May 1, 2024 10:00 EST
Rare Books, Autographs & Maps
166
The first edition of Dumas's The Black Tulip
Estate / Collection: Estate of Mary Ellin Barrett
DUMAS, ALEXANDRE père and MAQUET, AUGUSTE
La Tulip Noire. Paris: Baudry, n.d. [1850]. First edition. Three volumes, later three-quarters red morocco gilt by Stikeman, top edge gilt. 8 7/8 x 5 1/4 inches (22.5 x 14 cm); [2 ff.: half-title, title], 315, [3] pp.; [2 ff.: half-title, title] 304, [2] pp.; [2 ff.: half-title, title], 316, [1] pp. Joints rubbed and fragile, binding wear, top edge trimmed but otherwise uncut, a few leaves dogeared or nicked at the extremities, but in all a very large copy, with the rare half-titles, but lacking the blanks. The half-titles have the catalogs of works published by Baudry on the versos, and were frequently discarded when the work was bound. Bookplate of Katherine Mackay.
Dumas's historical novel is set during the Tulipomania in seventeenth-century Holland. It revolves around the competition to produce the flower of the title, and the trials and tribulations of Cornelius van Baerle, a plantsman and the hero of the novel, who strives to breed it. It is among Dumas's most popular works, and the phrase "a black tulip" has entered the language as a synonym for something of extreme rarity. This first edition is itself not far removed from "black tulip" status. Katherine Mackay, whose bookplate is present here, was the mother of Ellin Berlin (née Mackay); this copy descended to Mary Ellin Barrett, the daughter of Irving Berlin and Katherine Mackay.
Estate / Collection: Estate of Mary Ellin Barrett
DUMAS, ALEXANDRE père and MAQUET, AUGUSTE
La Tulip Noire. Paris: Baudry, n.d. [1850]. First edition. Three volumes, later three-quarters red morocco gilt by Stikeman, top edge gilt. 8 7/8 x 5 1/4 inches (22.5 x 14 cm); [2 ff.: half-title, title], 315, [3] pp.; [2 ff.: half-title, title] 304, [2] pp.; [2 ff.: half-title, title], 316, [1] pp. Joints rubbed and fragile, binding wear, top edge trimmed but otherwise uncut, a few leaves dogeared or nicked at the extremities, but in all a very large copy, with the rare half-titles, but lacking the blanks. The half-titles have the catalogs of works published by Baudry on the versos, and were frequently discarded when the work was bound. Bookplate of Katherine Mackay.
Dumas's historical novel is set during the Tulipomania in seventeenth-century Holland. It revolves around the competition to produce the flower of the title, and the trials and tribulations of Cornelius van Baerle, a plantsman and the hero of the novel, who strives to breed it. It is among Dumas's most popular works, and the phrase "a black tulip" has entered the language as a synonym for something of extreme rarity. This first edition is itself not far removed from "black tulip" status. Katherine Mackay, whose bookplate is present here, was the mother of Ellin Berlin (née Mackay); this copy descended to Mary Ellin Barrett, the daughter of Irving Berlin and Katherine Mackay.
Auction: Rare Books, Autographs & Maps, May 1, 2024
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Auction of Rare Books, Autographs & Maps on May 1, 2024 Totals $1.2 Million
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A Medieval Manuscript Rules of St. Augustine Achieves $102k
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Consignments Are Currently Being Accepted for Future Auctions
NEW YORK, NY -- Competitive bidding at Doyle’s May 1, 2024 auction of Rare Books, Autographs & Maps drove strong prices and a sale total that topped $1.2 million, surpassing expectations.
Featured in the sale was a fascinating selection of early manuscripts that achieved exceptional results. Highlighting the group was a 14th century manuscript of the Rules of St. Augustine from an English priory that soared over its $8,000-12,000 estimate to realize a stunning $102,100. The Rule of St. Augustine is among the earliest of all monastic rules, created about 400, and it was an influence on all that succeeded it. Other notable results included a 14th century Etymologiae of St. Isidore estimated at $5,000-8,000 that achieved $51,200 and a 15th century Prayer Book of Jehan Bernachier estimated at $10,000-15,000 that sold for $28,800.
A first edition of John James Audubon's octavo Birds of America sold for $41,600, far over its $25,000-35,000 estimate. Published in 1840-1844 in seven volumes, the first octavo edition was the final Birds of America publication overseen by Audubon in his lifetime.
The Fred Rotondaro Collection offered rare books and manuscripts on a range of subjects touching the African American experience in the United States over three centuries. A first edition copy of Frederick Douglass’ 1876 speech at the unveiling of the Freedman's Monument in Washington realized $12,800, far exceeding its $3,000-5,000 estimate. A first edition of the first issue of Harriet Beecher Stowe’s Uncle Tom’s Cabin from 1852 also achieved $12,800.
Highlighting the range of offerings from the Ken Harte Collection of Natural History was a first edition Richard Bowdler Sharpe’s beautifully illustrated monograph of Kingfishers, 1868-71, that sold for $14,080, doubling its $6,000-8,000 estimate. It was accompanied by an inscribed copy of the rare unfinished chapter on the anatomy of the kingfisher by James Murie.
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Consignments are currently being accepted for future auctions. We invite you to contact us for a complimentary auction evaluation. Our Specialists are always available to discuss the sale of a single item or an entire collection.
For information, please contact Peter Costanzo at 212-427-4141 ext 248, Edward Ripley-Duggan at ext 234, or Noah Goldrach at ext 226, or email Books@Doyle.com
