May 15, 2024Devon EastlandBooks & Manuscripts Specialist Pick: Devon Eastland on Wuthering Heights vs. David Copperfield Read more about Specialist Pick: Devon Eastland on Wuthering Heights vs. David Copperfield Devon Eastland, specialist for our Focus on Women auction, touches on the special nature of Emily Brontë’s Wuthering Heights and the differences between Brontë’s female characters and those in Charles Dickens’s David Copperfield.
Read more about Auction Highlights: Printed & Manuscript African Americana — March 21, 2024 February 12, 2024 Printed & Manuscript African Americana Auction Highlights: Printed & Manuscript African Americana — March 21, 2024 One of our largest African Americana auctions to date includes important documentation of the abolition movement, catalogues and posters for exhibits by leading Black artists, previously unseen Black Panther material, and material on Black-owned businesses.
Read more about Nicholas D. Lowry’s Specialist Picks: Favorite Lots from The Subculture Sale January 31, 2024 Vintage Posters Nicholas D. Lowry’s Specialist Picks: Favorite Lots from The Subculture Sale Nicholas D. Lowry shares his picks for The Subculture Sale. Bidding open now through February 8.
Read more about 2023: Year in Review December 19, 2023 Swann 2023: Year in Review Swann Galleries continued to offer exceptional auctions of quality material in 2023. The year featured several collections, including a special selection of 100 works from the Stephen White collection in…
Read more about Devon Eastland’s Specialist Picks: What to Watch in the October 12, 2023 Auction October 11, 2023 Early Printed Books Devon Eastland’s Specialist Picks: What to Watch in the October 12, 2023 Auction Devon Eastland shares her picks for the October 12, 2023, sale of Early Printed books. Gothic Novels If you’ve read through our offerings for the October 12, 2023, sale, you…
Read more about Part II: The Einstein-Serbu Correspondence October 4, 2023 Autographs Part II: The Einstein-Serbu Correspondence One of the best-known modern Romanian historians, Nicolae Iorga, has the distinction of being one of the few scholars of his day or before to document the lives of educated…
Read more about Part I: The Einstein-Serbu Correspondence October 3, 2023 Autographs Part I: The Einstein-Serbu Correspondence One of the best-known modern Romanian historians, Nicolae Iorga, has the distinction of being one of the few scholars of his day or before to document the lives of educated…
Read more about A Look Back At Swann’s Book & Manuscripts Sales July 6, 2023 Books & Manuscripts A Look Back At Swann’s Book & Manuscripts Sales Winter/Spring 2023 Brings a Record-Breaking Season for the Books & Manuscripts Department Books and manuscripts had a standout winter/spring season at Swann. “As a company whose origins are as a…
Read more about Early Modern Women’s Books: Scholar Sarah Lindenbaum on Gift Books May 1, 2023 Focus On Women Early Modern Women’s Books: Scholar Sarah Lindenbaum on Gift Books Cartwright, Comedies, Tragi-Comedies, with Other Poems (1651): Books owned by Mary Kemeys Sarah Lindenbaum is an independent scholar currently working on a book about the life and library of 17th-century female…
Read more about Rick Stattler’s Auction Selections for Spring 2023 March 29, 2023 Books & Manuscripts Rick Stattler’s Auction Selections for Spring 2023 Spring has just about sprung, and Swann Galleries’ resident Americana specialist, and director of the house’s books and manuscripts department, is sharing a selection of lots from the 2023 auction schedule that will put you in the spirit for the season.
