The Tricottet Collection

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From time to time, selected items from the TC are made available as part of the ongoing development and refinement of the meta-collection. These may include duplicate objects, as well as items that no longer fulfil a defined role within the TC or are no longer aligned with its evolving direction.

For further details and the current price list, please contact us.

PIGAGE and DE MECHEL (1778), La Galerie électorale de Dusseldorff, ou catalogue raisonné et figuré de ses tableaux, unsophisticated 2-volume copy in original boards. Accompanied by the study by GAEHTGENS and MARCHESANO (2011)

"Princely representation in the baroque period no longer meant simply displaying a wide variety of artistic treasures [...] Following the age of housing mirabilia—art objects and curiosities—in seventeenth-century Wunderkammern, some princes attempted to order their treasures according to systematic, if not scientific, criteria. Johann Wilhelm II and his successors [...] were among those baroque rulers who combined their passion for collecting with an interest in employing the expertise of connoisseurs. These princes established a paradigm, which was emblematic of the transition from the baroque to the Enlightenment."
Gaehtgens & Marchesano, The Düsseldorf Gallery and Its Catalogue, 2011:1

Fig. 1. Zoom into one of the thumbnail etchings of Plate I (see below). The work of the engravers was extraordinarily laborious and could only be carried out with magnifying glasses (Gaehtgens & Marchesano, 2011:29).

La Galerie Électorale de Dusseldorff ou Catalogue raisonné et figuré de ses tableaux (1778) occupies a foundational position in the history of art collecting. The collection, created by the elector Palatine Johann Wilhelm II von der Pfalz (1658-1716), comprised around four hundred paintings, forty-six of which were by Rubens. It was his father who had inspired a passion for art in him and his second wife, Anna Maria Luisa de' Medici (last direct descendant of the House of Medici), who provided him the best connections for acquiring Italian masterpieces. The gallery occupied a purpose-built structure erected between 1709 and 1714, directly adjacent to the Düsseldorf palace, clearly expressing the elector's intention to establish an autonomous space in which artworks could be presented to visitors in a systematic arrangement. However, it was only well after his death, following the temporary relocation of the collection to safeguard it during the Seven Years' War (1756-63), that a new display system was implemented upon its reinstallation, a development visually documented in the 1778 catalogue. Through the changes made by the director of the collection, the painter Lambert Krahe (1712-90), serving under elector Carl Theodor von der Pfalz, Johann Wilhelm's nephew and successor, the gallery embodied a new concept of display, based on the different schools of painting and on "the modern approach of not hanging the paintings frame to frame, but rather allowing them to preserve their identity as works of art in the space" (Gaehtgens & Marchesano, 2011:31). The 1778 catalogue documents these innovations thanks to its miniature reproductions of paintings (Fig. 1), which consistutes in itself a radical departure from the large prints that characterised previous art collection albums.

• GAEHTGENS, Thomas W., MARCHESANO, Louis (2011), The Düsseldorf Gallery and Its Catalogue. Display & Art History, The Getty Research Institute, 95 pp. [in coll.: Softcover, as issued]

A Copy in its Original Publisher's Binding of the First Modern Art Collection Catalogue

La Galerie électorale de Dusseldorff, ou catalogue raisonné et figuré...
Basel, 1778

Description: PIGAGE, Nicolas (author), DE MECHEL, Chrétien (engraver) (1778), La Galerie électorale de Dusseldorff, ou catalogue raisonné et figuré de ses tableaux [followed by] Estampes du catalogue raisonné et figuré des tableaux de la Galerie Électorale de Dusseldorf. Basel, Text volume: XIV, [2], 34, [2], 28, [2], 52, [2], 42, [2], 28, [2], 44 pp. Plate volume: title-page + 40 plates (A-D + I-XXXVI). Unsophisticated copy in two volumes. Large oblong folio (40 x 31 cm) in publisher's boards (with some wear and minor stains), untrimmed, with large margins on extremely fine laid paper - This is the catalogue of one of the most significant European picture galleries of the 18th century, created by the Elector Palatine Johann Wilhelm II and later rearranged, under his successor Carl Theodor, by the collection's director, Lambert Krahe. Produced by court architect Nicolas de Pigage (1723-96) with the help of the engraver Christian von Mechel (1737-1817), the first volume is a catalogue text (composed by Jean-Charles Laveaux, 1749-1827) where paintings are described with all their technical data and extensive commentaries. This work is strikingly modern in being both comprehensive and accessible to an educated public, thereby establishing itself as an art-historical reference work (Gaehtgens & Marchesano, 2011:36). The second volume presents a set of forty plates depicting the gallery and its paintings. Individual pictures can be identified, especially as their frames are labeled with the names of the painters and catalogue numbers. Although the paintings had different frames, they were standardised in the engravings to achieve a harmonious and unified appearance. Through the illustrations in Pigage and Mechel's catalogue, one can envisage a tour of the rooms in the second half of the 18th century and analyse the criteria used for arranging the works of art in this gallery (ibid.:19). Indeed, the virtual visitor first encounters the gallery's floor plan and the elevation of the gallery building, which serve as a preparatory guide. He then ascends a staircase adorned with allegorical decorations to reach the second floor, comprising five rooms dedicated to paintings. "When we view the volume of engravings from our vantage point today and consider it to be a revolutionary innovation, it is because we judge it retrospectively, in light of the history of the museum in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries and our familiarity with museum publications in which small, thumbnail-size illustrations continue to be used for identifying the individual works and not for studying them" (ibid.:30).

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• D’ALLEMAGNE, Henry-René (1948), La maison d’un vieux collectionneur. Paris: Librairie Gründ. 2 volumes, comprising one text volume (304 pp., 14 plates) and one plate volume (separate leaves, housed in the original folder box), with approximately 253 plates. A special copy of this celebrated work, one of only 150 copies reserved for the collaborators, family, and friends of the author, here belonging to Maurice Protat, whose name is printed in the volume. In addition to the author's detailed description of his house and collection, the first volume contains an original essay on the history of collecting over the centuries, making the work of particular interest for the history of collecting and the culture of the cabinet de curiosités. The copy is accompanied by a highly informative typed letter, dated 31 December 1947, from Henry-René D'Allemagne to his editor, Mr Gründ, written shortly before publication. In the letter, D’Allemagne provides detailed information about the production and distribution of the book, including the planned print run of 600 copies, of which 400 were intended for the publisher and 200 for the author (although the author ultimately received 150 copies). D’Allemagne also describes the contents of the two volumes: the first devoted to a description of his house and a history of collecting, and the second intended to contain 265 photographic plates. He concludes by detailing the expenses incurred in the production of the work, amounting to 430,000 francs.
• Bonnaffé, Edmond: Undated manuscript letter, about sending copies of several of his books. Illustration depicting Bonnaffé investigating some ceramics [page 1, page 2]
• Champfleury: CHAMPFLEURY (1877), Le Violon de Faïence. Paris: E. Dentu, 173 pp., 34 etching prints by Adeline incl. the faience violin in frontispiece. In-8, half blue morocco binding with corners, spine with five raised bands adorned with gilt stippling, compartments bordered with a triple gilt fillet and decorated with small tools, gilt title, gilt fillet on the covers, gilt top edge, covers preserved. Signed Mercier, ss. de Cuzin, housed in a slipcase (showing some wear). Includes two artist's proofs of the faience violin, signed by Adeline.
• Gouellain, Gustave: GOUELLAIN, G. (1872), L'Assiette dite A La Guillotine. Paris: Jouaust, 44 pp., incl. coloured plate depicting the famous Assiette à la Guillotine. Twentieth-century binding with gilt spine decoration, hard stamp from a Madrid library, one of 250 copies (one of 200 on tinted paper with black ink) – The scarce notice on the famous faience plate depicting a guillotine with interesting sections on political (sometimes hidden) messages on plates, revolutionary ceramic, the Assiette à la Guillotine, controversy, and anecdotes & myths.
• GRÉSY, Eugène (1868), Inventaire des objets d'art composant la succession de Florimond Robertet. ministre de François Ier, dressé par sa veuve, le 4e jour d'août 1532. Précédé d'une notice. Paris: Imprimerie Générale de Ch. Lahure, in-8, 66 pp. Penned ex-dono and ex-libris Georges Fessard, some sporadic, delicate marginalia annotations.
• Louvre: Rare depiction by Gabriel Jacques de Saint-Aubin of one of the biennial exhibitions of contemporary art in the Louvre's Salon Carré, here a photogravure made by Charles Amand Durand - Charles Amand Durand (1831-1905) was famous for resurrecting the fading copper & wood plates of previous painters. Engravings and etchings by Gabriel Jacques de Saint-Aubin (1724-1780) form a valuable record of the Parisian artistic life in the 18th century. Dimensions: 27.5 x 19 cm (sheet), 15 x 12 cm (image), believed to be from the period 1869-1880's.
• Victoria & Albert Museum: Photograph of a miniature enamel painting of a Sportsman Shooting, part of the Victoria & Albert Museum collection. Framed and labelled "Victoria & Albert Museum". The number 60959 is listed as a photograph of inventory number 917-1868 in the negative registers of the Photographic Studio. For years, the museum allowed members of the public to buy photographic prints taken by the Photo Studio of V&A objects. This is here such an example of a Photo Stall sales print, this one photographed January 18th, 1929 (pers. comm. V&A curator). A unique collectible from the Victoria & Albert Museum and beautiful miniature display. Dimensions: 78 x 61 mm.

