March 2, 2021Kelsie Jankowski19th & 20th Century Literature New Auction Record for Frederick Douglass Autograph Set in Winter 2021 Sale of Fine Books & Autographs Read more about New Auction Record for Frederick Douglass Autograph Set in Winter 2021 Sale of Fine Books & Autographs The house closed out February 2021 with an exceptional sale of Fine Books & Autographs, which saw a 90% sell-through rate and exceeded the total high estimate, bringing in $522,632.…
Read more about Jack Kerouac’s ‘On the Road,’ Off the Rails February 22, 2021 19th & 20th Century Literature Jack Kerouac’s ‘On the Road,’ Off the Rails John Larson on the cinematic history of Jack Kerouac’s ‘On the Road’ An immediate success upon its publication in 1957, Jack Kerouac’s second book, On the Road, has maintained a…
Read more about 2020: Year in Review December 23, 2020 19th & 20th Century Literature 2020: Year in Review In a year that was unlike any in our lifetimes, Swann’s specialists and staff proved to be as resilient and innovative as ever, bringing forward new and safe ways to…
Read more about Autographs by Washington, Hamilton & Hancock Bring Top Prices in November 2020 Sale of Fine Books & Manuscripts November 23, 2020 19th & 20th Century Literature Autographs by Washington, Hamilton & Hancock Bring Top Prices in November 2020 Sale of Fine Books & Manuscripts Jane Austen Leads Fine Books & Manuscripts at Swann Our Tuesday, November 17, 2020, sale of Fine Books & Manuscripts saw great success across categories with a 90% sell-through rate…
Read more about Monster Mash: Five Famous Monster Books to Collect October 30, 2020 19th & 20th Century Literature Monster Mash: Five Famous Monster Books to Collect October brings out the inner ghoul in all of us. Our Literature Specialist, John Larson, compiled a fantasy starter collection for those interested in fantasmagoria. The Vampyre; A Tale by…
Read more about Jane Austen Rules Winter 2020 Fine Books & Manuscripts February 24, 2020 19th & 20th Century Literature Jane Austen Rules Winter 2020 Fine Books & Manuscripts Swann Galleries saw a successful sale of Fine Books & Manuscripts on Thursday, February 20 with literature and autographs bringing strong numbers.
Read more about A Novel, By a Lady: Jane Austen First Editions February 19, 2020 19th & 20th Century Literature A Novel, By a Lady: Jane Austen First Editions For the first time in nearly a decade, first editions all six of Jane Austen’s major novels will be offered in our winter 2020 sale of Fine Books & Manuscripts on February 20. The novels are set to come across the block in exceedingly rare period bindings, just as Austen herself would have seen them published, with half-title pages. Here we touch on the offering and what makes a first edition Austen novel special.
Read more about 19th & 20th Century Literature: Hemingway, Morrison & Tolkien—Fall 2019 August 27, 2019 19th & 20th Century Literature 19th & 20th Century Literature: Hemingway, Morrison & Tolkien—Fall 2019 Remarkable firsts in unrestored dust jackets by Barnaby Ross, Owen Wister, Ben Hecht and Charles MacArthur, plus well-loved titles by Margaret Atwood, Toni Morrison and Kurt Vonnegut Vonnegut comprise this fall 2019 selection of literature.
