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2009 News Archive

All of our Books & Manuscripts news stories from 2009 can be found here.

Documents in this Section

Napoleon Bonaparte (1769–1821) signed letter (PF9)

An exceptionally rare one page signed letter, dated February 13, 1813, written to the Duc de Feltre

Posted: 10 August 2011
The Editor’s Top 5 stories of 2009

There have been thousands of stories on the website this year – here I highlight my favourites

Posted: 1 January 2010
Happy Hogmanay!

Happy Silvester, Reveillon and Nochevieja for our overseas readers

Posted: 31 December 2009
$25k for the 'first ever' map of Australia

The entire account of Nicolas Baudin's expedition to Australia is to auction in Scotland

Posted: 29 December 2009
Today in history... Galileo is the first to see Neptune

December 28, 1612: he spots the eighth planet from our Sun... and mistakes it for a star

Posted: 28 December 2009
Gerald Ford / Richard Nixon

A souvenir copy of Ford's famous pardon of President Nixon

Posted: 27 December 2009
Charles Dickens (1812-1870) lock of hair (PF73)

A lock of hair from the head of Charles Dickens

Posted: 26 December 2009
Henry VIII (1491-1547) signed document (PF33)

A handwritten letter signed by the King of England dated 1533

Posted: 26 December 2009
Soldier's books to make 'Great Escape' at auction

Memorabilia of a captured Private held in the famous Stalag Luft III camp will sell next month

Posted: 26 December 2009
Merry Christmas!

Don't forget your free gift from Paul Fraser Collectibles...

Posted: 25 December 2009
A $20k astronomy book in time for Christmas?

German firm Ketterer Kunst is among the auctioneers offering post-auction collectibles

Posted: 23 December 2009
George Washington (1731-1799) Potomack Company (PF11)

An incredible accounts document listing the payment of slave labour in the construction of a Canal at Shenandoah Falls

Posted: 23 December 2009
Henry VIII (1491-1547) signed document dated 1534 (PF69)

An incredible signed document dating from July 1 1534

Posted: 22 December 2009
Paul Fraser Collectibles: one of the 100 best things about Bristol

With Banksy and Wallace and Gromit, we've been named among the Top 100 things to love about our home city

Posted: 22 December 2009
Today in history... Beatrix Potter dies at the age of 77

December 22, 1943: the author and conservationist leaves nearly everything to the National Trust

Posted: 22 December 2009
Charles Dickens (1812-1870) signed cheque (PF77)

A Coutts bank cheque dated March 25 1861

Posted: 21 December 2009
Princess Diana (1961-1997) handwritten signed note on Kensington Palace notepaper (PF76)

An official handwritten card from Princess Diana with a superb example of her signature.

Posted: 21 December 2009
Winston Churchill (1874-1965) autographed letter on official Chartwell note paper (PF78)

A thank you letter autographed by Sir Winston Churchill, typed on Chartwell headed note paper

Posted: 21 December 2009
Winnie the Pooh's map and dream fetch £100k

Two illustrations for the classic books have excited bidders at Sotheby's

Posted: 20 December 2009
Today in history... A Christmas Carol was first published

December 19, 1843: Charles Dickens' most famous yuletide tale makes its debut in England

Posted: 19 December 2009
Rare books 'withstand economically challenging times'

Says German auctioneer Ketterer Kunst, whose final 2009 auction saw its year's two highest sales

Posted: 18 December 2009
Tale of Peter Rabbit scampers to $94k

The specially bound 1919 edition is inscribed by author Beatrix Potter herself

Posted: 17 December 2009
Caped Crusader swoops in on Heritage Auctions

Batman's first appearance to go under the hammer for a six figure sum

Posted: 16 December 2009
Signed Lewis Carroll, Beatrix Potter and HG Wells books to sell online

With estimates upwards of $120k, this auction is unmissable for rare book collectors

Posted: 15 December 2009
$122k for Galileo's first ever telescope observations

The text has sold alongside Uncle Tom's Cabin, 'the most influential C19th fictional work,' at Sotheby's

Posted: 14 December 2009
Edgar Allen Poe's For Annie brings $830k

Poe's handwritten text and Charles Dickens' books break records

Posted: 9 December 2009
Paul Fraser welcomes James Bly to the Expert Panel

Antique Expert and Fund Manager

Posted: 9 December 2009
Sir Paul McCartney (1942–) (PF66)

Fantastic - this item sells itself

Posted: 8 December 2009
Alice's own Looking Glass worth $150k

The first edition of Lewis Carroll's classic signed by the book's heroine goes under the hammer

Posted: 7 December 2009
George Washington's historic letter sells for $3.2m

Cormac McCarthy's typewriter also sells for over 10 times its estimate

Posted: 7 December 2009
Explorer's work sails past estimate to sell for $650k

De Champlain's descriptions of America excite bidders in New York

Posted: 5 December 2009
George Washington (1732–1799) earliest known autograph (PF5)

Believed to be the earliest known George Washington autograph in private hands.