J.K. Rowling (1997), Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, 13th UK printing, inscribed in 1998 by Rowling.

The Harry Potter saga by J. K. Rowling stands as the publishing phenomenon of the turn of the 21st century. Few works of modern literature have achieved comparable global reach, cultural impact, or commercial success. It is unsurprising that rare Harry Potter material, such as first editions, their early printings, manuscripts, and associated ephemera, has entered major collections. Chief among these is the first edition of Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, published by Bloomsbury in 1997. The first printing of the hardback edition, limited to just 500 copies (of which roughly 300 were sent to libraries), has become the definitive modern collectible; even severely worn ex-library copies command extraordinary sums. The corresponding first-edition first-printing paperback, produced in a larger printing of approximately 5,150 copies, is likewise coveted as the earliest widely circulated form of the text. Both can reach stratospheric prices, with association copies at the very top of the market. Later printings remain desirable when they bear early signatures or substantial inscriptions by Rowling, written before she achieved global celebrity. Such copies capture a moment when the author's fame was still local and literary rather than universal, and they function as documentary artifacts of the series' nascent years.

Early Inscribed Copy of Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone Documenting the Birth of a Global Literary Phenomenon

Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, by J.K. Rowling
London, UK: Bloomsbury, 1997 (paperback ed.)

Description: Thirteenth printing, paperback. An exceptionally fine, unread copy bearing a particularly scarce summer 1998 signature variation together with an unusually long, highly personal inscription: "To Kathleen – Thank you for liking book two even better (that's the one I'm worried about at the moment! JK Rowling)". Signed at the recipient Kathleen's workplace, the book remained in her possession until 2024. The inscription captures Rowling at a uniquely early stage of her career, shortly after the publication of Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets. At this point she was still accessible to readers, often taking time to write lengthy, conversational inscriptions that would become increasingly uncommon as her international fame accelerated. Her candid aside about worrying over the reception of the second book offers a rare glimpse into the uncertainty of an author who had not yet become one of the world's most celebrated writers. Preserved in a custom-made quarter-leather red clamshell box with bespoke gilt lettering and accompanied by a CoA by Adam Houston.

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CUMBERLAND (1787), An accurate and descriptive catalogue of the several paintings in the King of Spain's palace at Madrid... from 'Beckford's Folly' Library

William Thomas Beckford (1760-1844), who inherited a colossal fortune from transatlantic slavery, was a novelist, art collector and bibliophile. The legendary setting of his collections, Fonthill Abbey, his dream house, is perhaps better known than the collections themselves, or at least contributed to their elevation. Known as Beckford's Folly, it was an enormous country house built in the Gothic revival style between 1796 and 1813. Once completed, Beckford lived in near-total seclusion, enjoying both the splendour of the building and his vast treasures alone. He had effectively exiled himself from British society following a scandal, and was later widowed when his wife died in Switzerland while giving birth to their second child. During this continental exile, Beckford had seized the opportunity to acquire the Lausanne library of Edward Gibbon, forming the foundation of his own library, which would grow to an extraordinary scale. By 1822, however, mounting debts forced him to put Fonthill Abbey up for sale. An illustrated catalogue was prepared by Christie's, and the pre-sale viewing drew such crowds from London that every farmhouse in the surrounding area was filled with visitors. Before the auction could take place, Fonthill, along with part of its contents, was sold to John Farquhar, a millionaire dealer in gunpowder. Farquhar promptly auctioned the art and furnishings in the famous Fonthill sale of 1823. The Fonthill sale event was vividly recorded by William Hazlitt in Sketches of the Picture Galleries of England: "FONTHILL ABBEY, after being enveloped in impenetrable mystery for a length of years, has been unexpectedly thrown open to the vulgar gaze, and has lost none of its reputation for magnificence – though, perhaps, its visionary glory, its classic renown, have vanished from the public mind for ever. It is, in a word, a desert of magnificence, a glittering waste of laborious idleness, a cathedral turned into a toy-shop, an immense Museum of all that is most curious and costly..." Adding to its legend, the central tower of Fonthill collapsed in 1825. Farquhar sold what he could and died six months later of apoplexy. Beckford, a compulsive collector, had repurchased many of his former possessions during the 1823 sale, often at prices lower than those he had originally paid, assisted by his son-in-law, the Duke of Hamilton. This effectively constituted a second collection, which Beckford developed and housed at Lansdown Tower in Bath, yet another architectural folly known as Beckford's Tower. His enduring passion for books is attested by letters written to his bookseller, George Clarke, between 1830 and 1834 (Gemmett, 2000). This second collection was inherited by his younger daughter, Susan Euphemia Beckford, wife of Alexander Hamilton, 10th Duke of Hamilton. The books and most important treasures were transferred to Hamilton Palace. The collection was ultimately dispersed in the Hamilton Palace sale of 1882, one of the major auctions of the century, with the library sold by Sotheby's in 1883.

A Rare 1787 Art Collection Notice from 'Beckford's Folly' Library, in Precious Kalthoeber Binding, sold at the 1823 Auction

Catalogue of the several paintings in the King of Spain's palace at Madrid
London: printed for C. Dilly, in the Poultry and J. Walter, Charing-Cross, 1787

Description: Cumberland, Richard (1787), An accurate and descriptive catalogue of the several paintings in the King of Spain's palace at Madrid; with some account of the pictures in the Buen-Retiro. London: printed for C. Dilly, in the Poultry and J. Walter, Charing-Cross, 131 pp.. 12mo (160 x 91mm). Contemporary full tree calf binding by C. Kalthoeber, London (orange ticket to front fly-leaf verso) with beautifully tooled coat of arms in gilt to both covers (arms of the Order of the Garter 'honi soit qui mal y pense' founded by Edward III of which Beckford claimed descent). Covers framed in gilt. Spine in six compartments between gilt-decorated raised bands, red morocco lettering piece gilt, all edges gilt. Penned notes 'Beckford copy' and 'From Clumber Library'. This beautiful binding echoes what William Hazlitt wrote of Beckford's holdings: "... the most highly finished, the most costly and curious, of that kind of ostentatious magnificence which is calculated to gratify the sense of property in the owner..." - In his day, Christian Samuel Kalthoeber (1752-1819), a German bookbinder working in London and binder to George III and Catherine the Great, was considered one of the finest in the world. A number of books from the Beckford library have been bound by Kalthoeber, demonstrating Beckford's taste for Kalthoeber's craftsmanship.

