A "literary treasure trove" of manuscripts and personal letters of the late US writer William Faulkner are currently on view at Sotheby's New York, ahead of a June 11 auction.
 Faulkner's writings are incredibly rare, with this the largest and possibly the last collection to appear on the market |
The package, consigned from the author's estate, may bring as much as $2m when it crosses the block. It contains Faulkner's 1950 Nobel Prize for Literature, as well as the draft acceptance speech that he wrote for the award, and the Legion d'Honneur medal presented by France in 1951.
Also included are a series of 26 letters and postcards sent by Faulkner and 25 leather-bound columns of the author's work.
However, the standout items will be the manuscripts from The Trapper Story, Vision in Spring, Mammy Callie and Hog Pawn. Faulkner's writing is incredibly rare at auction, with the sale expected to see strong interest from scholars, collectors and institutions alike.
"This auction is for people who are serious about modern literature. This is not something they are going to see very often… this much Faulkner material in the same place," said Justin Caldwell, Sotheby's specialist in books and manuscripts.
The archive has been consigned by Faulkner's family, after a previously unpublished 12-page short story was found at the family farm in Charlottesville, Virginia in 2012. Also discovered was the original book of poetry that Faulkner wrote for his wife, which was published in 1984 from a photocopy.
Paul Fraser Collectibles has some fantastic literary memorabilia for sale, including a signed extract from Lord of the Flies by William Golding, Charles Dickens-signed letters and a signed, limited edition copy of Virginia Woolf's Orlando.