Posted: 4 December 2009
Nabokov's handwritten last work to sell for up to $600k

The work by the Lolita author will appear alongside Cormac McCarthy's typewriter in New York

Posted: 4 December 2009
Fleurs du Mal brings €775k at auction

A first edition of Baudelaire's most famous work beats world record in €4m sale

Posted: 3 December 2009
Legendary comic 'Hulks out' at auction for $125k

A 'holy grail' of comic books, The Incredible Hulk #1, has been snapped up in Dallas, Texas

Posted: 2 December 2009
Brighton Rock first edition at auction

Complete with incredibly scarce first edition dust-jacket

Posted: 1 December 2009
Explorer's descriptions of America set to sell for $350k

81 lots of books and maps to sell for up to six figure sums

Posted: 1 December 2009
Einstein's Watch - An unoffical record of a year's most ownable things

The perfect Christmas stocking filler gift for those who love collectibles

Posted: 30 November 2009
Two British Auction Houses join forces

Details on Bloomsbury and Dreweatts' strategic alliance

Posted: 29 November 2009
$500k goddess Venus for sale

The Roman marble sculpture leads a New York auction of antiquities and ancient jewellery

Posted: 26 November 2009
Darwin's Origin of the Species sells for £100k

Successful auction also saw the sale of illuminated works by Petrarch

Posted: 26 November 2009
The Collections of Malcolm Forbes

The cheerful multi-millionaire businessman, philanthropist and enthusiastic collector...

Posted: 26 November 2009
US TV star Reyne Haines joins Paul Fraser Collectibles expert panel

Here Reyne shows us that valuable collections aren't just confined to rare stamps or coins, classic cars, or wine cellars

Posted: 26 November 2009
First edition of Darwin's masterpiece to sell

A rare copy of On the Origin of Species, kept in the guest toilet, to sell for £60k

Posted: 23 November 2009
Dreweatts to sell a slice of England

A unique Country House sale commences 26 November

Posted: 20 November 2009
Warren Buffett v Luxury Collectibles

You'd think there could only be one winner... right?

Posted: 20 November 2009
Hamburg book auction achieves €1.2m

Both top lots beat expected prices in lively sale

Posted: 18 November 2009
Joyce First Edition to sell for £40k

Works on birds of paradise and Soviet propaganda also go under the hammer

Posted: 17 November 2009
Early Beatrix Potter sketches sold for £30k

A set of early illustrations sold for more than expected

Posted: 13 November 2009
Smell of old books gives clue to condition

Scientists hope aroma tests will help preserve old books

Posted: 11 November 2009
Owzat! 'Bible of Cricket' sells for £90k

The Wisden Cricketers' Almanack outshone Lord Cherbury's £84k secret play and a £62k James Bond

Posted: 10 November 2009
€60k for rare 18th century botanical books

Rare 15th century theology book also to be auctioned

Posted: 9 November 2009
16th century maps to sell at Bonhams

A unique collection of 1586 maps of Scilly and Cornwall will go under the hammer in Oxford, UK

Posted: 8 November 2009
£70k legendary cricket annuals at rare books auction

Egyptology and an early James Bond typescript will also feature

Posted: 5 November 2009
74-year-old book thief made $500k

The FBI has begun to give back the texts stolen from 109 libraries all over America

Posted: 3 November 2009
Paul Fraser welcomes John Bly to the expert panel

John Bly is an antiques dealer, author, after-dinner speaker and broadcaster who is best known from the BBC Antiques Roadshow

Posted: 3 November 2009
Rare Islamic texts exhibited in US

The Qur'an and other esteemed 18th century Middle Eastern texts are now on public display

Posted: 2 November 2009
$71k travelogue and Karl Marx lead Hong Kong book sale

Winnie the Pooh and Alice in Wonderland will also star at the highly anticipated book auction

Posted: 28 October 2009
Long-lost Jacobean play to sell for £90k

Found in a trunk, the manuscript reveals Lord Herbert of Cherbury's secret attempt at playwriting