Provenance: William Thomas Beckford, Fonthill Abbey (?-1822) • John Farquhar (1822-23) • Fourth Duke of Newcastle, Clumber Library - The magnificent ducal library at Clumber House, in its heyday, seems to have resembled a very grandiose gentlemen's club. The library was dispersed at auction by Sotheby0s in 1937 and Clumber House demolished a year later.

References: The Valuable Library of Books, in Fonthill Abbey. A Catalogue of the Magnificent, Rare, and Valuable Library... (1823:368, lot 3487) - The present copy was sold on the thirty-fifth day of the auction (Saturday, the 25th of October, 1823), as part of bookcases nos. 1 to 4 in the Buhl Cabinet. From a study of the catalogue's listings, it seems that this Buhl cabinet was located in the yellow damask Drawing Rooms of Fonthill Abbey.

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CAMERON & CAPPEL (1632) with marginalia, from the Louis-Émeric Bigot Collection

Louis-Émeric Bigot (1626-1689), after inheriting the precious library of his father Jean Bigot, significantly increased its holdings through his trips across Europe. His house became the gathering place of savants and writers to discuss questions of history, philosophy or literature under his presidency. This celebrated regional cabinet was sold at auction in 1706 after being bought by a group of Parisian booksellers, Jean Boudot, Charles Osmont and Gabriel Martin. Bibliotheca Bigotiana was the first book auction in Paris for which a catalogue was printed. The notice to the reader of the catalogue indicates that "inspired by ancestral examples and following in his father's footsteps, [LOUIS EMERIC BIGOT] resolutely undertook the augmentation and embellishment of the BIGOTIANA Library, which was already renowned at that time for the number and selection of both manuscripts and printed books, regardless of the cost, care, or industry required." The books of the famous Jacques de Mesmes library, for whom Gabriel Naudé had dedicated his Avis pour dresser une bibliothèque in 1627, were dispersed alongside the Bigot library. The volumes were included anonymously, despite their historical value, to the Bibliotheca Bigotiana catalogue by the three Parisian booksellers.

A Theological Book from Louis-Émeric Bigot's Section of 'Bibliotheca Bigotiana', with his Marginalia

Two texts, by Cameron, John & Cappel, Louis
Geneva: Petrum Auberum, 1632

Description: Cameron, John & Cappel, Louis (1632), Ioh. Cameronis Myrothecium evangelicum, hoc est Novi Testamenti loca quam plurima ab eo, post aliorum labores, apte & commode vel illustrata, vel explicata, vel vindicata - Lud. Cappell Spicilegium & diatribae dux - I. De interpretatione loci Matth. XV.5, II. De voto Iephthae. Geneva: Petrum Auberum, Quarto (23.5 × 16 cm), (14) + 360 pp. and 184 pp.; text in Latin with passages in Ancient Greek and Hebrew. Contemporary full vellum binding, smooth spine without lettering; printed on fine seventeenth-century laid paper. Louis-Émeric Bigot armorial bookplate (large version, 7 x 7.5 cm engraving) pasted on the front pastedown, with his name "L E Bigot". Seven pages with marginalia. This is a book from one of the most important private libraries in France. "He is the young man in France with the greatest passion for letters, and one of those who, without ostentation, is most deeply immersed in Greek and Latin. His vehement inclination is to contribute to the restoration of the good authors of both languages," wrote Jean Chapelain of Louis-Émeric Bigot. The marginalia point to a theologically trained and disciplined reader.

Provenance: Louis-Émeric Bigot

References: Bibliotheca Bigotiana (1706:77, lot 129)

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• Bonnier de la Mosson, Joseph: Sieur Davach de La Rivière (1696), Le miroir des urines. Contemporary binding. Written by Sieur Davach de La Rivière, physician to the late Prince of Condé, this curious treatise, perfect for a Wunderkammer, examines the wide range of colours and characteristics of urine as diagnostic clues. The present copy (binding at upper spine with old restoration, rear edges broken) once belonged to Joseph Bonnier de la Mosson (1702-1744), renowned collector and creator of a celebrated cabinet of curiosities. It is listed in the 1745 sale catalogue of his library (lot 432) and bears his gilded coat of arms on one cover. On the reverse, his name appears in gilt, and on the flyleaf, a note records the purchase of the book in Paris on May 1st, 1721, by its previous owner, sieur Thierry, surgeon at Douzy.
• Dibdin, Thomas Frognall: DIBDIN, T.F. (1842), Bibliomania; Or, Book-Madness; a Bibliographical Romance. Illustrated with cuts... New and Improved edition, to which are now added, Preliminary Observations, and a Supplement, including a Key to the Assumed Characters in the Drama. London: Bohn. Tall thick 8vo, (2), [i-vii], vii-xiv, 618, 63, (1), xxxiii pp. Full pebbled brown morocco (some rubbing) with gilt fillet borders, gilt turn-ins, gilt-panelled backstrip, raised bands, gilt top, rebacked retaining original backstrip. Bookplate on front pastedown of Francis Frederick Fox and Charles Sebag-Montefiore. Some moderate foxing on some pages, more significant in the first few pages. First combined edition, large paper copy. The book that introduced the concept of bibliomania to the world. 500 copies were printed, of which 50 (according to Huth) or 55 (according to Church) were large-paper ($2000 value penned by a dealer expert in Dibdin).
• Hobson, Anthony: HOBSON, A. (1975), Apollo and Pegasus: an enquiry into the formation. Amsterdam: Gérard Th. Van Heusden. Edition limited to 652 numbered copies, of which this is one of 32 not for sale, no. XVII, signed by author below colophon. No dust jacket. Further inscribed by author: "To Alan Bell, fellow-student of biographical and bibliographical problems from his friend. Anthony Hobson". With some ephemera loosely inserted.
• Hobson, Anthony: HOBSON, A. (1990), Humanists and bookbinders : the origins and diffusion of the humanistic bookbinding 1459-1559, with a census of historiated plaquette and medallion bindings of the Renaissance. Cambridge University Press. Inscribed by author: "Michael, with best thanks from Anthony 11.I.90". With ephemera loosely inserted.
• SPENCER, A.H. (1959), The Hill of Content. Books, Art, Music, People. Sydney: Angus and Robertson. Original boards in dust-wrappers - The reminiscences and reflections of one of Australia's leading booksellers of the first half of the 20th century. Inscribed: "To laugh heartily, To pray fervently, To love devotedly A.H. Spencer", "Warm friends, friendly books, ease the way of the world". Some wear to the dust jacket.

Staurolite, Windham, Maine, USA, from the Kunz collection purchased by the New York State Academy of Mineralogy in 1886

George Frederick Kunz (1856-1932) of New York City, remembered as America's first gemologist, was also one of the most important builders of mineral, gem and meteorite collections. By the time Kunz was twenty he had already amassed a personal collection of over 4,000 mineral specimens, which he sold to the University of Minnesota. This marked the beginning of a career spent assembling and then selling world-class mineral collections to institutions and collectors of prominence, likely due to his position at the nation's most prestigious jewellery.

