Hello. Today is December 21, 2017, and this is BookWeek: money, crime, lust and first editions. I’m Lin Thompson, reporting from Charlotte.
Auction News
The Irish Times: Tuesday (December 12th) Sotheby’s, London. English Literature, History, Children’s Books & Illustrations auction...a first edition copy of The Happy Prince by Oscar Wilde £27,500 (£6,000-£8,000). A copy of the first edition of Ulysses by James Joyce estimated at £150,000-£250,000 failed to sell.
Hyperallergic: The Guardian reports that government officials declared the original manuscript a national treasure and banned its export from France, just as it was about to go up on the block at the Aguttes auction house. The manuscript was part of a cache of historic documents owned by the French company Aristophil, which had amassed a massive collection of French literary and historical manuscripts before police identified it as a pyramid scheme two years ago and arrested its owner, Gérard Lhéritier, who was known for selling rare books at stupendous profits.
As an example of the Marquis’ doctrine of absolute freedom, The 120 Days of Sodom, more than two centuries later, retains all its powers of shock, titillation, horror, and wit. Also declared a national treasure and pulled from the auction was André Breton’s “Surrealist Manifesto.”
As an example of the Marquis’ doctrine of absolute freedom, The 120 Days of Sodom, more than two centuries later, retains all its powers of shock, titillation, horror, and wit. Also declared a national treasure and pulled from the auction was André Breton’s “Surrealist Manifesto.”
One imagines Breton would be pleased. A great admirer of the Marquis, he praised him effusively throughout his life, writing in the “Second Surrealist Manifesto” of the “impeccable integrity of Sade’s life and thought, and the heroic need that was his to create an order of things which was not …dependent on everything which had come before him.”
So vast was the Aristophil collection, Reuters reports, that its disposition has to be controlled in order to avoid a panic: “The entire collection is now being liquidated, a process that is expected to take six years spread over more than 200 auctions, partly to avoid saturating the market and suppressing prices.”
De Sade’s manuscript was written on 33 pieces of scroll while he was imprisoned in 1785.
“It’s a book written on a 12-metre (yard) long roll which if it’s rolled up tightly can be hidden in your hand,” said Claude Aguttes, the chief auctioneer. “Sade used to hide it every night behind a stone in the Bastille.”
“It’s a book written on a 12-metre (yard) long roll which if it’s rolled up tightly can be hidden in your hand,” said Claude Aguttes, the chief auctioneer. “Sade used to hide it every night behind a stone in the Bastille.”
Sade wrote the controversial work about four rich libertines in search of the ultimate form of sexual gratification on a roll made from bits of parchment he had smuggled into his cell in the Bastille.
When the Paris prison was stormed at the beginning of the French revolution on 14 July 1789, the famously philandering aristocrat was freed, but he was swept out by the mob without his manuscript.
Sade believed it had been lost to the looters and wept “tears of blood” over it, but the unfinished manuscript turned up decades later.
Even so, the book remained unpublished for more than a century and was banned in Britain until the 1950s. It was expected to sell for between 4 million and 6 million euros ($4.75-$7.10 million).
Art Daily: This book of hours (prayer book), a manuscript bound in gold and precious stones, is an unparalleled treasure of French precious metalwork. It was presented by King François I to his niece Jeanne d’Albret, who was raised under his guardianship at the French court. Small prayers books were everyday objects, but this one is remarkably elaborate. Its later owners included King Henri IV and Cardinal Mazarin.
King François I’s Book of Hours is a unique vestige of the treasures of the House of Valois, dispersed in their entirety over the centuries. The book became the property of collectors in England in the early 18th century; its acquisition by the Louvre, for a total of around 10 million euros, would bring this Renaissance masterpiece back to France.
Thanks to the exceptional generosity of LVMH Moët Hennessy— Louis Vuitton, half of the required sum has already been obtained. On October 15, the Musée du Louvre launched a major crowdfunding campaign aimed at individuals and companies in the hope of raising 1 million euros before February 15.
The book of hours is presented within the framework of the exhibition François I and Dutch Art (October 18, 2017–January 15, 2018).