Posted: 26 October 2009
'Controversial' $150k Walt Whitman for sale

A signed 19th century first edition by the 'father of free verse' can be yours to own

Posted: 23 October 2009
£10k Birds of Europe book flies ahead at auction

Bloomsbury is going native today, with a sale of rare books and art all about wildlife

Posted: 22 October 2009
Peter Pan mini statue to auction at £50k

An early-19th century scaled model of the most popular statue in London will be sold at Bonhams

Posted: 22 October 2009
Jane Austen's Emma sells for over $10k

The book with a heroine its writer thought 'no-one would much like' was a big hit at Bonham's

Posted: 20 October 2009
American heritage under the hammer today...

Birth of the State of California documents at auction

Posted: 18 October 2009
Library receives $2m worth of Shakespearean books

A Los Angeles rare book library improves on its excellent collection

Posted: 16 October 2009
$10k Jane Austen leads Fine Books auction

A rare first-edition of Emma will appear alongside Galileo and Mark Twain at the Bonham's sale

Posted: 14 October 2009
'Godfather' of surfing's signed handprints to sell for $12k

The next Bonham's Fine Books sale includes memorabilia from Hawaii's favourite sport

Posted: 14 October 2009
$0.7m North American Indian books require new owner

A collection of early 20th century books failed to sell at Christie's when bids stayed below $700k

Posted: 13 October 2009
$6k signed Dick Frances works to sell at Bloomsbury

Sale includes the 17th Earl of Lauderdale's collection, a Zionist leader's signed letter and Agatha Christie

Posted: 12 October 2009
16th century books stolen from the Nazis are returned

A teenager who swiped the books from a salt mine during WW2 is now giving them back

Posted: 8 October 2009
£45k Mattioli leads sale of books that influenced a generation

A collection once delved into by John Betjeman and Bertrand Russell auctions at Bonham's

Posted: 7 October 2009
How to protect your rare books from water damage

It's a books collector's worst nightmare: what happens if they get soaked?

Posted: 6 October 2009
6,000 rare children's books donated to university

One of the US's best collections of Robert Louis Stevenson features alongside A.A. Milne and Beatrix Potter

Posted: 5 October 2009
Earl of Rosebery's book collection to sell for £600k

Remarkable sale includes the most important Lord Byron material offered at auction since the £50k manuscript of Beppo in 1976

Posted: 2 October 2009
Signed Casino Royale estimated at $40,000

James Bond's debut is the star lot at Heritage's incredible sale featuring six signed Ian Fleming 007 books

Posted: 1 October 2009
Collectibles investments are booming, says The Times

'High net worth individuals are increasingly turning to alternative investments,' reports the respected UK newspaper

Posted: 24 September 2009
John F Kennedy (1917–1963) and Jacqueline Kennedy signed programme (1929–1994) (PF4)

A superb original program from a Kennedy-Johnson Campaign Dinner sponsored by the Democratic National Committee and held at the Sheraton Park Hotel in Washington on September 20, 1960.

Posted: 3 September 2009
Collector pays $4 at flea market and makes $1m find...

The incredible story of how 'the most important document in American history' was discovered at a local antiques market.

Posted: 31 August 2009
George S Patton signed letter (1885–1945) (PF3)

In the midst of World War II, General George S Patton, wrote a letter to Suzanne Miner, who had served as his housekeeper in Langres, France, during World War I...

Posted: 15 August 2009
Sir Paul McCartney signed letter (1942–) (PF1)

A rarely seen, early, typed letter from Paul McCartney sent from his childhood home at 20 Forthlin Road, Allerton, Liverpool.

Posted: 28 July 2009
Oliver Cromwell (1599–1658) (PF7) signed document

Incredibly rare signed document circa 1650, featuring Oliver Cromwell's autograph

Posted: 1 July 2009
Original Auld Lang Syne 'sells' for £10k

A retired professor has become the new patron of poet Robert Burns' famous New Years' anthem

Posted: 28 September 2009
Bedbugs destroy rare books, man fined $12k

Bugs' droppings stain pages black, forcing libary to destroy 31 volumes

Posted: 26 September 2009
First edition Bond book for sale

A copy of Live and Let Die has been donated to one of Oxfam's bookshops in Edinburgh

Posted: 25 September 2009
Advice from an Antiques Road Show expert

On rare books, auction house chairman Paul Viney explains why the dust jacket is crucial to collectors and investors alike