Rare Example of a Mineral from a Collection Prepared by George F. Kunz & Sold to an Institution

Staurolite
Windham, Maine, USA

Description: Not an aesthetic showpiece, but rather a representative example from a site renowned among mineral collectors. Particularly interesting for bearing a Kunz label (variant from 1886 or before) and the red painted number 428.2 on the back. This number helped us track the specimen to the New York State Academy of Mineralogy (NYSAM). Staurolite specimens nos. 428.7, 428.8 and 428.9 are indeed found in the 2018 NYSAM catalogue.
Dimensions: 13.5 x 9.5 x 4 cm

Provenance: George F. Kunz (?-1886) • New York State Academy of Mineralogy (1886-?). From NYSAM’s records, we learn that in 1886 an extensive general mineral collection was purchased from Kunz.

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PRESENTATION COPY of Hamlin (1895), The History of Mount Mica Of Maine, U.S.A. And Its Wonderful Deposits of Matchless Tourmalines

Augustus Choate Hamlin (1828-1905), a distinguished medical officer in New England and Mayor of Bangor, Maine (1877–78), was the owner of the Mount Mica mine, which yielded some of the most exquisite and renowned gem-quality tourmaline crystals during his tenure. The Hamlin name remains forever linked to these tourmalines, as specimens from this locality have been closely associated with the family for over 80 years. Elijah L. Hamlin (?-?), Augustus's father, discovered Mount Mica in 1820. The first specimens, identified as the rare tourmaline variety elbaite, were classified by Professor Silliman, whom Elijah and his co-discoverer, Ezekiel Holmes, had consulted for verification. Two years later, Elijah's younger brothers, Cyrus and Hannibal Hamlin, undertook a more thorough exploration of the site. Over time, mineralogists showed great interest in Mount Mica tourmalines, and Cyrus exchanged some of the finest crystals for money or other minerals. Elijah eventually left the region, followed later by Cyrus, while Hannibal took little interest in mineralogy. As a result, the hunt for and trade of specimens ceased. The fine crystals from this early period were scattered across the world, with many losing their original provenance. Years later, Augustus attempted to track down these lost specimens, but his efforts were in vain. Following the Civil War, he became determined to further explore the site. Between 1866 and 1880, twenty-seven pockets of tourmaline were opened, with continued excavations the following years. Hamlin's passion for Mount Mica tourmalines was reflected in his writings, including three books on the subject. One of these, History of Mount Mica of Maine, U.S.A. and its Wonderful Deposits of Matchless Tourmalines (1895), features beautiful watercolour sketches painted by Hamlin himself. In addition to producing exquisite illustrations of elbaite crystals, he also designed the iconic Hamlin Necklace. The Hamlin legacy and deep appreciation for Maine tourmalines live on through the Hamlin Collection at the MGMH. Many specimens from Augustus C. Hamlin's era found their way into other renowned collections, such as those of Vaux and Kunz.

Many of the Mount Mica Tourmalines depicted in Hamlin (1895), arranged in line, at scale, by the TC.

A.C. Hamlin's Scarce 1895 History of Mount Mica, an Exhibition Catalogue of Matchless Tourmalines

PRESENTATION COPY - The History of Mount Mica..., by A.C. Hamlin
Bangor, Maine: A.C. Hamlin, 1895

Description: Hamlin, Augustus Choate (1895), The History of Mount Mica Of Maine, U.S.A. And Its Wonderful Deposits of Matchless Tourmalines. Published by Augustus Choate Hamlin, Bangor, Maine, 72 pp., 51 plates (43 chromolithographies), 4 photographic illustrations (1 folding). 8vo, original publisher's red cloth binding with gilt lettering on front cover and on spine, lightly rubbed, water stain in left bottom corner of the first pages, loose binding of the first few pages. It should be noted that publisher's bindings exist in red and dark green cloth. Inscribed by the author "To Mrs Shedd with the best wishes of the author, Augustus C Hamlin Nov. 6, 1903". Three lines of text stricken through p. 63 by a pencil; plate numbers 24 and 26 switched in red p. 68 - This privately published volume chronicles the history of an important, early American gemstone locality. Beginning with a chapter on the discovery of Mount Mica, the book continues with stories of other explorations, a description of the deposit, and diagrams showing where the major pockets were found. Of particular interest are the finely executed plates, showing various tourmaline crystals collected over the years. These plates are among the best chromo-lithographes of minerals ever produced in the United States (Schuh). This very scarce book can be considered an exhibition catalogue with the fine specimens illustrated in the 43 colour plates given their provenance. Many were part of the Hamlin Cabinet; others were from Harvard, Amherst College, Yale, and the Carter collection.