This unique masterpiece, listed as a French National Treasure, has been put up for sale by its London owner. In order to add it to the French national collections, the Louvre must raise 8 million pounds (about 10 million euros).
The museum is therefore appealing to public generosity with a new Become a Patron! crowdfunding campaign intended to raise 1 million euros before February 15, 2018.
The collections of museums both in France and abroad have no equivalent of King François I’s Book of Hours. Apart from the Benvenuto Cellini’s salt cellar in Vienna, it is the only piece of precious metalwork directly associated with this king and is, to date, the only known precious French book binding from the reigns of François I and the last Valois kings.
This tiny handwritten prayer book (8.5 x 6.5 cm) is decorated with sixteen full-page painted illustrations and numerous illuminated initials. It can be dated thanks to the date 1532 that appears in its ornamentation. With its enameled gold binding, embellished with precious stones and two large, intaglio-engraved, oval carnelian plaques, it is also a monument to the jeweler’s art.
King François I’s Book of Hours is a unique vestige of the treasures of the House of Valois, dispersed in their entirety over the centuries. The book became the property of collectors in England in the early 18th century; its acquisition by the Louvre, for a total of around 10 million euros, would bring this Renaissance masterpiece back to France.
Thanks to the exceptional generosity of LVMH Moët Hennessy— Louis Vuitton, half of the required sum has already been obtained. On October 15, the Musée du Louvre launched a major crowdfunding campaign aimed at individuals and companies in the hope of raising 1 million euros before February 15.
The book of hours is presented within the framework of the exhibition François I and Dutch Art (October 18, 2017–January 15, 2018).
This unique masterpiece, listed as a French National Treasure, has been put up for sale by its London owner. In order to add it to the French national collections, the Louvre must raise 8 million pounds (about 10 million euros).
The museum is therefore appealing to public generosity with a new Become a Patron! crowdfunding campaign intended to raise 1 million euros before February 15, 2018.
The collections of museums both in France and abroad have no equivalent of King François I’s Book of Hours. Apart from the Benvenuto Cellini’s salt cellar in Vienna, it is the only piece of precious metalwork directly associated with this king and is, to date, the only known precious French book binding from the reigns of François I and the last Valois kings.
This tiny handwritten prayer book (8.5 x 6.5 cm) is decorated with sixteen full-page painted illustrations and numerous illuminated initials. It can be dated thanks to the date 1532 that appears in its ornamentation. With its enameled gold binding, embellished with precious stones and two large, intaglio-engraved, oval carnelian plaques, it is also a monument to the jeweler’s art.
“I don’t think of myself as a completist, although I certainly have many thousands of Doyle things,” said collector Dan Posnansky in Nick Basbanes’ book hunting guide, Among the Gently Mad. Still, Posnansky spent over sixty years sleuthing out book stores and estate sales in search of materials relating to Sir Arthur Conan Doyle (1859-1930) and his literary detective, Sherlock Holmes. By his own account, Posnansky estimated he was in possession of roughy ten thousand volumes of all things Sherlockian.
On December 19, most of that collection is heading to auction at Calabasas-based Profiles in History and is billed as the largest single Sherlock Holmes collection to go to market. Photographs, letters, pamphlets, advertisements, commemorative objects and more will all be available at the no-reserve sale.
On December 19, most of that collection is heading to auction at Calabasas-based Profiles in History and is billed as the largest single Sherlock Holmes collection to go to market. Photographs, letters, pamphlets, advertisements, commemorative objects and more will all be available at the no-reserve sale.
Perhaps the most exciting high points includes the collection of pirated editions from the late 19th century--books printed in the United States that flouted nascent and inconsistent copyright laws. At the time, American copyright stretched for 28 years with possible renewal for another 28, while English copyright extended for the life of the author plus fifty years. This loophole placed Doyle’s work in the American public domain, meaning publishers could print his books without paying him any royalties. Over the course of his collecting career, Posnansky identified no less than one hundred publishing pirateers, mostly based in New York and Chicago, and his quest yielded a trove of over 1,200 pirate editions.
