December 23, 2020Kelsie Jankowski19th & 20th Century Literature 2020: Year in Review Read more about 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 Adam Smith’s Wealth of Nations Leads July 30, 2020 Fine Books & Manuscripts Sale at $125k August 10, 2020 19th & 20th Century Prints & Drawings Adam Smith’s Wealth of Nations Leads July 30, 2020 Fine Books & Manuscripts Sale at $125k Our sale of Fine Books & Manuscripts on Thursday, July 30, 2020 boasted high prices across categories with early printed books leading the sale, two records being recorded for literature, and autograph material from world leaders garnering attention.
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 Fall 2019 Fine Books & Manuscripts Brings Record Prices October 14, 2019 Books & Manuscripts Fall 2019 Fine Books & Manuscripts Brings Record Prices We brought forth a remarkable offering of autographs, art, press and illustrated books, as well as nineteenth and twentieth-century literature, in a Thursday, October 10 sale of Fine Books & Manuscripts.
Read more about Art, Press & Illustrated Books: Blake, Cocteau & Rackham—Fall 2019 August 27, 2019 Art Press & Illustrated Books Art, Press & Illustrated Books: Blake, Cocteau & Rackham—Fall 2019 Fall 2019 promises a strong collection of exquisite artist’s books, and illustrated volumes, some unique and some from fine presses, including works by Arthur Rackham, William Blake and Jean Cocteau.
Read more about Records & Results: Spring 2017 June 16, 2017 Swann Records & Results: Spring 2017 The spring 2017 season at Swann Galleries marked the 75th anniversary of our first auction. On March 27, 1942, Benjamin Swann held an auction dedicated to rare and antiquarian books.…
Read more about Records & Results: Art, Press & Illustrated Books June 14, 2017 Books & Manuscripts Records & Results: Art, Press & Illustrated Books Our June 13 auction of Art, Press & Illustrated Books offered a spectrum of books that doubled as objets d’art, with records for important twentieth-century works celebrating art and typography.…
Read more about Grapefruit: Yoko Ono’s Guide to Living Art June 9, 2017 Art Press & Illustrated Books Grapefruit: Yoko Ono’s Guide to Living Art Visionary Yoko Ono created “event scores” as a way to encourage people to find art and beauty in their quotidian activities. A signed first edition of her seminal self-published book…
Read more about Nahui Olin: Muse & Maker June 5, 2017 Art Press & Illustrated Books Nahui Olin: Muse & Maker Nahui Olin, the pseudonym of Carmen Mondragón, was a Mexican Surrealist active in the 1920s and ’30s. She hailed from the upper echelons of Mexican society, and fraternized with the…
Read more about A Personal Collection of Bernhardt Wall Books May 30, 2017 Art Press & Illustrated Books A Personal Collection of Bernhardt Wall Books Bernhardt Wall was an American illustrator active in the first half of the twentieth century. A selection of fine, early or test examples of his work were given to his…
Read more about A Bright Light at a Dark Time: The WPA Handicraft Project November 22, 2016 Art Press & Illustrated Books A Bright Light at a Dark Time: The WPA Handicraft Project One unusual piece in our December 2016 auction of Art, Press & Illustrated Books was a six-volume folio of textiles designed and produced by the WPA Handicraft Project in Milwaukee,…
Read more about Le Corbusier’s Color Theory Sample Book November 17, 2016 Art Press & Illustrated Books Le Corbusier’s Color Theory Sample Book Before the holidays drive you up a wall, let an unusual piece in our December 1, 2016 sale of Art, Press & Illustrated Books soothe you with harmonious colors. Famed…
Read more about Leather Bindings, Decorative Dust Jackets and Beyond November 20, 2015 Art Press & Illustrated Books Leather Bindings, Decorative Dust Jackets and Beyond While the old adage tells us that we certainly shouldn’t judge a book by its cover, it’s hard to ignore the artistry that goes into binding books and creating dust…
Read more about The Danish Girl and the Erotic Art of Gerda Wegener August 21, 2014 Art Press & Illustrated Books The Danish Girl and the Erotic Art of Gerda Wegener Many of the biggest names in Hollywood have been rumored to be part of an upcoming film based on the David Ebershoff novel The Danish Girl, which was inspired by the true story…
Read more about Collectors on Collecting: Sam Speigel on Collecting Edward Gorey April 24, 2014 Art Press & Illustrated Books Collectors on Collecting: Sam Speigel on Collecting Edward Gorey On May 7, 2014 Swann will auction The Edward Gorey Collection of Samuel Speigel, and the catalogue for that sale opens with this charming recollection from Speigel himself: Collecting Edward…
Read more about The Glory of Gorey: Swann to Offer the Sam Speigel Collection February 11, 2014 Art Press & Illustrated Books The Glory of Gorey: Swann to Offer the Sam Speigel Collection On May 7, 2014, Swann will auction one of the top private collections of Edward Gorey books, illustrations and ephemera as part of our Art, Press & Illustrated Books sale.…
May 3, 2013 Art Press & Illustrated Books Christine von der Linn on Irving Oaklander Thursday, May 9th, our sale of Art, Press & Illustrated Books will feature the inventory of the late Irving Oaklander, known to all who sought rare books about graphic design,…
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 Books Arts or Art Books? Call Them What You Will May 5, 2011 Art Press & Illustrated Books Books Arts or Art Books? Call Them What You Will There is a sign tacked to the cork board of the Art & Illustrated Books Department clipped from a forgotten source years ago that states: “What’s the difference between artist’s…
Read more about Andy Warhol’s Index Book December 6, 2010 Photographs & Photobooks Andy Warhol’s Index Book Finely packaged and replete with surprises, Andy Warhol’s Index (Book), included in Thursday’s Important Photographs & Photobooks auction, introduces Warhol’s parallel themes of charming whimsy, and his brilliant upending of…