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• LEVY, Armand (1837), Description d'une collection de minéraux, formée par M. Henri Heuland, et appartenant à M. Charles Hampden Turner, de Rooksnest, dans le comté de Surrey, en Angleterre. ATLAS ONLY, no title page. Assumed 1837 edition. Complete with all 83 plates. Bound in full calf leather with gold gilt border decorations on front and back covers and gold gilt decoration and lettering to spine. Some plates with scattered toning; water mark impacting the first plates and reducing in size progressively. Very rare in any condition - Sir Arthur Russell, in an article on the famed mineral dealer Henri Heuland, wrote: "About the year 1806 he came into the possession of a fine collection of minerals which had been formed on the Continent between the years 1766 and 1806 by his uncle, Mr. Jacob Forster. To this collection Heuland made valuable additions until 1820, when he sold it to Mr. Charles Hampden Turner, of Rooksnest, Godalming, Surrey. Subsequently, the collection became the property of Henry Ludlam, who on his death bequeathed it to the Museum of Practical Geology, London. In the same year, Heuland entrusted Armand Lévy, then resident in London, with the preparation of an elaborate catalogue raisonné of this collection, based on the system of Haüy, and accompanied by an atlas of crystal drawings."
• Historic meteorites: Wiluna meteorite, 153 grams, ex. WAM. A superb stone of the Wiluna meteorite fall (of 1967) with painted numbers from the Western Australia Museum (WAM): the white inventory number 12934 and a red-on-white number 12934.203 (specimens with the two sets of numbers are rarer than the ones with only one WAM number). This specimen comes with a copy of the export permit where this specimen is listed. Dimensions are 6.7 x 3.6 x 4.8 cm for a weight of 153 grams. This elongated specimen is especially attractive for its angular shape, with on one half some thumbprints and, on the other half, a broken window into a chondritic matrix with patches of secondary crust (this secondary coating is well distributed over the broken face but difficult to capture with a camera). Must be seen in person.
• Monnig, Oscar: EHLMANN, Arthur J. (2008), The Oscar E. Monnig Meteorite Collection Catalog. Tucson: Stanegate Press, 186 pp., with many illustrations of Monnig's finest meteorite specimens as well as of historic documents, letters and photographs of the Monnig Archive. Deluxe volume, signed by the author and numbered 63/100, in white slipcase (showing some wear) and accompanied by a modern copy of Monnig's portrait on photographic paper, Very scarce.
• Monnig, Oscar: ASSOCIATION COPY - EHLMANN, Arthur J. (2008), The Oscar E. Monnig Meteorite Collection Catalog. Tucson: Stanegate Press, 186 pp., with many illustrations of Monnig's finest meteorite specimens as well as of historic documents, letters and photographs of the Monnig Archive. Association copy: Standard volume, strictly limited to 1,000 copies, here the copy of the founding Director of the ASU Center for Meteorite Studies, Carleton Moore (1932-2023), signed by the author and inscribed 'To Carleton, Art'. Some minor bump and crack at the bottom of the spine.
• Nininger, Harvey: NININGER H.H., NININGER A.D. (1950), The Nininger Collection of Meteorites. A Catalogue and a History. Winslow, Arizona, 1950, 144 pp., 38 Pls., hardcover, and signed by both authors, making this presentation copy of this scarce collection catalogue even more desirable. An inscription reads: "To our good friends". Also includes a bookplate on endpaper (Rosalie Brown) and the crossed-out indication "Yavapal Gem & Mineral Society/October, 1950" (some wear on the binding).
• Romé de l'Isle, J. L. (1773), Description méthodique d'une collection de minéraux, du cabinet de M.D.R.D.L.. Paris: Approbation & Privilege, 299 pp. Contemporary binding with minor loss on spine, some wear on corners, red edges, fresh pages except for a few sporadic foxing marks. - Jean-Baptiste Louis Romé de l'Isle (1736-1790) was one of the two great French crystallographers, considered with René Just Haüy (1743-1822) the co-founders of modern crystallography. Romé de l'Isle described his 750-specimen collection of metallic minerals in his 1773 catalogue. His collection was well-known in Paris, and 68 of his specimens were chosen for illustration by Fabien Gautier d'Agoty in his famous 1781 color-plate book. His catalogue, as one would expect, is considerably more scholarly than average for the time. This fact, and also the publication of his one-volume essay on crystallography in 1772, made him a popular savant in Parisian scientific circles, and he was called upon to prepare quite a number of catalogs for other mineral collectors during the following years. Following his death in 1790, Romé de l'Isle's collection was purchased by Francois Gillet de Laumont (1747-1834), one of the greatest mineral collectors of his day. Gillet de Laumont's collection, including Romé de l'Isle's original specimens, was purchased in 1835 by the French government and is now preserved in the Museum of Natural History in Paris [Wilson 25].
• WULFEN, X. (1785, 1990 ed.), Treatise on Carinthian lead spars. Short Hills, HP Obodda. Leather over marbled boards, no. 12/20, with W.W. Pinch blind stamp. A very rare facsimile reprint of the original German edition of 1785 photocopied on simulated hand-made paper (plate lines following the print process). Predates by seven years the Mineralogical Record reprint of the same title. The original work is one of the eighteenth century's finest examples of a book containing hand-colored mineral illustrations. Herb Obodda, who prepared this facsimile, is considered a "collector extraordinaire" in White (2008). Provenance: William W. Pinch (1940-2017), well-known mineral collector.
• YANAI, K. (1979), Catalog of Yamato Meteorites in the collection of National Institute of Polar Research, compiled by Keizo Yanai. Tokyo: National Institute of Polar Research 1st ed, pp xx + 188 followed by 10 pp b&w plates; original red gilt cloth with some wear. Some stains on head.
• YANAI, K. (1981), Photographic Catalog of the Selected Antarctic Meteorites in the collection of National Institute of Polar Research, compiled by Keizo Yanai. Tokyo: National Institute of Polar Research, pp viii + 104 with 178 color photographs; original red gilt cloth, some wear. Small stain in top left of title page, also apparent on some other pages, see photos for condition. Includes tipped-in business card (in both English and Japanese) of Keizo Yanai, curator of Antarctic meteorites (rare).
• YANAI, K., KOJIMA, H. (1987), Photographic Catalog of The Antarctic Meteorites, with special reference to those represented in the collections of the National Institute of Polar Research, compiled by Keizo Yanai & Hideyasu Kojima. Tokyo: National Institute of Polar Research, pp 298 with 507 color photographs; tipped-in slip with the author's compliments (in both English and Japanese) dated June 3, 1994 (RARE).

MAFFEI (1749), Museum Veronense... from the Wulf von Blome library

Francesco Scipione Maffei (1675-1755) was an Italian humanist and polymath but above all an avid collector of ancient manuscripts and epigraphic monuments (especially Greek, Etruscan and Roman). He is best remembered for the founding of the Maffeiano Inscription Museum in 1745, one of the oldest public museums. A pioneer in historical linguistics, praising the Italian vernacular language and the 14th century as its golden age, he was interested in the early translations from Greek and Latin and how one could best preserve the meaning of antique texts, such as the ones by Plato, Homer, Caesar, Virgil, Strabo, or Ptolemy. One of his goals was to cleanse the translations of the principal authors and reveal manuscripts yet to be translated to Italian. Maffei saw inscriptions on the ancient marbles as some of the most precious witnesses of the deep past. This scholarly work is summarised in his 1720 publication, which is part a bibliography of existing translations of antique texts and part a study of famous marble inscriptions (Maffei, 1720). It also includes a note on his nuovo museo d'iscrizioni, which praises antique marbles as "speaking" antiquities and laments of their poor fate compared to the "mute" coins and medals favoured in private collections. Maffei however found both complementary and also promoted the idea to form and publish a complete collection of ordered and distinguished medals. His plan to create a museum of epigraphic monuments was based on the observation that surviving monuments of Antiquity were threatened with destruction due to the ravages of time and neglect, as well as with foreign collector interference. He therefore collected as many of those scattered around Verona to ensure their preservation for the future. Maffei was an advocate of public collections to ensure that no one would ever have the power to move or destroy them. He obtained permission to exhibit his vast collection of epigraphs in the space in front of the Philharmonic Academy of Verona and bequeathed it, alongside his collection of manuscripts, to the city.

Scipione Maffei's Illustrated Collection Catalogue

Museum Veronense..., by Scipione Maffei
Verona: 1749

Description: MAFFEI, Scipione (1749), Museum Veronense hoc est antiquarum inscriptionum atque anaglyphorum collectio, cui Taurinensis adiungitur et Vindobonensis. Accedunt monumenta id genus plurima nondum vulgata et ubicumque collecta. Verona. Large-format, heavy leather binding with gilt-embossed spine title and six raised bands. Rubbed binding and small defect on lower spine end. Inside cover with bookplate "ex Bibliotheca Blomiana".

Provenance: Wulf von Blome (c. 1750-1784), part of the extensive library of Wulf von Blome (1728-1784) located in Salzau, whose origins trace back to the books he acquired during his Grand Tour in Paris, Marseille, Rome, and Sicily around 1750.

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GOLTZIUS, H. (1563), C. Iulius Caesar sive historiae imperatorum caesarumque romanorum ex antiquis numismatibus restitutae...

Hubert Goltz, or Hubert Goltzius (1526-1583), was a painter, engraver, publisher, printer, and numismatist from the Habsburg Netherlands. He was also active as an art and antiquities dealer. Often regarded as the father of ancient numismatics, he produced a series of pioneering numismatic works using an innovative printing process that combined copper plates and stencils, applying two shades of golden-brown ink to create a chiaroscuro effect that evoked the patina of ancient bronze coins. He is also remembered for documenting nearly a thousand collectors of antiquities throughout Europe (Pomian, 1987:49). The prominent humanist and painter Lambert Lombard (1505-1566), an avid coin collector, introduced Goltzius to numismatics, coin collecting, and the art of printmaking during his stay in Liège from 1544 to 1546. Goltzius occasionally collaborated with Abraham Ortelius, the renowned geographer and dealer in antiquities. It was Ortelius who introduced him to Marcus Laurinus (Lauweryn) (1530-1581), lord of Watervliet, who provided the financial support necessary for Goltzius's ambitious project to publish a series of books devoted to the reverse sides of Roman coins. Laurinus first commissioned Goltzius to draw his own numismatic collection, and subsequently sent him on a scholarly journey through Europe's most important antiquities collections, allowing him to enrich the catalogue with additional specimens. Goltzius undertook two such journeys: one lasting two months in 1556, and another lasting two years from 1558 to 1560, during which he visited 978 coin collections in 120 cities. In the Southern Netherlands alone, he recorded no fewer than 119 collections. These travels culminated in his 1563 Historiae imperatorum romanorum, in which these 978 collections are systematically documented. In 1566, Goltzius published his most influential work, Fasti magistratuum et triumphorum Romanorum, in which he presented a chronological overview of Roman history from its foundation to the death of Emperor Augustus, drawing upon evidence from ancient coins and marble inscriptions. He dedicated this work to the Roman Senate and, in recognition of his scholarship, was granted the honorary title of Civis Romanus (Roman citizen). Goltzius died in Bruges in 1583, leaving behind a large number of unpublished manuscripts. The engraver and numismatist Jacob de Bie worked between 1617 and 1620 to compile and prepare the first collections of these writings. In 1644-1645, the Plantin Press of Antwerp published Goltzius's Opera Omnia in five volumes, featuring a frontispiece engraved by Cornelis Galle the Elder after a design by Peter Paul Rubens, himself a passionate collector of ancient medals. The Verdussen printing press in Antwerp reissued the Plantin edition in 1708, adding extensive scholarly commentary.

