1. Fourteen Pages on Thomas Carlyle by John Ruskin - £11,527
An autograph (meaning handwritten) manuscript written in 1866 containing Ruskin’s notes after reading Carlyle’s classic work ‘History of Friedrich II of Prussia’ which were taken in preparation of the composition of his essay ‘Notes on the Economies of the Kings of Prussia.”’ Much of the text was included in the published version of the essay regarding the early years of Austrian and Prussian monarchies, from 900 to 1667. Ruskin’s notes on the early monarchs are very close to the finished text.
2. The Camels Are Coming by W.E. Johns - £10,920
First UK edition (first printing), of the first book in W.E. Johns’ Biggles series printed in 1932. The book contains 17 short stories, each preceded with illustration by Johns. This first edition can be tough to identify because it was undated at publication but does contain a couple tell-tale signs. Firstly, there is no catalogue of other W.E. Johns’ titles at the rear of the book and, secondly, early editions contain an error on page 224 where the code number of a spy is given incorrectly as “2792” when they are referred to in the rest of the book as “2742”.
3. Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston - £7,380
Published in 1937, this is a fine first edition copy of what many consider Hurston’s finest book.
4. The Natural History of British Insects by Edward Donovan - £5,843
This 16-volume set was published from 1792 to 1813 and contains explanations of various species and includes 576 engraved plates.
5. Troisième Voyage de Cook, ou voyage à l'Océan Pacifique, ordonné par le Roi d'Angleterre, pour faire des Découvertes dans l'Hémisphère Nord, pour déterminer la position & l'étendue de la Côte Ouest de l'Amérique Septentrionale, sa distance de l'Asie, & resoudre la question du passage au Nord - £5,255
The original French edition of Captain Cook’s Third (and final) voyage where he hoped to find a passage through North America connecting the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. The translation was completed by Demeunier and it was published in 1785 in Paris.
6. A Confederacy of Dunces by John Kennedy Toole - £4,613
An unread copy of the first edition, first printing, of this Pulitzer Prize-winning novel published in 1980 – only 7,500 copies of this printing were produced.
7. The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger - £4,012
First edition and first printing of Salinger’s key work from 1951, this copy also has the elusive original dust jacket.
8. David Copperfield by Charles Dickens - £3,966
The first publication of David Copperfield, serialized from May 1849 to November 1950.
9. Travels into Several Remote Nations of the World by Jonathan Swift - £3,874
Otherwise known as Gulliver’s Travels, this sale was of Volume Two only which was published in 1726 and contains parts III and IV (Voyage to Laputa and Voyage to Houyhnhnms). This volume was also lacking the plate of the automatic writing machine and the three maps.
10. Travels in the Interior Districts of Africa by Mungo Park - £3,720
Published in two volumes in 1816, Travels in the Interior Districts of Africa documents Park’s travels through west Africa to discover the course of the Niger River.