Catalogues, Bindings, Rare Books Fetch $4.2 Million in New York

NEW YORK CITY

:Christie's offered the Bibliotheca Bibliographica Breslaueriana, featuring catalogs, bindings and rare books and manuscripts from the Breslauer Collection, during three sessions ending March 23. The total was $4,271,196.

"The result of the first portion of was ...100 percent sold and the total nearly doubled the presale low estimate," said Felix de Marez Oyens, international director. All 150 lots in the first portion found buyers for a total of $2,662,980.

"The exceptionally fine condition and the important bindings and provenances made collectors, institutions and booksellers stretch to acquire books from the most highly bibliophile reference library ever assembled," continued Mr Oyens. "If one book in the sale is to be singled out, it has to be the Henry van de Velde inlaid morocco binding, whose splendid technique matches its Art Nouveau mosaic design."

A member of the European trade purchased the Van de Velde binding, executed circa 1897-98, for $156,000 ($50/70,000).

The top lot of the first portion was the philobiblon of Richardus de Bury (1281-1345), Cologne, 1473, which sold to a member of the New York trade for $240,000. The Lauderdale set of 71 early English auction catalogs, mostly London or Oxford, 1674-1701, was purchased by a New York dealer on behalf of the Grolier Club for $168,000.

The Grolier Club also won the top lot of the second portion of the auction, a set of 33 English auction catalogs, 1688-89, London, for $192,000.

"There were no weak spots in this sale," commented Ian Ehling, a specialist in Christie's books and manuscripts department. "The most active bidders were professionals, closely followed by libraries and private collectors. The Grolier Club seized the opportunity to enrich their immense holdings, which are already among the strongest in the world, behind the British Library and the Bibliotheque nationale de France."

Of 756 lots offered in the second portion, 742 found buyers for a total of $1,608,216.

A collection of 47 catalogs from the Thomas King auction house, London, 1788-1812, garnered $50,400 from a British dealer. Members of the American, British and European trade figured prominently in most of the buying action.

A continuation of the sale of the Breslauer Collection is planned for June.