A Renaissance Listing of a Thousand Coin and Medal Collectors

Roman Imperial History from Ancient Coins, by H. Goltzius
Lyon: 1563

Description: GOLTZIUS, Hubertus (1563), C. Iulius Caesar sive historiae imperatorum caesarumque romanorum ex antiquis numismatibus restitutae. Liber primus. Accessit C. Iulii Caesaris vita et res gestae. Lyon. pp. (34) + (6) + 232 + 48, with 57 etched plates. Folio (23 × 32.5 cm), contemporary full parchment binding with raised bands on the spine. Uniform browning throughout most pages. Chiaroscuro woodcuts in brown tones combined with line etching - The impressive list of nearly one thousand collectors demonstrates that the collecting of ancient coins had become highly fashionable by the mid-16th century. Princes and nobles, including even those without scholarly training, were quick to exploit the prestige associated with owning collections of medals. At the same time, the cost and relative availability of coins made this practice accessible to professional and mercantile classes. Among the names recorded are Cosimo de' Medici, Lorenzo Strozzi, Ercole II d'Este, Duke of Ferrara, Alessandro Farnese, Ranuccio Farnese, the heirs of Giulio Romano, Giorgio Vasari, Baccio Bandinelli, Jacob Kugger, and Jean Grolier, among many others. This work is also particularly significant in the history of book collecting as it contains what is generally considered the first printed list of subscribers in a scholarly work (16 pp.).

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• Garrett Family: Very rare antique Greek silver coin from the celebrated Garrett collection. Greek silver coin of head of Apollo, Greek city of Gargara in Troas, struck 4th century BC showing bare head of Apollo right, and bull standing left on reverse side, all within incuse. 14-mm diameter, 3.09 grams. Described as "Very rare. About Very Fine" in the auction catalogue by Bank Leu (1984), illustrated. Provenance: Garrett Collection, donated to Johns Hopkins University. Coin sealed in Numismatic Guaranty Company (NGC) certified box, indicating the Garrett/Bank Leu provenance.
• Meserve, Frederick Hill: A photograph of American poet and educator Henry Wadsworth Longfellow (1807-1882, portrait, CDV) from the acclaimed historical photograph collection of F.H. Meserve. On a typical Meserve cardboard with his stamp on the back reading "COLLECTION of AMERICANA Frederick H. Meserve 265 Edgecombe Avenue New York City". Dimensions: 6.2 x 10.2 cm
• Meserve, Frederick Hill: Five photographic reproductions of Abraham Lincoln, corresponding to Meserve nos. 8, 12, 19, 22 and 25 according to the pencil notes on the back. Each print bears the "Lincolniana Publishers, Box 1110, Fort Wayne, Indiana" stamp on the verso. The images correspond to portraits included in Frederick Hill Meserve's celebrated Lincoln photographic classification; the prints themselves are reproductions distributed by Lincolniana Publishers. Very scarce. Dimensions per photographic print: 7.5 x 11 cm. Note the marks of glue on the back of each photo - The prints originate from the Lincolniana Publishers operation in Fort Wayne, Indiana, associated with the Lincoln National Life Foundation and its extensive activities in collecting, publishing, and disseminating Lincolniana (active particularly during the 1930s and 1940s). Lincolniana Publishers offered Lincoln photographs and photographic reproductions to collectors and scholars, using Meserve's numbering system to identify many of the portraits.
• Meserve, Frederick Hill: THE CIVIL WAR ROUND TABLE OF NEW YORK (1953), Honors Frederick Hill Meserve On the Occasion of his Eighty-eight Birthday. Meeting program, sheet folded in four. Inscribed: "Dear Sam, This xxx interest given in connection with the Lincoln pictures I gave you FHM 10/?/53".
• Stamps: Philatelic cover, US airmail stamp set on envelope, Graf Zeppelin, ex. Alfred F. Lichtenstein. 1929 AIR MAIL - VIA "GRAF ZEPPELIN" SPECIAL DELIVERY (here empty) envelope sent by Alfred F. Lichtenstein, Ciba Company, Inc., P.O. Box 100, Trinity Sta., New York, N.Y. to Dr. Jacques Brodbeck-Sandreuter, c/o Society of Chemical Industry in Basle, Basel, Switzerland. With a set of US air mail stamps arranged by famous stamp collector A. F. Lichtenstein, including some nice pairs of US Scott C4, C5 and C6 Special Delivery and other stamps - This is called a philatelic cover, mail franked with attractive stamps nicely arranged to create a collectible - Alfred F. Lichtenstein (1876-1947) was one of the most famous American philatelists, remembered especially for owning a superb Mauritius stamp suite, including the famous cover with two of the One Penny "Post Office" Mauritius stamps. Stamp provenance assessment can be a difficult task, here simplified by having a cover with Lichtenstein's name and a set of stamps he carefully selected in the aeronautical / airmail theme for this airmail service of historical importance (i.e., 1929 Graf Zeppelin flight). The Graf Zeppelin offered the first commercial transatlantic passenger flight service, and in 1929 (year of this posted envelope), a round-the-world flight.

Two Type slides & two Exhibition slides

Eduard Thum (1847-1926) is widely regarded as one of the greatest diatom mounters of all time. He established his business around 1875, published his first catalogue in 1879, and continued mounting slides almost until his death. As proprietor of the Institut für Mikroskopie in Leipzig, Thum devoted his career to perfecting the art of slide preparation, having abandoned his trade as an instrument maker at the age of 28 to focus entirely on slide-making. Although best known for his meticulously prepared diatom Type slides, Thum also created extraordinary Exhibition mounts featuring diatoms, foraminifera, sponge spicules, and butterfly scales arranged in intricate decorative patterns. Many collectors consider his finest works to rival, or even surpass, those of the celebrated mounter J.D. Möller (Bracegirdle, 1998). His arranged diatom slides have been described as being "of superlative quality and beauty" (Davidson, 2001) and "of exceptional merit and perfection" (Edmund Spitta, Photo-Micrography, 1889). Thum's American distributor, Mary Ann Booth, famously referred to these remarkable creations as his "Oh My!" works (Stevenson, 2018). Thum himself acknowledged that these slides were created primarily for artistic admiration rather than scientific use. Many bear his own elegant and highly detailed labels, while others were produced with custom labels for distributors and resellers, including the British microscope dealer Charles Baker (c. 1814-1893). A translation of a representative German Thum label reads: "E. Thum, Leipzig. Institute for Microscopy. Speciality: diatom and test preparations, test and type slides. Salon preparations and arranged butterfly scales. Illustrated catalogues."

