Rare First Edition of The Great Gatsby Breaks World Record at June Books & Manuscripts Auction
The Great Gatsby is Peachy Deegan's absolute most favorite book of all time!
Excitement amongst the rare book community reached a fever pitch as the June 10th Rare Books & Manuscripts sale drew to a close at Bonhams New York.
Collectors everywhere were eager to bid on the contents of the extraordinary collection of M. B. Goldstone. Brother of renowned Steinbeck bibliographer and book collector Adrian H. Goldstone, M.B. was an esteemed collector in his own right amassing a library focusing upon Americana, American literature, illustration, detective fiction, and western fiction.
The star of Goldstone’s collection was a 1925 first edition, first issue copy of The Great Gatsby in excellent condition. Without a doubt, the most outstanding feature of the book is its remarkably good dust-jacket. Considered by experts as quite possibly “the most expensive piece of 20th century printed paper in book collecting,” the dust jacket is an exceptionally rare find which clearly contributed to the book far surpassing its estimate of $80/120,000 and ultimately fetching $180,000 – a world record price for any Gatsby.
Also greatly outperforming from Goldstone’s collection was a first American edition of Herman Melville’s iconic Moby Dick. Printed in 1851 and in its original blue cloth binding, this attractive copy brought $30,500, easily exceeding its top estimate of $20,000.
Goldstone’s 1929 first edition, first printing of Dashiell Hammett’s Red Harvest was another lot bringing fantastic results. In its original red cloth covers and dust-jacket, it soared past expectations bringing in more than five times its top estimate of $5,000 for a final price of $27,450.
Considering its obvious appeal, aficionados will be happy to know that more items from the Goldstone library will be offered at the San Francisco showrooms of Bonhams & Butterfields in August.
However, items from the Goldstone collection weren’t the only lots to cause a stir.
Sparking no less than a bidding war was a manuscript abstract of Salvador Dali’s ballet Tristan Fou. Based upon the mediaeval myth of the death of Tristan and Isolde, the ballet, according to the manuscript, featured music by Wagner and Federic Nietzsche, choreography by Leonide Massime, costumes by Elsa Schiaparelli, and scenery by Dali inspired by the paintings of Jean-Francois Millet. Following a round of aggressive bidding, the lot sold for more than six times its top estimate of $5,000, achieving a remarkable price of $33,550.
Following suit, and proving the continued popularity of lots relating to the Hawaiian Islands, was a set of five duotone lithographed views of Honolulu after G.H. Burgess. Best-known for his vivid depictions of the California Gold Rush, this rare and complete set drew an outstanding $18,300 against a top estimate of $6,000.
Other lots falling within the sales’ list of “Top 10” lots was the extensive library of legendary chess figure Bobby Fischer which fetched $61,000; Goldstone’s copy of the 1776 edition of Thomas Paine’s Common Sense which drew $21,960; and a Mercator-Hondius atlas which brought $33,550.
Also not to be overlooked was a group of books written by female authors that yielded strong results. A first edition, second issue of Willa Cather’s The Song of the Lark dramatically exceeded expectations drawing $7,320 against a top estimate of $800; a 1920 first edition, first issue of Edith Wharton’s The Age of Innocence outperformed bringing $10,370 against a top estimate of $8,000; and a first edition, first issue presentation copy of Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird fetched $18,300.
"This was a phenomenal sale, with furious bidding from many quarters" stated specialist, Christina Geiger. "Between the world record-breaking price brought in by The Great Gatsby and the number of other lots which outperformed, this sale has proven that our market for great books with notable provenance remains exceptionally strong."
For more information on this department, or to view and purchase the catalogue online, please visit www.bonhams.com/usbooks.
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Bonhams, founded in 1793, is one of the world's oldest and largest auctioneers of fine art and antiques. The present company was formed by the merger in November 2001 of Bonhams & Brooks and Phillips Son and Neale UK. In August 2002, the company acquired Butterfields, the principal firm of auctioneers on the West Coast of America and in August 2003, Goodmans, a leading Australian fine art and antiques auctioneer with salerooms in Sydney, joined the Bonhams Group of Companies. Today, Bonhams offers more sales than any of its rivals, through two major salerooms in London: New Bond Street, and Knightsbridge, and a further seven throughout the UK. Sales are also held in San Francisco, Los Angeles, New York and Boston in the USA; and Switzerland, France, Monaco, Australia, Hong Kong and Dubai. Bonhams has a worldwide network of offices and regional representatives in 25 countries offering sales advice and valuation services in 57 specialist areas. For a full listing of upcoming sales, plus details of Bonhams specialist departments, go to www.bonhams.com. (01-08)