Of those pirated editions, one stands out: a signed copy of The Sign of the Four. This particular volume was owned by Eugene Field, a Chicago poet, bibliophile, and surprisingly, an outspoken critic of pirated editions. Yet, during Doyle’s 1894 visit to Chicago, Field had the chutzpah to present his own pirated book to the author for an inscription. Recognizing the unauthorized volume for what it was, Doyle nevertheless obliged with an abrasive ditty:
This bloody pirate stole my sloop
And holds her in his wicked ward.
Lord send that walking on my poop
I see him kick at my main-yard.
And holds her in his wicked ward.
Lord send that walking on my poop
I see him kick at my main-yard.
Among them were first editions of work by Jane Austen, Charles Dickens and George Eliot, a 1638 Bible and a Shakespeare Second Folio.
About 1,500 books were sold on behalf of the writer's family, at Dominic Winter Auctions in Cirencester.
Adams, who was born in 1920, in Newbury, Berkshire, died last Christmas Eve aged 96.
The complete set of Austen first editions fetched £78,870, including buyer's fees.
It was bought by an anonymous private buyer from southern England, the auctioneers said.
Shakespeare's Second Folio sold for £47,800, a first edition Samuel Johnson dictionary made £10,994, and the 1638 Bible, bound for King Charles II, made £5,019.
Also going under the hammer were Thomas Hardy and Anthony Trollope first editions, a signed copy of Laurie Lee's Cider with Rosie, and a signed copy of William Golding's Lord of the Flies, which went for £9,560.
The books were divided into 134 lots.
Auctioneer Nathan Winter described the sale as "incredible".
"The family were there to see it go. I think they were thoroughly satisfied," he said.
He said some of the texts had fetched high prices due to them being "antiquarian rarities".
"Richard Adams, when he came into proceeds from his own books, had the means to buy rare titles and became quite a bibliophile. They always were, and are still, rare.
"Also, with the added association with his own ownership, of a famous writer, something intangible but important is added to the value, and that is reflected in the prices we got."
New publications:
Apollo: Previously, when you typed ‘Chippendale’ into an art-historical database, you would have received basic information, which may or may not have been entirely correct. Now there is a new resource, British and Irish Furniture Makers Online just launched and available to all online, which will not only tell you about Thomas Chippendale, but which will give you access to all his connections in the furniture trade, to his patrons, to the influence he had on furniture design, and to his materials and workshop practice.
The entry on Chippendale himself dates back to 1986, and was written by Christopher Gilbert, whose two-volume study of the great cabinet-maker was published in 1978. Scholarship has moved on considerably since then, and the aim of the new database is to build the world’s most authoritative and comprehensive database on its subject. Recent publications such as Judith Goodison’s book on the elder Chippendale’s son and associate, The Life and Work of Thomas Chippendale Junior (Philip Wilson Publishers), will inspire new entries online.
What is the background to this new endeavour? In September 2016, the Furniture History Society, which was founded in 1964 to promote the international study of furniture and historic interiors (and of which I am the current chairman), began collaborating with the University of London’s Institute of Historical Research to produce a freely accessible online resource – the initial phase of which is now live.
The next challenge is to develop and expand the database, so that BIFMO will become the world’s first port of call for the history of British and Irish furniture. Its foundation is the society’s 1,000-page Dictionary of English Furniture Makers 1660–1840 (1986), which was the product of numerous volunteer contributors under the editorial direction of the late Geoffrey Beard and Christopher Gilbert. The Dictionary remains the bible for the study of the English furniture trade, but it requires revision and the incorporation of both published and unpublished material, as well as new research to locate and document undiscovered furniture makers and expand the date range from before 1660 to the present day.
The entry on Chippendale himself dates back to 1986, and was written by Christopher Gilbert, whose two-volume study of the great cabinet-maker was published in 1978. Scholarship has moved on considerably since then, and the aim of the new database is to build the world’s most authoritative and comprehensive database on its subject. Recent publications such as Judith Goodison’s book on the elder Chippendale’s son and associate, The Life and Work of Thomas Chippendale Junior (Philip Wilson Publishers), will inspire new entries online.