A suite of six arranged slides prepared by Eduard Thum, comprising three Type slides and three Exhibition slides. The generic Baker labels appear to be completed in Thum's own handwriting, suggesting that Baker supplied blank labels to his manufacturers, which were then attached and inscribed at the place of production (Stevenson, 2018).

Exquisite Type Slides Mounted by Eduard Thum

Diatom "Typen-Platten", by Eduard Thum
Leipzig, Germany, 1875-1900s

Description: Type slides with diatoms arranged in perfect alignment:
(i) Type slide bearing two Thum labels titled "Diatomaceen-Typen-Platte xxx in Styrax. 100 Formen. Kat. IV, No. 3375" and "E. Thum, Leipzig. Institut für Mikroskopie. Specialität: Diatomaceen- u. Testpräp. Test- u. Typenplatten. Salonpräparate und arrangierte Schmetterlingsschuppen. Illustrierte Kataloge". We counted a total of 100 diatom specimens - We have yet to locate a copy of Catalogue IV in which this slide would be listed.
(ii) Type slide bearing two Baker labels titled "C. BAKER. Type-Slate of Freshwater diatoms from England. 244.H.HOLBORN" and "LONDON W.C.. 157 species. E. THUM preparer, Leipzig". We counted a total of 112 diatom specimens (TBC).

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Exquisite Exhibition Slides Mounted by Eduard Thum

Exhibition Slides, by Eduard Thum
Leipzig, Germany, 1875-1900s

Description: Exhibition slides arranged in geometric designs:
(i) Exhibition slide composed of diatoms, bearing two Thum labels titled "Salonpräparat. Salon-Slide. Pleurosigma-Rosette. 145 Formen, Kat. VII, No. 4751" and "E. Thum, Leipzig. Institut für Mikroskopie. Specialität: Diatomaceen- u. Testpräp. Test- u. Typenplatten. Salonpräparate und arrangierte Schmetterlingsschuppen. Illustrierte Kataloge" ("5." inked below "Kataloge") - We have yet to locate a copy of Catalogue VII in which this slide would be listed.
(ii) Exhibition slide composed of sponge spicules, bearing two unsigned labels, likely from Clarke & Page, titled "MARINE ZOOLOGY. Echinoderma. Salon rosette of spicules &c" and "anchors of plates from Synapta (125 forms.)", together with a miniature label reading "E. THUM. Preparer, Leipzig".

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• Phone cards: $1 complimentary phone card, NYNEX, 1992 DNC, including the two original booklets and card holder - The symbol of the U.S. phone card collecting mania, and later crash, is the $1 complimentary card by NYNEX, offered to attendees of the 1992 Democratic National Convention. Although 20,000 cards were issued, most were thought to have been discarded by attendees. By 1994, the highest price paid for this card was $1,700, as depicted on the cover of the first issue of TeleCard World. But with knowledge of its then market value, new cards were found (some attendees had actually kept theirs) and more emerged on the collector market, leading to much lower prices in later years!
• Ruysch, Frederick: RUYSCH, Frederick (1691), Observationum Anatomico-Chirurgicarum Centuria Accedit Catalogus Rariorum, quae in Museo Ruyschiano asservantur, two parts in one. Amsterdam: H. en Weduwe T. Boom, 4to. (233 x 183 mm), [16], 138, [2] pp.; [4], 3-120 pp., first title-page printed in red and black, collection catalogue titled Museum Anatomicum Ruyschianum, Sive Catalogus Rariorum Quae in Authoris Aedibus Asservantur, woodcut device on both titles, 46 engr. plates (including two folding) and some woodcuts in text. Bound together in style in brown calf backstrip over marbled boards, spine stamped in gilt with black gilt morocco lettering labels, spine restored at tailcap, joints repaired, later endleaves, title-page of Observationum repaired at upper margin (no apparent loss of text - likely a precious inscription from Ruysch or of its recipient considered of value and removed for a collection of autographs). Interesting dealer's AD glued in describing another Ruysch volume presented to Isaac Newton - Observationum is a text of practical observations in medicine and surgery, in which Ruysch presents the results of one hundred studies and illustrates many of them with excellent engravings, many of which are undoubtedly enhanced by his injection techniques. The second title is a catalogue of specimens in Ruysch's anatomical collection, one of the most important of its kind in 17th-century Holland, and is the first descriptive account of his famous anatomical museum.
• Stradivarius: LEBET, Claude (1991), Les deux Stradivarius de Domenico Dragonetti. La Chaux-de-Fonds, 34 pp., 6 colour photographs of the two violins, plus 2 portraits, small format, full leather binding, in a slipcase. No. 12 of a deluxe edition of only 20 copies.

