Apr 16, 2026 10:00 EST
Rare Books, Autographs & Maps
74
Peter Newell's classic Hole Book
[CHILDREN'S LITERATURE]
NEWELL, PETER. The Hole Book. New York: Harper Brothers, 1908. First edition, first printing with "October 1908" on the copyright page. Original boards with a color illustration to the cover, lacks jacket. 51 pages, each with text opposite a color illustration with a hole caused by a bullet fired in the first illustration, includes the illustration of a Black family removed from later editions. Corners and extremities rubbed, some scratches to cover, split to cloth on spine, the hinges strengthened, a few nicks to edges of endpaper, inscription dated Christmas 1908. Provenance: Justin G. Schiller catalogue Chapbook Miscellany, Spring 1970, item 93. Blanck 125; Pierpont Morgan 294; Shaw 5354.
Sold for $115
Estimated at $50 - $80
Includes Buyer's Premium
[CHILDREN'S LITERATURE]
NEWELL, PETER. The Hole Book. New York: Harper Brothers, 1908. First edition, first printing with "October 1908" on the copyright page. Original boards with a color illustration to the cover, lacks jacket. 51 pages, each with text opposite a color illustration with a hole caused by a bullet fired in the first illustration, includes the illustration of a Black family removed from later editions. Corners and extremities rubbed, some scratches to cover, split to cloth on spine, the hinges strengthened, a few nicks to edges of endpaper, inscription dated Christmas 1908. Provenance: Justin G. Schiller catalogue Chapbook Miscellany, Spring 1970, item 93. Blanck 125; Pierpont Morgan 294; Shaw 5354.
Auction: Rare Books, Autographs & Maps, Apr 16, 2026
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Successful Auction of Rare Books, Autographs & Maps on April 16, 2026 Surpasses Expectations
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Thomas Jefferson Letter Commenting on Toussaint Louverture Achieves $32,000
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Consignments Are Currently Being Accepted for Future Auctions
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We Invite You to Contact Us for Complimentary Auction Estimates of Your Collection
NEW YORK, NY – Doyle's auction of Rare Books, Autographs & Maps on April 16, 2026 saw international competition drive strong results throughout the sale and a total that surpassed expectations.
Thomas Jefferson Letter on Toussaint Louverture
Highlighting the sale was a fascinating 1802 letter from Thomas Jefferson as president to Maryland Governor John Francis Mercer that achieved a strong $32,000. The remarkable letter captures a rare, candid moment in which Jefferson assesses, with striking clarity, the arrest of Toussaint Louverture, a leader of the Haitian Revolution, by French General Charles LeClerc, Napoleon’s brother-in-law. Jefferson perceptively warned that LeClerc’s actions would erode trust and likely spark further racial conflict—an insight that proved remarkably accurate. Beyond its sharp political foresight, the letter reflects the broader anxiety the Haitian Revolution provoked in the United States, which contributed to decades of diplomatic isolation of Haiti.
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Consignments are currently being accepted for future auctions. We invite you to contact us for complimentary auction estimates. Our Specialists are always available to discuss the sale of a single item or an entire collection.
