Some of us started out collecting first edition books before movie posters. One of the greatest private collections of rare books I've ever seen - belonging to the estate of cable TV executive Theodore Baum - goes up for sale next week at Christie's in New York.
Beyond the Holy Grail highlights, there are tons of other extremely rare books in their original dust jackets, a lot of Fitzgeralds and Faulkners - all genuine "classics" - including Shakespeare's 2nd Folio. The very first Frankenstein by Shelley was published anonymously - while the first Dracula by Stoker has been signed - and - it also includes a lengthy letter written in the author's own hand. It carries an estimate of $50K to $70K - while the 3 volume Frankenstein carries an estimate of $200K to $300K. A link to the sale is at the very bottom of this email. - d. https://imagizer.imageshack.com/img924/3475/RDAY6D.jpg [https://imagizer.imageshack.com/img924/3475/RDAY6D.jpg] https://imagizer.imageshack.com/img923/1461/CLUFwt.jpg [https://imagizer.imageshack.com/img923/1461/CLUFwt.jpg] Original news article in Barron's below - along with a few web-hosted images. ==================== A First Edition of Mary Shelley’s ‘Frankenstein’ Could Sell for $300,000 By Fang Block for Barron's - Sept. 1, 2021 5:36 pm ET A copy of the first edition of Mary Shelley's Frankenstein, which produced one of the most enduring characters in literature since the novel’s publication in 1818, is expected to sell for between US$200,000 and US$300,000 at a Christie’s auction in New York. The copy, in uncut original blue-grey boards (hard covers) with three volumes, was offered from the estate of Theodore B. Baum, a pioneer in the cable television industry who died in August at age 86. His literature collection, including the publisher's copy of Charles Dickens's Great Expectations; the Second and Fourth Folios of William Shakespeare; Edgar Allan Poe's The Raven in original wrappers; and the first edition of Walt Whitman's Leaves of Grass, will be offered through a live auction on Sept. 14 and an online auction running from Thursday until Sept. 17. “Mr. Baum built his library over the course of decades, waiting patiently for each title to come on the market, either through private dealers or at auction,” Heather Weintraub, book and manuscript specialist and head of this sale at Christie’s, says. “Nearly every book shares remarkable condition and impeccable provenance.” ---- The first edition of Frankenstein: or The Modern Prometheus - was published anonymously with a run of 500 copies, but it included a preface written by the author’s husband, Percy Shelley, an English poet. Copies in the original boards are exceptionally rare, and this being the only set to appear at auction since 1985, according to Christie’s description of the lot. https://imagizer.imageshack.com/img924/4712/vjdw1Z.jpg [https://imagizer.imageshack.com/img924/4712/vjdw1Z.jpg] https://imagizer.imageshack.com/img924/5442/CxdSjf.jpg [https://imagizer.imageshack.com/img924/5442/CxdSjf.jpg] ---- Another highlight of the sale is a copy of the first edition of Charles Darwin’s On the Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection, published in 1859. One of the original 1,250 copies, it is expected to fetch between US$150,000 and US$250,000. https://imagizer.imageshack.com/img922/3466/2R3NvS.jpg [https://imagizer.imageshack.com/img922/3466/2R3NvS.jpg] Shakespeare’s Second Folio, published in 1632, has a presale low estimate of US$180,000; while The Fourth Folio, published in 1685, is expected to sell for more than US$100,000. ---- Dickens's Great Expectations - offered from the collection - was the first edition and first impressions of each of the three volumes, and is valued at between US$80,000 and US$120,000. Only 1,000 copies of the first edition were published, with most going to libraries, Christie’s says. https://imagizer.imageshack.com/img922/8835/L68qt5.jpg [https://imagizer.imageshack.com/img922/8835/L68qt5.jpg] https://imagizer.imageshack.com/img924/2373/SYKzAt.jpg [https://imagizer.imageshack.com/img924/2373/SYKzAt.jpg] The collection will be available for public viewing at Christie’s Rockefeller Center galleries in New York from Sept. 9-13. ================== Auction link: https://www.christies.com/en/auction/the-exceptional-literature-collection-of-theodore-b-baum-part-one-28803/ The Exceptional Literature Collection of Theodore B. Baum<https://www.christies.com/en/auction/the-exceptional-literature-collection-of-theodore-b-baum-part-one-28803/> The Exceptional Literature Collection of Theodore B. Baum www.christies.com Visit the MoPo Mailing List Web Site at www.filmfan.com ___________________________________________________________________ How to UNSUBSCRIBE from the MoPo Mailing List Send a message addressed to: [email protected] In the BODY of your message type: SIGNOFF MOPO-L The author of this message is solely responsible for its content.
