WESCHLER’S TO AUCTION MOST EXTENSIVE LOCAL LIBRARY IN YEARS

  • WASHINGTON, DC
  • /
  • June 11, 2012

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Private Collection of Fine Books Auction June 20, 2012

 

[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - On Wednesday, June 20th at 10am, Weschler's will auction one of the most diverse private collections of fine books in recent history. The collection, consigned by a Maryland estate, includes many first editions of American and European history, natural history and natural science, travel and exploration, philosophy, literature and poetry, and more. The collection will be exhibited on Monday, June 18th and Tuesday, June 19th from 10am-3pm at Weschler's Washington, D.C. gallery.

 

Standouts among the collection include a three volume large folio set of the History of the Indian Tribes of North America, with one-hundred and twenty hand-colored lithograph portrait plates and biographical sketches and anecdotes of the principal chiefs by Thomas L. McKenney and James Hall ($50,000-$70,000);  one of the finest ornithological works ever completed, The Birds of America, from Drawings made in the United States and their Territories, eight volumes with five-hundred hand-colored lithograph plates, from works by John James Audubon, ($10,000-$15,000); and two volumes of A Dictionary of the English Language by Samuel Johnson ($8,000-$12,000) which is amongst one of the most influential dictionaries in the history of the English language before the completion of the Oxford English Dictionary. 

 

Additional highlights include first edition, Narrative of the United States Exploring Expedition During the Years 1838, 1839, 1840, 1481, 1842 by Charles Wilkes, U.S.N. ($2,000-$3,000); Voyage du Jeune Anacharsis En Gréce, Dans le Milieu Quatrième Siecle avant L'Ere Vulgaire ($1,500-$2,500) which Jean-Jacques Barthélemy worked on for 30 years; first edition, History of the Rise, Progress and Termination of the American Revolution by Mrs. Mercy Warren ($800-$1,200); The Far West and The Rockies Historical Series 1820-1875, signed by the authors, Leroy R. and Ann W. Hafen ($800-$1,200);  American Scenery; or Land, Lake, And River Illustrations of Transatlantic Nature  by Nathaniel Parker Willis, Esq. ($1,000-$1,500); and A System of Chemistry by Thomas Thomson ($700-$900).

 

Literature, philosophy and poetry works feature thirty-two volumes of Oeuvres des J.J. Rousseau De Genève, estimated for $800-$1,200; twenty-nine volumes of Dickens's Works ($500-$700); a lot of four titles including Samuel S. Clemens (Mark Twain), first American edition, Life on the Mississippi and The Innocents Abroad, among others ($500-$700); Martin Luther King, Jr, Where Do We Go From Here: Chaos or Community? ($1,500-$2,500), signed by the author; and a lot of children's books comprising, An Argosy of Fables: A Representative Selection from the Fable Literature of Ever Age and Land, Carl Sandburg's, Rootabaga Stories, and Lewis Carroll's, Through the Looking-Glass and What Alice Found There (600-$800).

 

The items may be viewed online at www.weschlers.com. For more information please contact Bill Weschler at (202) 628-1281 or email info@weschlers.com. We invite you to contact us for auction-value estimates of a single item or an entire collection. Our next consignment deadline is July 27th for our September 14th Capital Collections Estate Auction.

 

Contact:
Bill Weschler
Weschler's Auctioneers & Appraisers
202-628-1281
info@weschlers.com

Weschler's Auctioneers & Appraisers
909 E Street, NW
Washington, DC
info@weschlers.com
202-628-1281
http://www.weschlers.com
About Weschler's Auctioneers & Appraisers

Capital Collections Estate Auctions are held approximately 6 times a year and combine American & European furniture & decorations, Asian works of art, jewelry, coins & watches, paintings, prints, drawings & sculpture and 20th century decorative arts. The auctions are held on Fridays and are available for exhibit the Saturday prior to the sale through Thursday. An illustrated catalogue accompanies each sale and is available for purchase and online viewing.


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