Posted: 24 September 2009
Swindon stores 8m rare books

Bodleian library books to be held in new £15m facility

Posted: 18 September 2009
'America's First Book' to sell for $40k

The Bay Psalm Book will he up for auction in Manhattan this week, along with the iconic and legendary Aitken's Bible

Posted: 17 September 2009
Buy the ultimate Scotch whisky guide for £5k

Rare first edition 19th century book on 'everything there is to know about Scotland's national drink' for sale in Glasgow

Posted: 14 September 2009
US Universities receive words of God

Some of the oldest texts in the world reach California

Posted: 14 September 2009
Good news: collectibles improve your mental health

They can reduce stress, add years to your life and 'people with hobbies are healthier and happier,' says a new study

Posted: 11 September 2009
Harry Potter first edition to sell for £2K

Author's signature and personal message make all the difference

Posted: 10 September 2009
Thieves steal mobile phone - but dump priceless Qur'an pages

'They didn't have a clue what they had got in their hands,' say police after finding pages dumped in bin

Posted: 10 September 2009
The penniless artist... with assets of £6.5m

He only had £12 at the time of his death but his estate has now been valued at £6.5m

Posted: 9 September 2009
25,000 rare books could be damaged by floods

Experts in Costa Rica are working to save the National Library's collection from moisture damage

Posted: 7 September 2009
$40m for the greatest Judaica library

'There are very few cultural moments like this one where a collection of such great significance is made available for sale,' says expert

Posted: 3 September 2009
Classic golf book sells for $6,000

A signed work by a founding member of the United States Golf Association has been snapped up for a bargain

Posted: 3 September 2009
Rare Chinese book collection displayed

National library shows rare and historic texts for anniversary

Posted: 3 September 2009
The $1m comic book

Simple market forces are dictating big prices for rare childhood comic books

Posted: 2 September 2009
See these rare old Bibles like never before...

Touch screen technology will revolutionise museum experience

Posted: 27 August 2009
Vintage cricket books

Books and scoresheets from a few pennies to 'six' figures...

Posted: 26 August 2009
Criminal use of comics is no laughing matter

Pristine comic books used to clean dirty money

Posted: 25 August 2009
Collecting a cartoon classic

Items relating to a British cartoon with a local setting are becoming widely collectible

Posted: 23 August 2009
Satire that's worth £800 per page

Book spoofing a game of golf on Leith Links is a big hit in Edinburgh auction

Posted: 23 August 2009
Detective work uncovers lost murder mystery

A long-forgotten book written by one of the world's most published authors has been discovered

Posted: 20 August 2009
Jaded fan sells first issue of comic book for $39,000

A comic store owner has sold a 1st edition in disgust at the latest storyline

Posted: 14 August 2009
Famous expedition logbook to auction for £12k

The journey was called, 'the greatest advance in the knowledge of our planet since the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries'

Posted: 13 August 2009
'One of the greatest 20th century artists' books' to sell for $30k

Limited first edition signed by 'two of the most enigmatic artists of our time' is offered in Manhattan

Posted: 6 August 2009
Your chance to own the original Bond books

A Scottish book fair is to sell rare and first edition copies of Ian Fleming's famous novels

Posted: 6 August 2009
TIE Fighter sells for £203k

Tinseltown auction also includes a hoverboard, the Holy Grail and the Ten Commandments

Posted: 4 August 2009
First edition Rudyard Kipling appears in New Delhi library

A collection of rare books contributed by local library goers has surfaced in India's capital

Posted: 28 July 2009
Hundreds of collectors to attend PulpFest

Pulp fiction magazines from the 1920s and '30s could fetch up to $40k at this year's convention in the US

Posted: 28 July 2009
Why did a second-hand chair sell for £20k?

...when you could buy it for £10 in a junk shop?

Posted: 28 July 2009
Coffee table book to include space rocks

A publisher is expecting to make thousands with the ultimate expensive coffee table book: it contains space meteorites

Posted: 27 July 2009
Mao-era memorabilia is a growing money maker

Chairman Mao memorabilia prices are soaring as the 60th Anniversary of the People's Republic of China approaches

Posted: 27 July 2009
The $1m wine book

It weighs as much as a nine year old child, 25 of the 100 limited editions have already been sold

Posted: 23 July 2009
500 year old book found

A book has been discovered in a Nantwich church - one of three known to exist

Posted: 22 July 2009
Great Scott! Legendary novel sells for $180k

Book called 'the most expensive piece of 20th century printed paper' sells in New York

Posted: 18 July 2009