The New York Antiquarian Book Fair will descend on the Park Avenue Armory for its 60th year starting March 5, bringing with it about 200 dealers who will shop their rare books and ephemera to an eager collector clientele. And while all the event’s rare baubles are worth a look, a few stand out from the pack for their unique backstory. Many of these objects are valued not because they’re in pristine quality. In fact, it’s their imperfections that make them so sought-after. They show off doodles by the author, margin notes and signatures, all leaving a permanent mark on the pages within. Below, seven rare items that caught our eye at this year’s fair.
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7. Three Photographs of Picasso’s Art — $4,500
Image Credit: Schubertiade A photograph of an artwork isn’t typically worth much in comparison to the real deal—but having the artist’s signature attached to it certainly can’t hurt. From the collection of former MoMA art director Alfred Barr, one of the three photographs of Picasso’s works bears the artist’s coveted tag.
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6. ‘Howl and Other Poems’ — $17,500
Image Credit: Pryor-Johnson Rare Books A first edition, first printing of Allen Ginsberg’s 1956 work, which contains his most well-known poem, “Howl,” this particular copy is distinct in more ways than one. First, it’s signed by Ginsberg himself on the title page. But there’s another writer’s tag on the book—Carl Solomon signed above the titular poem on page nine. Ginsberg dedicated the poem to Solomon, whom he met at Columbia Psychiatric Institute (the poem is otherwise known as “Howl for Carl Solomon”). In part three, the poem’s refrain, “I’m with you in Rockland,” directly references Solomon’s internment at Columbia. According to Pryor-Johnson Rare Books, which will have the book for sale at their booth, only three other copies in the world exist bearing Solomon’s signature.
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5. Francis Bacon Photograph — $20,000
Image Credit: Schubertiade Though he was known for his dark, brutal paintings, Francis Bacon often took inspiration from photographs, even snapping a few himself. This particular image was captured by Bacon at a Parisian bookstore, Librairie Le Minotaure, circa 1975. It depicts the owner, Roger Cornaillle, with a Frankenstein hand puppet. According to the vendor’s research, no original examples of Bacon’s phtoography have yet appeared on the secondary market, making this an exceptional opportunity.
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3. ‘The Descent of Man, and Selection in Relation to Sex’ — $22,500
Image Credit: Pryor-Johnson Rare Books This first edition, first issue of Charles Darwin’s two volume work is more than just an early version of the 1871 tome. It’s also a symbolic moment for the relationship between Darwin’s work and the Church, as it bears the ownership stamp of English theologian H.P. Liddon. Up until that point, Darwin’s writings on evolution—here he posits his first writings on sexual selection—were widely perceived as being in conflict with Church teaching. Liddon’s readership of the book—he even jotted some notes in the margins—bridge that gap, culminating in a sermon that he gave three days after Darwin’s death that argued that the Church’s teachings were not in conflict with Darwin’s writings in Descent.
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3. ‘The Very Hungry Caterpillar’ — $22,500
Image Credit: Pryor-Johnson Rare Books In American writer and illustrator Eric Carle’s children’s book ouevre, classics included beloved tales such as Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See; The Grouchy Ladybug and, perhaps most notably, The Very Hungry Caterpillar, the story of a ravenous insect who eats everything from oranges to chocolate cake in his quest to become a butterfly. And if you need the original copy of Caterpillar to sate your literary appetite, then Pryor-Johnson Rare Books’ booth will have your fix. The first edition, first printing and first issue of the celebrated story includes Carle’s signature, as well as a doodle of the caterpillar himself and a note that reads “with love.” We’d recommend not ravenously eating through the book itself, though, as the caterpillar does in the text.
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2. ‘Kierkegaard in Space’ — $67,000
Image Credit: Herman H.J. Lynge & Søn Space—the final frontier. These are the voyages of, uh, Kierkegaard’s The Lily and the Field and the Bird in the Sky. Yes, this first edition of the Danish philosopher’s book, which consists of three of his most important speeches, did indeed make it aboard the International Space Station. Brought in 2015 by Denmark’s first astronaut, Andreas Mogensen, the book was chosen by the Danish Ministry of Education and Research to be brought aboard—it’s a tradition that astronauts bring a few items with them to space that reflect their culture. The book enjoyed quite the audience, too, as Mogensen reportedly hosted “Danish evenings” for his fellow astronauts, during which he would read Kierkegaard aloud to them. Signed by Mogensen and verified by the European Space Agency, the historic text is housed in a custom-made box that resembles the moon’s stony surface, with silver lettering that reads, aptly: “Kierkegaard in Space.”
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1. The Federalist Papers — $250,000
Image Credit: Raptis Rare Books Taking the top spot on our list is a first edition of The Federalist, presented at Raptis Rare Books’ booth. The work—only 500 copies were published in 1787—will cost you $250,000, which is a small price to pay for such a significant slice of US history. Penned primarily by Alexander Hamilton, with an assist from James Madison and John Jay, the 85 essays promoted the ratification of the US Constitution, though how integral they were in the Constitution’s eventual passing remains up for debate. It didn’t always fly off the shelves, though: After Hamilton sent 50 copies to Virginia for the ratifying convention, the remaining 450 sold so poorly that publishers complained a year later that they still had hundreds of them left.
