Scarce inscribed Hemingway first edition romps to $277K at Freeman’s

Inscribed first edition of Ernest Hemingway’s ‘in our time,’ which he gave to his future editor Maxwell Perkins, $277,200

PHILADELPHIA — In Freeman’s first Books and Manuscripts auction of 2023, which took place on February 2, a rare, highly sought-after 1924 first edition of Ernest Hemingway’s in our time achieved $277,200.

“We’re honored to have been entrusted with such an important piece of literary history,” said Head of Freeman’s Books and Manuscripts department Darren Winston. “That our clients responded so robustly speaks to both the book’s significance as well as our ability to bring it to market and tell its story.”

The copy was inscribed and presented to Hemingway’s soon-to-be editor Maxwell Perkins, marking the beginning of one of the 20th century’s most important and legendary literary relationships. In Freeman’s February 2 sale, strong market demand for this remarkable book drove the sale price more than three times above its estimate.

Association copy of Martin Luther King Jr.’s memoir ‘Stride Toward Freedom,’ $12,600

Many additional items in the Books and Manuscripts auction likewise exceeded their estimates, particularly early Americana and Civil Rights Movement material. A Reconstruction-era map of Galveston, Texas — the only known copy to have ever been offered at auction — more than doubled its high estimate to achieve $30,240; and an important inscribed association copy of Stride Toward Freedom, Martin Luther King, Jr.’s memoir of the Montgomery Bus Boycott, sold for $12,600.

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