Date: Fri 26-Jun-1998

Publication: Ant

Author: DONNAM

Quick Words:

Doyle-book-auction

Full Text:

Doyle's Books And Autographs Auction Achieved High Selling Rate/LM

(W/2 Cuts)

NEW YORK CITY -- William Doyle Galleries' recent Books and Autographs auction

on June 5 witnessed a notably high overall selling rate of 89 percent by

value.

Presidential material was well-received. A fine autograph book from 1864

containing the signatures of President Lincoln, Vice President Hamlin, four

members of the Cabinet, 40 senators and 175 congressmen sold for $6,325.

Among the notable British autographs were two Oscar Wilde letters, including

one written to Joseph Jefferson concerning the American actor's portrayal of

Rip Van Winkle. It reached $2,875. Another, written to his publisher Leonard

Smithers, achieved $6,325.

American first editions found favor as reflected in the $3,162 attained for

Jack London's A Daughter of the Snows, which bears the author's inscription to

his friend, Herbert Heron, who collaborated with London on the play Gold in

1910. A purchase price of $3,220, double the pre-sale estimate, reflects the

unusually clean condition of F. Scott Fitzgerald's All the Sad Young Men,

which retains the original brown pictorial dust jacket.

British first editions included Mathew Gregory Lewis' The Monk, which brought

$1,725, and John Hunt's The Ascent of Everest, which went for $1,610.

Numerous collected works from the estate of Elizabeth and Henry Guthrie

surpassed pre-sale estimates, including the Royal Edition of Samuel L.

Clemens' works that outdistanced expectations at $3,680, the Guernsey Edition

of Victor Hugo's works that brought $2,990, the D'Artiagnan Edition of

Alexandre Dumas' works that made $2,760 and the Edition de Luxe of William

Shakespeare's works that garnered $2,760.

Leading a strong selection of maps and decorative graphics was Herman Moll's

"A New and Exact Map of the Dominions of Great Britain on the continent of

North America" that generated $6,325. Another notable price was the $2,300

attained for a Nineteenth Century essay in comparative archaeology, Flaneries

Archeologiques, which is heavily illustrated throughout with well-executed and

richly colored watercolors of design elements from many civilizations.

The gallery is located at 175 East 87th Street. For information, call Julie

Liepold at 212/427-2730, ext 212.