Expert’s Choice: Mark Harrison Selects the Highlights from This Week's Book Auctions

Written by Thomas | 28th December

In our Expert’s Choice feature, one of our experts shares their favourite items currently in auction. This week our Books expert, Mark Harrison, selects several exceptional items from our book and cartography auctions for you to enjoy.

1. Fernando Pessoa – 35 Sonnets - 1918

Fernando Pessoa is one of the most important Portuguese writers of the 20th Century. He wrote poetry, literary criticism, and philosophical works. What’s remarkable about Pessoa, is that he adopted 75 different personas (pseudonyms), each having their distinct personality and style, which he would use to write in different contexts. In this week’s Books (Literature & Illustrated) Auction, you can find the book “35 Sonnets” from this peculiar writer.

2. Georg Everhard Rumphius – “d'Amboinsche rariteitkamer” - 1741

Rumphius was a German physician and naturalist who worked for the Dutch East India Company (VOC) from 1652 to his death. He wrote this lovely book in the 17th century on Ambon in the Moluccas. The book contains 60 large engraved copper plates depicting the flora and fauna of this island and its surroundings. You can find this interesting work and many other historical books in this week’s Old & Rare Books (Pre-1800) Auction.

3. Walker Evans – “American Photographs” - 1938

Evans truly defined mid-century American photography. He was the first photographer to have an exhibit at the Museum of Modern Art! This lovely copy of American Photographs from 1938, comes in its original dustwrapper. Discover more interesting photography books in this week’s Exclusive Photobooks Auction.

4. J. Linden – “l'Illustration Horticole” - 1877/1886

These seventeen original issues of this French gardening magazine are a must for any collector of beautiful printed images. The magazines contain 19 beautiful colour lithographs that were created by J. Linden at the end of the 19th century.

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