Read more about Records & Results: 19th & 20th Century Literature May 21, 2019 19th & 20th Century Literature Records & Results: 19th & 20th Century Literature Rare Bond Titles Lead Literature at Swann John Larson: “The enduring appeal of inscribed first editions, particularly those with significant associations, was on full display and resulted in a number of high prices, including…
Read more about Ian Fleming First Editions: Books, Rare Books April 26, 2019 19th & 20th Century Literature Ian Fleming First Editions: Books, Rare Books On May 14, 2019, we are brought a selection of 13 Ian Fleming first editions to auction. Fleming, a former intelligence officer and journalist, debuted the stylish James Bond in…
Read more about Upcoming Highlights: 19th & 20th Century Literature March 29, 2019 19th & 20th Century Literature Upcoming Highlights: 19th & 20th Century Literature At Auction May 14 Complete Catalogue This sale features significant material by the man behind everyone’s favorite MI6 agent, James Bond, including a first edition of Casino Royale, Ian Fleming’s…
Read more about Records & Results: 19th & 20th Century Literature November 15, 2018 19th & 20th Century Literature Records & Results: 19th & 20th Century Literature Signed & Inscribed Oscar Wilde Play Leads Literature Auction SciFi Works Continue to Prove to be Popular in Swann Literature Sales Book collectors from far and wide partook in…
Read more about “The Transcendental Club” November 5, 2018 19th & 20th Century Literature “The Transcendental Club” “The Transcendental Club,” as it would come to be known, was founded in Massachusetts, in September of 1836, by prominent New England intellectuals. Ralph Waldo Emerson, the primary practitioner of the…
Read more about The Top Five Fahrenheit 451s January 4, 2018 19th & 20th Century Literature The Top Five Fahrenheit 451s According to our Literature specialist John D. Larson, there are five first editions of Fahrenheit 451 of interest to collectors. As with all important modern first editions, a set of criteria…
Read more about Children’s Literature for Adults November 13, 2017 19th & 20th Century Literature Children’s Literature for Adults Children’s literature is a perennially popular genre. We were all children once, and the antics of Willy Wonka and imagination of Max shaped our early lives in a way that…
Read more about Signed First Edition of Kahlil Gibran’s The Prophet November 7, 2016 19th & 20th Century Literature Signed First Edition of Kahlil Gibran’s The Prophet One of the highlights in our November 10 sale of 19th & 20th Century Literature is a scarce first edition of The Prophet, signed by its author, Kahlil Gibran, in…
Read more about Grimm’s Fairytales Signed by Anne Frank Comes to Auction May 4, 2016 19th & 20th Century Literature Grimm’s Fairytales Signed by Anne Frank Comes to Auction Through her poignant writing and tragic story, Anne Frank has become a source of inspiration for millions. Two of our upcoming auctions feature items related to Frank, including Anne and Margot’s…
Read more about Walt Whitman Standing in Solidarity with the Secret Six June 12, 2015 19th & 20th Century Literature Walt Whitman Standing in Solidarity with the Secret Six Walt Whitman was in Boston overseeing the publication of his third edition of Leaves of Grass when he attended the trial of a man who was friendly with the Thoreaus, the…
Read more about Top Lots: Melville’s Whale, Signed Flannery O’Connor Firsts, Rex Stout Titles June 23, 2014 19th & 20th Century Literature Top Lots: Melville’s Whale, Signed Flannery O’Connor Firsts, Rex Stout Titles Topping our June 19, 2014 auction of 19th & 20th Century Literature was a first American edition of Herman Melville’s seminal Moby-Dick, which brought $40,000 against a pre-sale estimate of $18,000…
Read more about Celebrating Bloomsday 2014 June 16, 2014 19th & 20th Century Literature Celebrating Bloomsday 2014 To celebrate the life and literary oeuvre of James Joyce on the international holiday that is Bloomsday, we are looking back on some of the many editions of James Joyce’s…
Read more about Herman Melville: Neighbor November 20, 2013 19th & 20th Century Literature Herman Melville: Neighbor Thanks to John D. Larson, Swann’s 19th & 20th Century Literature Specialist, for contributing this post: It’s a fine thing (call it geographic serendipity) to share a similar address with someone who…
Read more about Penises and Pompadours: The Erotic Art of Franz von Bayros November 3, 2011 19th & 20th Century Literature Penises and Pompadours: The Erotic Art of Franz von Bayros Decadent! Erotic! Phantasmagoric! Fin-de-siècle grotesqueries! Gents and ladies disporting themselves, occasionally with a zealous attention by attending friends from the animal kingdom! The provocative work of Austrian artist Franz von…
Read more about The Otto Penzler Collection of British Espionage and Thriller Fiction March 15, 2010 19th & 20th Century Literature The Otto Penzler Collection of British Espionage and Thriller Fiction Any collector knows that the reasons behind a particular collection are often just as fascinating as the collection itself. Otto Penzler, proprietor of The Mysterious Bookshop in New York, and…