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‘Moonraker,’ Ian Fleming first edition. Estimate: $500-$700. Image courtesy of Gray's Auctioneers & Appraisers.

Books, maps will lead bidders to Gray’s Auctioneers, Dec. 14

Tom Hoepf
Tom Hoepf

‘Moonraker,’ Ian Fleming first edition. Estimate: $500-$700. Image courtesy of Gray's Auctioneers & Appraisers.
‘Moonraker,’ Ian Fleming first edition. Estimate: $500-$700. Image courtesy of Gray’s Auctioneers & Appraisers.
CLEVELAND – One hundred-twenty lots of books, manuscripts and a map round out Gray’s third specialized rare books auction of 2010 on Tuesday, Dec. 14. The sale is curated by Melanie Halloran, Gray’s director of books. Internet live bidding will again be offered by LiveAuctioneers, allowing bidders all over the world to bid on such notable lots as Lot 54, a marvelous first edition of Ian Fleming’s Moonraker, the third James Bond novel he wrote, published by Jonathan Cape in London, in 1955. The dust jacket, designed by Kenneth Lewis, remains in good condition.

An equally fun lot for the young at heart is Lot 79, an early edition of the first Nancy Drew mystery, The Secret of the Old Clock by Carolyn Keane, circa 1931. Not for the faint of heart is Lot 44, 36 volumes of Charles Dickens collected works, including two volumes of The Life of Charles Dickens by John Forrester. Dickens himself edited the texts in 1867-68. Collected works also include a limited edition of Joseph Conrad’s at lot 33, numbered 282 of 735 sets of the Sun-Dial Edition signed by Conrad in the first volume.

The auction includes many art books including two “near miniature” artist books from the four-volume set, each associated with the four seasons by Carol Schwartzott. Gray’s has The Garden and Shades of Autumn at lot numbers 94 and 95 respectively. Lot 26 is the American first edition of the fourth volume of Marc Chagall’s catalogue raisonne.

Lot 31, The History of the Rebellion and Civil Wars in England, Begun in the Year 1641 by Edward Hyde, the first Earl of Clarendon is a rare first edition in three volumes published in 1703 and 1704, and is being offered together with his autobiography published in 1759. Another notable autobiography is lot 41, The Story of My Life by Clarence Darrow, in a limited edition signed by Darrow. Lot 45 is the collected works of Benjamin Disraeli, Queen Victoria’s most renowned prime minister. This limited-edition Prime Minister’s set has impeccable provenance having been owned by the publisher, M. Walter Dunne, president of the Cambridge Society and publisher of this set. There is a letter signed by Dunne laid in.

For the map enthusiast there is lot 84, an 1818 James Bishop Madison inset map of Ohio from Bishop Madison’s Map of Virginia. The map is engraved by Frederick Bossler after William Prentis and William Davis. This is a second edition of the Ohio portion of Madison’s famous map first published in 1807, only four years after Ohio had become a state. This edition was extensively revised by Davis to include additional towns, counties and routes.

This is just a small selection from the Rare Books and Manuscripts auction taking place at Gray’s Auctioneers & Appraisers beginning at 1 p.m. Eastern In addition to live online bidding provided by LiveAuctioneers.com, there will be telephone bidding and absentee bidding offered directly through Gray’s Auctioneers & Appraisers. The showrooms will be open for preview Monday through Friday, 10 a.m.-5 p.m. and Saturday by appointment.

Gray’s Auctioneers & Appraisers is the only licensed, bonded and insured auction house in Cleveland holding monthly live auctions. Deborah J. Gray, auctioneer, opened her eponymous auction house in 2007 with her partner Serena Harragin, and together they have transformed the abandoned building that used to house a Citroen dealership into a driving force in the vibrant Cleveland Fine Art and Antiques auction market.

The complete illustrated catalog for this auction can be found on Gray’s website at www.graysauctioneers.com or to request a mailed catalog please call 215-458-7695.

View the fully illustrated catalog and register to bid absentee or live via the Internet as the sale is taking place by logging on to www.LiveAuctioneers.com.

ADDITIONAL LOTS OF NOTE

‘The Secret of the Old Clock,’ Carolyn Keene, first edition. Estimate: $500-$700. Image courtesy of Gray's Auctioneers & Appraisers.
‘The Secret of the Old Clock,’ Carolyn Keene, first edition. Estimate: $500-$700. Image courtesy of Gray’s Auctioneers & Appraisers.
‘Collected Works of Charles Dickens’ and John Forster’s, ‘The Life of Charles Dickens.’ Estimate: $400-$600. Image courtesy of Gray's Auctioneers & Appraisers.
‘Collected Works of Charles Dickens’ and John Forster’s, ‘The Life of Charles Dickens.’ Estimate: $400-$600. Image courtesy of Gray’s Auctioneers & Appraisers.
‘Collected Works of Benjamin Disraeli,’ Prime Minister’s Edition, provenance M. Walter Dunne, president of the Cambridge Society and publisher of this set. Estimate: $2,000-$3,000. Image courtesy of Gray's Auctioneers & Appraisers.
‘Collected Works of Benjamin Disraeli,’ Prime Minister’s Edition, provenance M. Walter Dunne, president of the Cambridge Society and publisher of this set. Estimate: $2,000-$3,000. Image courtesy of Gray’s Auctioneers & Appraisers.