraham Lincoln's final Annual Message to Congress will…
A rare group of surviving documents connected to the first modern Olympic Games are being offered…
Recent Publications
Washington, D.C. — A new book from the Library of Congress reveals the civil rights icon, Rosa Parks, for the first time in print through her private manuscripts and handwritten notes. The publication with University of Georgia Press is a companion to the new exhibition of the same title, Rosa…
Auctions
Los Angeles – The original handwritten lyrics to Elton John’s “Your Song” by Bernie Taupin sold at Bonhams sale of Music Memorabilia on December 9 for $237,575. This was Elton’s first monster hit, introducing audiences to his exciting new brand of piano pop, and it remains today one of his most…
Current Events & Trends
A very busy week coming up in the salerooms; here are a few of the auctions I'll be watching. Things kick off with six sales on Tuesday, December 10: - Illustration Art at Swann Galleries, in 280 lots; these include several illustrations by Ludwig Bemelmans and Edward Gorey.
Book Reviews
Got a kid bibliophile on your holiday list? Or perhaps a Lewis Carroll fan of any age? Fret not, the Folio Society has you covered with its latest edition of Alice in Wonderland ($69.95), whose stunningly designed slipcase and interior illustrations are by a regular contributor to Folio…
Auctions
New York—Swann Galleries closes out its 2019 fall season with an exceptional sale of Maps & Atlases, Natural History & Color Plate Books on Tuesday, December 17. Atlases lead the sale, with additional highlights in cartography and spectacular images from Currier & Ives.
News
Austin, TX — The complete archive of Arthur Miller, one of America’s most acclaimed playwrights, is now available for teaching and research use at the Harry Ransom Center at The University of Texas at Austin.
Current Events & Trends
Hat tip to Aaron T. Pratt, Pforzheimer Curator of early books & manuscripts at the Ransom Center, who brought this incredible but easily overlooked painting to our attention. Known only as “Still life of an illuminated manuscript,” the sixteenth-century oil on panel sold for £81,312 ($105,658)…
Bright Young Collectors
Our Bright Young Collectors series continues today with Emily Forster, winner of the 2019 Honey & Wax Book Collecting Prize for women book collectors age 30 or younger:  Where are you from / where do you live? I was born in Hawaii, on the island of Oahu. Today I live in Queens, New York…
Auctions
London — Florence Nightingale was so appalled by medical neglect during the Crimean War (1853-1856), that she wrote – and privately printed – a damning report that presented statistics in a pie chart. It is thought to be the first time that the pie chart was used in a widely circulated document. A…
Book Reviews
Our holiday edition roundup of books about books focused exclusively on splashy, illustrated non-fiction, which meant we left off at least one new novel worthy of every bibliophile’s attention. Marley by Jon Clinch is on-theme for the season too, offering the backstory of Jacob Marley, whose death…