Explore American history through a rare selection of maps and historic documents, including correspondence from Frederick Douglass and a first edition printing of The Federalist papers.

Americana

Discover American landscapes across time through Alexander von Humboldt and Aimé Bonpland’s drawings or Emmet Gowin’s photographs. Mark Catesby’s colorplates are a highlight for those interested in American flora and fauna.

Explore the American landscape through the works of Emmit Gowin and Mark Catesby

Picturing America

First editions from F. Scott Fitzgerald and Ernest Hemingway are joined by selections from William Blake and Alfred Tennyson. Jane Austen is specially featured with three first editions available on the 250th anniversary of her birth.

From Jane Austen to F. Scott Fitzgerald, discover books and manuscripts by literary greats

Fine Literature

Important Americana documents, books by economic theorists, and more

Property from an Important Chicago Collection

From Greek grammar books to annotated typescripts, the auction is rounded off with a wide-ranging selection of works to appeal to a variety of interests.

Explore a range of works and subjects that will appeal to a host of interests

Various Subjects

New York

<div class="Enhancement">
 <div class="Enhancement-item">
 <h5>Fine Books and Manuscripts, Including Americana</h5>

 </div>
 </div> Fine Books and Manuscripts, Including Americana Part 2 will be offered alongside Fine Books and Manuscripts, Including Americana Part 1. Part 2 of the sale will open for bidding on 12 June, culminating in an online auction on 26 June. Part 1 of this sale will culminate in a live auction on 26 June Fine Books and Manuscripts, Including Americana, is part of our sale series, 
 
 <a class="Link" href="https://www.sothebys.com/en/series/book-week">Book Week</a>
 
 . Americana: Lots 1001 - 1024 Fine Literature: Lots 1025-1047 Various Subjects: 1048 - 1089 Sale Number: N11830

Senior Vice President | Global Head of Department, Books & Manuscripts

Richard Austin

Senior Vice President | International Senior Specialist

Selby Kiffer

Vice President | Head of Department, Americas

Dr. Kalika Sands

Cataloguer

Fenella Theis

Books & Manuscripts Intern

Pre-Sale Coordinator, Books & Manuscripts

Caroline Woodward

Meet our Specialists

Sotheby’s is pleased to announce New York’s June sale, “Fine Books and Manuscripts.” Part 1 of this sale will culminate in a live auction on 26 June. 

Among the many treasures within the Bibliotheca Brookeriana, the crown jewel is an extensive group of Renaissance-era volumes published by Aldus Manutius. Numbering approximately 1,000 volumes from the 1490s to the 1590s, it is the largest assemblage of Aldines to come to market in a century and the only private library of its kind ever amassed outside Europe. The third and final Aldine sale, Bibliotheca Brookeriana: A Renaissance Library. The Aldine Collection N–Z, will present the remaining selection of these exceptional works. Aldines are highly prized not only for their craftsmanship but also for their role in spreading Renaissance Humanism. By publishing Greek and Latin classics, Aldus revived interest in antiquity and shaped how the Renaissance would be understood for centuries. His smaller-format books—precursors to the modern paperback—transformed reading habits and knowledge dissemination forever. This sale will feature some of the collection’s most remarkable bindings and editions. Highlights include exquisite works bound for Jean Grolier, a magnificent Julius Pollux in an alla greca binding, a Theocritus with a striking Pillone fore-edge painting, and a first edition Plato bound by the Fugger Binder. 

For assistance with bidding and registration, please contact: +1 212 606 7000 
 
 <a class="Link" href="mailto:enquiries@sothebys.com" target="_blank">ENQUIRIES@SOTHEBYS.COM</a>

Stay informed with Sotheby’s top stories, videos, events &amp; news.

This June, Sotheby’s is delighted to present Fine Books and Manuscripts, including Americana, as part of our Book Week, opening for bidding on 12 June and culminating in an online auction on 26 June. The sale brings together a broad range of compelling books, manuscripts, and other printed material, including works by Charles Dickens, Samuel Taylor Coleridge, Ayn Rand, Ernest Hemingway, David Foster Wallace and J.K. Rowling. The fine selection of Americana includes a note by Frederick Douglass and a first edition printing of the Federalist papers.

Fine Books and Manuscripts, Including Americana. Part 2