Highlights from The Specialist Books, Maps and Prints Sale - July 2nd 2009
The sale saw strong bidding across the board and a collection of typographic ephemera and private press books belonging to Ernest Ingham, director of The Fanfare Press, did particularly well. The collection was largely made up of items relating to engraver and typeface designer Eric Gill and included such lots as a hoptonwood stone alphabet carved table pot (pictured) which made £11,000 and a carved woodblock (pictured) which made £2,000.
Other items in the collection were a printed invitation to the wedding of Gill’s daughter which made £420 and a quantity of letters and ephemera including a printed leaf detailing founts for Gill’s Perpetua typeface and signed by him which made £650.
Other impressive prices included £1,100 for a decorative Rex Whistler poster advertising ‘The Tate Gallery’ and £1,200 for a copy of 'Brighton Aquatints' by artist John Piper.
Natural history books were popular on the day with W.T Greene’s Parrots in Captivity making a healthy £1,600 and 33 volumes of The Naturalist’s Library making the punchy price of £1,400.
Children’s books also created a storm with a signed copy of The Tale of Peter Rabbit by Beatrix Potter (pictured) selling for £680 and a signed first edition of Winnie the Pooh making £2,200.
Topographical volumes featured well with Blomefield’s Topographical History of Norfolk making £800 and a first edition of John Owen and Emmanuel Bowen's Britannia Depicta (pictured), whose maps were decoratively hand coloured, getting away at £1,400.
These results are further evidence that prices are still strong in all sorts of book, print and map categories and should be an encouragement that now is a good time to sell.
Our next Specialist Books, Maps and Prints Sale will take place on October 29th, please contact Charles Ashton or Claire Wilkins: fine.art@cheffins.co.uk or 01223 213343 for more information
