The Price Flies out the Window

The sale of John James’s Audubon’s Birds Of America reached a record level in the auction at Sotheby’s on 7 December. It surpassed the pre-sale estimates of £4-6m to fetch more than £7 million.


Sotheby's said the price of £7,321,250 (including buyer's premium) paid by Michael Tollmache – a London book-dealer – was a record for any printed book at auction.

Stephan Loewentheil a book-dealer from the United States paid £1,497,250 (including buyer's premium) for an edition of Shakespeare's First Folio, which dates from 1623.

Both books formed part of the sale, Magnificent Books, Manuscripts and Drawings from the Collection of Frederick, 2nd Lord Hesketh, the Property of the Trustees of the 2nd Baron Hesketh's Will Trust

From Ibookcollector - newsletter no.239

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