Posted on Monday 22 January 2007
Last year certainly saw new records being set in the antiquarian book world. A 15th-century edition of maps by the second-century Greek mathematician Ptolemy sold for £2.1m, the highest price ever paid for an atlas. Also setting a record for a work of French literature was an 1873 signed edition of Une saison en enfer (A Season in Hell) by the poet Arthur Rimbaud, which sold for £335,869. Last year also saw a record price achieved for an Australian book, Journey of Discovery to Port Phillip, New South Wales, for £372,500, a seminal work of exploration integral to Australian history.
Buy our February/March issue to see the top 10 most expensive printed books of 2006 or to see the top 500 (including manuscipts) visit: