NEWS

Plenty of highlights in the 4th March PBA Galleries Sale, with fine books available in all areas of literature – Children and Beat.

Among the highlights:

• Carroll, Lewis. Alice in Wonderland. One of only 25 copies with 11 original etchings by the late Argentinean artist, Alicia Scavino. Estimate $15,000/25,000.

• Alcoholics Anonymous: The Story of How More Than Two Thousand Men and Women Have Recovered from Alcoholism. First edition, second printing of the A.A. Big Book in a rare red cloth variant binding. Estimate: $10,000/15,000.

• Kerouac, Jack. The Subterraneans. Inscribed by Kerouac to poet and friend Gregory Corso. Estimate: $3,000/5,000.

• Newton, Isaac. La Methode des Fluxions, et des Suites Infinies. First French edition of this important mathematical work. Estimate: $3,000/5,000.

• Dickens, Charles. The Life and Adventures of Nicholas Nickleby. In the original parts. Estimate: $2,000/3,000.

• Morrison, Toni. The Bluest Eye. Rare review copy of her first novel. With a signed bookplate laid in. Estimate: $2,000/3,000.

• Saunders, Louise. The Knave of Hearts. With color plates by Maxfield Parrish. One of his most desirable works. Estimate: $1,500/2,500.

• Steinbeck, John and Edward F. Ricketts. Sea of Cortez: A Leisurely Journal of Travel and Research... Scarce Advance Proof copy of Steinbeck’s only significant collaboration. Estimate: $2,000/3,000.

• Baum, L. Frank. The New Wizard of Oz. The first state of the second edition of the book that started the Oz series. Part of a large collection of Oz books. Estimate: $1,000/1,500.

For a lot more on the March 4th catalogue, please visit:

http://www.pbagalleries.com/

A superb price of $1m (£650,000) was achieved for a 1938 copy of ‘Action Comics No.1’, smashing the previous record for a comic book of $317,200 in 2009. The comic, originally sold for 10c back in the day, features the superhero Superman. But does this really account for why it made a million!?

Stephen Fishler, co-owner of the US auction website, Comic Connect, said it is "the Holy Grail of comic books". About 100 copies of Action Comics No 1 remain in existence and only two of those have a grading of 8.0 – very fine – including the one sold on Monday. The previous record-holder had a grading of 6.0. The Action cover illustrates Superman lifting a car above his head. Well, he certainly conquered this record!

http://www.comicconnect.com/

This year, the Shedd-Porter Memorial Library - one of New Hampshire’s landmarks -  is celebrating its centennial.

The granite building, which resembles a Greek temple, first opened its doors in 25 August 1910. It has since remained standing while other buildings around it burned down or were swept away in the 2005 floods.

Librarian, Barbara Davis, has been arranging numerous events to celebrate the grand occasion. She’s been working with the town historical society to set up a rich visual exhibition focusing on the Library's history. She has also asked local art teachers to have the children create projects for an art exhibition. Davis is also planning a period tea party. The grand finale is schedule for late August.

Back in the 1940s, when playwright Somerset Maugham visited a small town in India, he was surprised by the vast collection of books covering a range of world classic and other literature. Particularly, when he found his own works amongst the titles. The playwright wrote in the visitors’ book that he was both ‘pleased’ and ‘flattered.’

The Trivandrum Public Library, one of the oldest libraries in India, became a repository for unique set of titles and periodicals including some very old foreign books not available elsewhere. The State Librarian, P. Suprabha, explained that the library has many rare books such as the English version of the 16th century French work Successors of Alexander by Thomas Stocker.

To read more about this marvelous library, please visit:

 http://www.kerala.gov.in/public_library/index.htm

This is what you can expect to find on offer tomorrow at Bonhams Oxford book sale:

A fascinating archive of prints and books from the Marxist art historian F.D. Klingender that survived his widow’s recent death. In this extensive collection, you’ll find manuscripts and photographs of the Klingenders in Germany; copies of published works by Klingender in books, journals and newspapers (including galley proofs); together with books on art history and other works by left-wing or Marxist contemporaries.

Other books of interest:

Edward Donovan’s The Natural History of British Shells (£700-900) and Jean de la Quintinye’s The Complete Gardener (£500–700)

A first edition of Edward Belcher’s The Last of the Arctic Voyages, 1855, (£800-1,200)

A first edition of John Cam Hobhouse’s A Journey Through Albania…,1813, (£700-900)

In the English Literature and History section you can find a uniform set of 11 first editions in book form by Dickens (£1,500-3,000), a good run of Illustrated London News, 1843-1894, and a first complete edition in English of the “Swiss Family Robinson”, 1816 (£600-800)

To view the entire catalogue for the sale, please visit: