Previews for this sale are available from Monday, January 30th to Thursday, February 2nd. Please contact John Dorfman (contact details at the bottom of the page) to schedule a preview time.Our winter Fine Books & Rare Manuscripts auction presents a range of material to excite and delight. The sale is highlighted by an important collection of over 180 historical documents, including letters from all the U.S. Presidents from George Washington to Franklin D. Roosevelt, literary lights from Poe and Longfellow to Dickens and Goethe, and a variety of American and European political figures. Accumulated in Boston over a 75-year period, the collection was originally sold by Goodspeed's Book Shop in 1936. Twentieth-century literature plays a prominent role, with a significant collection of literature and ephemera on offer. Focused on modernist masters such as James Joyce, Samuel Beckett, and Wallace Stevens, it is also strong on graphic design and the art of the book. Among the masters of enduringly popular literature is Ian Fleming, and our sale features a group of first editions of his James Bond novels. Other attractions include a photographic album depicting the leaders of the leftist Paris Commune of 1871, the first English translation of the Hindu scripture Bhagavad Gita (1785), the first edition of Webster's Dictionary (1828), travel and exploration literature, private-press publications, and a collection of books on Asian art.

Poe, Edgar Allan (1809-1849), Autograph Letter Signed

Fleming, Ian (1908-1964) Casino Royale, first edition, London: Jonathan Cape, 1953.

[Paris Commnue] Photograph album

Brinkley, F. [Francis] (1841-1912) Japan: Described and Illustrated by the Japanese, Boston: J.B. Millet Company, 1897.

Goethe, Johann Wolfgang von (1749-1832) Faust: Eine Tragodie von Goethe, Hammersmith: Printed by T.J. Cobden-Sanderson & Emery Walker at the Doves Press, 1906-1910

[Bhagavad Gita] Wilkins, Charles (1749-1836), trans. The Bhagvat-Geeta, or Dialogues of Kreeshna and Arjoon. in Eighteen Lectures, With Notes., first edition, London: Printed for C. Nourse, 1785.

Beckett, Samuel (1906-1989) and Avigdor Arikha (1929-2010) The North, London: Enitharmon Press, 1972.

ALL BIDDERS MUST AGREE THAT THEY HAVE READ AND UNDERSTOOD BONHAMS' CONDITIONS OF SALE AND AGREE TO BE BOUND BY THEM, AND AGREE TO PAY THE BUYER'S PREMIUM AND ANY OTHER CHARGES MENTIONED IN THE NOTICE TO BIDDERS. THIS AFFECTS THE BIDDERS LEGAL RIGHTS.If you have any complaints or questions about the Conditions of Sale, please contact your nearest <a href=https://www.bonhams.com/help aria-label='customer services' >customer services</a> team.

For all Sales categories excluding Arms & Armour, Coins and Medals, Motor Cars, Motorcycles, Wine & Whisky27.5% on the first $25,000 of the hammer price; 26% of the hammer price of amounts in excess of $25,000 up to and including $1,000,000; 20% of the hammer price of amounts in excess of $1,000,000 up to and including $6,000,000; and 14.5% of the hammer price of any amounts in excess of $6,000,000.

Payment for purchases may be made in or by (a) cash, (b) cashier's check or money order, (c) personal check with approved credit drawn on a U.S. bank, (d) wire transfer or other immediate bank transfer, or (e) Visa, MasterCard, American Express or Discover credit, charge or debit card for returning clients only. Please note that the amount of cash notes and cash equivalents that can be accepted from a given purchaser may be limited.

John Dorfman

Stevens, Wallace (1879-1955) and Kurt Seligmann (1900-1962)

Buyers' Obligations

Buyers' Premium and Charges

Payment Notices

Ask about this lot

John Dorfman

Stevens, Wallace (1879-1955) and Kurt Seligmann (1900-1962)

Additional information

Auction information

Related Departments

Auction Viewings

Conditions of Sale