• DANIELL, William (1800s), Handcolored aquatint of molluscs, "Cowry". Plate area with margins, dimensions of sheet: 25 by 18 cm, some minor wrinkles in margins - William Daniell (1769-1837) was an English landscape and marine painter, and engraver. This image is featured in 'Interesting Selections from Animated Nature' (1809).
• Gatty, Mrs. Alfred: ASSOCIATION COPY - GATTY, Mrs. Alfred (1871), Waifs and Strays of Natural History. London: Bell and Daldy, 165 pp., frontispiece of a coral, 3 in-text figures. Original, faded red cloth, worn at the spine ends, cloth splitting at the front joint, some minor foxing on first and last pages, coloured frontispiece, one penned correction p. 153. Association copy, inscribed on title page: "To my dear Madge, hoping her children may be interested in it some day. From her affectionate Mother, Margaret Gatty. Nov. 1870", Mabel Florence Harriet Smith bookplate, and glued folded 1912 letter by Francis Patrick Smith, Mabel's father-in-law, saying that she could have the book, and that Horatia (to whom the book is dedicated) would send it along as soon as she could find it. Provenance: Margaret Gatty; Margaret (Madge) Smith (Gatty's daughter) married to Francis Patrick Smith (book later with Horatia according to letter); Lady Mabel Smith, married to one of Margaret Gatty's grandsons - An eclectic collection of short stories about natural wonders found in Great Britain and abroad, this book serves as both a guide to recognizing various animal and plant species and a set of anecdotes on natural history activities. It offers a window into Mrs. Gatty's personal observations of the natural world and her interactions with collectors and scientists. We learn of her network of travellers in far corners of the British Empire (e.g., p. 9) and her interactions with Dr. Harvey. For instance, she recalls: "We remember to have often made Dr. Harvey smile, by asking him to help a lame dog over a stile, when we wanted him to make a scientific statement intelligible to our unlearned ears" (p. 88). Some stories are instructive in their detailed advice on how to collect and observe marine specimens, reflecting Gatty's own expertise and her commitment to making natural history accessible to the broader public.
• Gatty, Mrs. Alfred: Photograph of Margaret Gatty, a CdV by Samuel A. Walker & Co., Cavendish Square. Dimensions: 6.3 x 10.3 cm.
• Gatty, Mrs. Alfred: Margaret Gatty's landscape studies, three rare etchings by famous seaweed collector: (1) British landscape of the mid-19th century (year 1844), Victorian era, sketched and etched by famous writer and collector Margaret Gatty, signed 'MG 1844'. Etching glued on white card. Dimensions of etching: 10.7 x 6 cm, with margins: 12.1 x 7.5 cm. (2) British landscape of the mid-19th century (year 1844), Victorian era, sketched and etched by famous writer and collector Margaret Gatty, signed 'MGY 1844'. Etching glued on white card. Dimensions of etching: 8.1 x 6 cm, with margins: 9.6 x 7.5 cm. (3) British landscape of the mid-19th century (year 1840), Victorian era, sketched and etched by famous writer and collector Margaret Gatty, signed 'MG 1840'. Etching glued on white card. Dimensions of etching: 6.7 x 6.1 cm, with margins: 8.8 x 7.6 cm.
• Shells: A collection of more than forty chitons, most with handwritten label, some still glued on their original stand. From the Hermann von Maltzen collection. The set then sojourned at Linnaea Berlin (pre-1920) before joining the collection of Otto Hetzler (1875-1962) of Stuttgart - von Maltzen (1843-1891) was a German conchologist who founded in 1866 the Maltzan'sches Naturhistorisches Museums für Mecklenburg ("Maltzaneum"). Hetzler built collections of coins, minerals and shells with his shells purchased from Linnaea Berlin at the turn of the 20th century.
• Shells: A beautifully preserved display case showcasing snail shell variability from Aeternitas Laboratorium F. Naturw. U. Meu. Mumien, Berlin-Schöneberg. The set includes 18 snail shells, plus one featuring what appears to be part of a wax snail model. Housed in its original display box with a glass top.
• Varia, 2 manuscript catalogues: [1] Table of the Vertical Distribution of the Brachiopoda in the Silurian Basin of Bohemia. A translation of the table in Joachim Barrande's Systeme Silurien de Centre de la Boheme, vol. 5, pages 89-102, 1879. Manuscript date, 1892. Quarto, 24 pages of tables. Original written manuscript in string ties, covers lightly soiled, later owner's name on cover ('B. F. Howell'). [2] Catalogue of the Upper Silurian Fossils in the Museum of Practical Geology, London. From the museum catalogue of E.T. Newton's Cambrian and Silurian Fossils in the Museum of Practical Geology, London, 1878. Circa 1890. Quarto, approximately 60 pages of tables. Original written manuscript with punch hole clips, covers lightly soiled. Provenance: G. Van Ingen / B. F. Howell - Gilbert Van Ingen (1869-1925) was an American invertebrate Palaeontologist and curator for the invertebrate palaeontology collections at Yale and Princeton. Much of his research was on the Palaeozoic fossils of eastern North America. Van Ingen would often translate into English works he received from European geologists and Palaeontologists and also transcribe those portions of museum catalogues which were critical to research. These works were never published and remained a part of his personal collections. When he died in 1925, Van Ingen's library became a part of the private library of his friend Benjamin F. Howell, a Professor of Palaeontology at Princeton.
• White, Henry Luke: No Name (1915), A List of British Birds compiled by a committee of the British Ornithologists' Union. British Ornithologists' Union, second revised ed., 430 pp. with gilt 'H.L. WHITE. BELLTREES' to upper board and bookplate "A Book of Henry L. White. Belltrees, Scone, N.S.W. Australian Ornithology Philately and Bibliography". Wonderful bookplate designed by Lionel Lindsay of a Lyrebird inspecting a pile of books on ornithology and philately.

• Ackerman, Forry: GUERNSEY'S (1987), Science-fiction, Fantasy, Horror, The World of Forrest J Ackerman at Auction. Sales catalogue, Guernsey's, December 12-13, New York, 162 pp. - Introductory notes by Steven Spielberg, Ray Bradbury and others. Categories are film posters and lobby cards, books, manuscripts, magazines, costumes, artifacts and a section on L. Ron Hubbard. Inscribed by Forry Ackerman: "Warmest Wishes, Forry AckerLust".
• Ackerman, Forry: A quite unique 1991 VHS in its original slipcase, titled "Forrest J. Ackerman's Science Fiction & Fantasy. A Thrilling Adventure to Futures Past!". Signed by scifi collector extraordinaire Forry Ackerman (who coined the term sci-fi). Unfortunately, there is a cut crossing the signature on the cover. Still a fascinating VHS, for both VHS collectors and science-fiction historians/enthusiasts. The video provides a history of science fiction narrated by its most famous fan, and illustrated by a few items from his own collection.
• Borst, Ron: BORST, Ronald V., BURNS, Keith, ADAMS, Leith, editors, BORST, Ronald V., BORST, Margaret A., compilers, KING, Stephen, introduction, ACKERMAN, Forrest J., BARKER, Clive, BLOCH, Robert, BRADBURY, Ray, ELLISON, Harlan, STRAUB, Peter, contributors (1992). Graven Images: The Best of Horror, Fantasy, and Science-Fiction Film Art from the Collection of Ronald V. Borst. New York: Grove Press, 240 pp. Folio, with dust jacket (some damage to dust jacket on top left, see photo for condition). The 'Bob' copy. SIGNED by 6 contributors to 'Bob': Ray Bradbury, Ronald V Borst, Robert Bloch, Forrest Ackerman, Keith Burns and Leith Adams!
• COPPERFIELD, D., WISEMAN, R., BRITLAND, D. (2021), David Copperfield's History of Magic. Simon & Schuster, 256 pp. Signed on glued sticker with Certificate of Authenticity from Premiere Collectibles - An illustrated, illuminating insight into the world of illusion from the world's greatest and most successful magician, capturing its audacious and inventive practitioners, and showcasing the art form's most famous artifacts housed at David Copperfield's secret museum. We discover Copperfield's passion for the history of magic through rare apparatus and ephemera from his world-class collection.
• Kellerman, John: Original proof plate of the cover of John Kellerman's celebrated collection catalogue "STAR WARS VINTAGE ACTION FIGURES, A Guide for Collectors" (2003). Quite unique, we are only aware of two existing copies (one to be kept in the TC, the other one proposed here). John Kellerman sent this proof plate (alongside the other one in the TC) as a gift to a famous Star Wars collector from the 1990s-2000s who had contributed to the book. Dimensions: 49 x 31 cm. Will be shipped rolled. Would make a perfect display in any Star Wars collection cabinet. Provenance: John Kellerman / Thank-you gift to a famous Star Wars collector who owned at one point several rocket firing Boba Fett figurines!
• MANN, Sylvia (1966), Collecting Playing Cards. New York: Crown Publishers, 215 pp. With dust jacket as issued (some wear to the jacket).
• White Mountain Pedigree (comic books): The Atom #5 (2-3/63), D.C. Comics, Gil Kane & Murphy Anderson art. With penned year '63' by Kennett Neily of White Mountain pedigree fame. Grading: CGC Universal Grade VF 8.0
• White Mountain Pedigree (video games): SEALED Basic Fun Donkey Kong Video Arcade Keychain from the famous White Mountain collection, with the collector's penned note, difficult to decipher but possibly 'Thu 8/6/2000'. Some wear due to age.

• Sotheby's: HERMANN, Frank (1981), Sotheby's: Portrait of an Auction House. Norton & company, xxvi, 468 pp., 8vo, illustrated, brown cloth, gilt title on spine, price-clipped dustjacket with some edgewear. Prior ownership stamp and inscription on front flyleaf; Robert S Pirie's copy, with the Robert S Pirie Reference Library book label - Portraits of leading auctioneers, dealers, and collectors are featured in a history of the world's finest art auction house and its growth since its inception as a London bookshop in 1733. Robert S Pirie (1934-2015) had an extensive collection of rare books and manuscripts, which, fittingly, was auctioned by Sotheby's on December 2-4, 2015.
• Valentini, Michael Bernardus. Line engraving. Dimensions: 22 x 17 cm, minor tear in the margin - Michael Bernhard Valentini (1657-1729) was a German physician, naturalist and a collector from the Holy Roman Empire. He is famous for his 1714 Museum Museorum, which includes one of the first compilations of catalogues from various collections.