What is the background to this new endeavour? In September 2016, the Furniture History Society, which was founded in 1964 to promote the international study of furniture and historic interiors (and of which I am the current chairman), began collaborating with the University of London’s Institute of Historical Research to produce a freely accessible online resource – the initial phase of which is now live.
The next challenge is to develop and expand the database, so that BIFMO will become the world’s first port of call for the history of British and Irish furniture. Its foundation is the society’s 1,000-page Dictionary of English Furniture Makers 1660–1840 (1986), which was the product of numerous volunteer contributors under the editorial direction of the late Geoffrey Beard and Christopher Gilbert. The Dictionary remains the bible for the study of the English furniture trade, but it requires revision and the incorporation of both published and unpublished material, as well as new research to locate and document undiscovered furniture makers and expand the date range from before 1660 to the present day.
Penske Media Corporation has acquired a controlling interest in Wenner Media, parent company of the iconic magazine Rolling Stone, the company announced Wednesday.
PMC will invest in Wenner Media at a valuation just over $100 million, according to sources close to the transaction. BandLab, a Singapore-based company that acquired a 49% share of the magazine, will retain its stake.
Jann Wenner, who co-founded Rolling Stone in 1967 as a countercultural voice that went on to transcend the world of rock ‘n’ roll, will remain with Rolling Stone as editorial director, continuing to guide strategy for the brand.
As part of the deal, Wenner Media will retain “majority control and editorial oversight” of Rolling Stone, according to the press release.
“We have such a unique and special product in Rolling Stone, and we are excited to build on its strong foundation and invest in its future through this partnership,” said Gus Wenner, who will stay on as well as president/COO of Wenner Media.
The investment has been finalized and the transition to the Penske Media platform is expected to occur over the next six months.
PMC will invest in Wenner Media at a valuation just over $100 million, according to sources close to the transaction. BandLab, a Singapore-based company that acquired a 49% share of the magazine, will retain its stake.
Jann Wenner, who co-founded Rolling Stone in 1967 as a countercultural voice that went on to transcend the world of rock ‘n’ roll, will remain with Rolling Stone as editorial director, continuing to guide strategy for the brand.
As part of the deal, Wenner Media will retain “majority control and editorial oversight” of Rolling Stone, according to the press release.
“We have such a unique and special product in Rolling Stone, and we are excited to build on its strong foundation and invest in its future through this partnership,” said Gus Wenner, who will stay on as well as president/COO of Wenner Media.
The investment has been finalized and the transition to the Penske Media platform is expected to occur over the next six months.
But the magazine brand has faced challenges in recent years as Wenner Media was overladen with debt after buying back a stake in Us Weekly for $300 million in 2006. That brand has since been sold off, as well as other Wenner titles including Men’s Journal, paving the way for the Wenner family and PMC to reinvest in the brand.
PMC will look to revitalize everything from Rolling Stone’s digital operations to its event business. The Wenner stake represents the largest acquisition yet for PMC founder and CEO Jay Penske, who has rapidly grown a portfolio in recent years that includes Robb Report, Conde Nast’s Fairchild Fashion Media unit (the parent company of business-to-business brands including Women’s Wear Daily) and Indiewire. PMC is the parent company of Variety, which Penske acquired in 2012.
The purchase continues PMC’s expansion in the entertainment content and news businesses. Rolling Stone will continue to be based in New York, but is expected to move out of its current home to PMC’s Manhattan headquarters sometime next year. The story is not yet up on Rolling Stone’s own page.
That’s this week’s Book Week. I’ll be back next week, live at noon, for another edition, produced with the tolerance of the Florida Antiquarian Book Fair. The next Fair is April 20-22 in St Petersburg. An annotated, illustrated script is up on the BookWeek Facebook page.
You can see me later today on the Henry Bemis Books page for Gallimaufry, a weekly-ish look at books, authors and other arts; and tomorrow for LGBookT, the Friday look at lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender authors and collecting as we enter Year 2 of our tribe’s current siege.
I welcome your comments, tips, and corrections. All of our programs are showing robust growth, which you make possible. As Thomas Jefferson wrote to John Adams, “I cannot live without books.”
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