Read more about The Signer’s Mark: Signatures of the Unlettered — Part II January 23, 2023 Autographs The Signer’s Mark: Signatures of the Unlettered — Part II Nineteeth Century America When thinking of autographs, the first thing to come to mind is famous signatures—John Hancock, Babe Ruth, Walt Disney, etc. Inscribed names with looping letters and distinct…
Read more about The Signer’s Mark: Signatures of the Unlettered — Part I January 4, 2023 Autographs The Signer’s Mark: Signatures of the Unlettered — Part I Middle Ages Through the Seventeenth Century When thinking of autographs, the first thing to come to mind is famous signatures—John Hancock, Babe Ruth, Walt Disney, etc. Inscribed names with looping…
Read more about 2022: Year in Review January 3, 2023 19th & 20th Century Literature 2022: Year in Review 2022 was a historic year for Swann in more ways than one. The house celebrated its 80th year of auctions, bringing with it the 70th anniversary of the first photography…
Read more about October 2022 Sale of Early Printed Books Brings the Highest-Grossing Auction for the Category at Swann October 18, 2022 Early Printed Books October 2022 Sale of Early Printed Books Brings the Highest-Grossing Auction for the Category at Swann The October 13, 2022 sale of Early Printed Books at Swann Galleries was the highest-gorssing auction of books in the auction house’s history at $1.1 million.
Read more about Autograph Collector’s Guide October 17, 2022 Autographs Autograph Collector’s Guide Swann Autographs specialist Marco Tomaschett shares the ins and outs of starting your own rare autograph collection If you’re new to autograph collecting, bearing in mind a few things while…
Read more about Collecting the Stage: Stephen Sondheim June 7, 2022 Illustration Art Collecting the Stage: Stephen Sondheim In our 80 years as a company, Swann has always been an auction house dedicated to niche markets with specialists who are experts in their respective fields, but often our…
Read more about Letters from Us: Epistolary Novels by Women May 31, 2022 Focus On Women Letters from Us: Epistolary Novels by Women In this year’s Focus on Women sale, we are pleased to offer several interesting epistolary novels written by women.
Read more about Printed Manuscript & African Americana: March 24, 2022 Auction Highlights February 23, 2022 Printed & Manuscript African Americana Printed Manuscript & African Americana: March 24, 2022 Auction Highlights Our March 24 Printed Manuscript & African Americana sale will feature important material, from slavery through the civil rights era, as well as noteworthy literature and music, including iconic cornerstone…
Read more about 2021: Year in Review December 22, 2021 Swann 2021: Year in Review As we close out another successful year at Swann we look back at our record-filled sales.
Read more about Consign Now for June 2022: Focus on Women November 5, 2021 Focus On Women Consign Now for June 2022: Focus on Women This past summer Swann held its first auction devoted to works by women. We are pleased to annouce another edition of this sale, to be held in June 2022, once again spearheaded by Devon Eastland, our Early Printed Books Specialist, but offering a wide assortment of material
Read more about Upcoming Highlights: Contemporary Artists’ Books: The Property of a Texas Collector—At Auction November 9, 2021 October 28, 2021 Books & Manuscripts Upcoming Highlights: Contemporary Artists’ Books: The Property of a Texas Collector—At Auction November 9, 2021 An astonishing single owner sale of Contemporary Artists’ Books, many known only via institutional copies, includes an abundance of deluxe issues produced in impossibly small limitations often out of the…
Read more about The Value of First Edition Dust Jackets October 26, 2021 19th & 20th Century Literature The Value of First Edition Dust Jackets Trolling ne plus ultra Gatsby in the Original Jacket Even those with but a passing familiarity with the rare book trade will likely be aware of the fabulous sums obtained…
Read more about Devon Eastland on Librarian George Parker Winship October 11, 2021 Books & Manuscripts Devon Eastland on Librarian George Parker Winship When I was an undergraduate, I only knew George Parker Winship’s name because of the series of lectures delivered in his honor at the Houghton Library. The topic of one…
Read more about Upcoming Highlights: Fine Books & Autographs—At Auction October 28, 2021 October 7, 2021 Books & Manuscripts Upcoming Highlights: Fine Books & Autographs—At Auction October 28, 2021 Including autographs by Kurt Cobain, Pancho Villa, Mark Twain, as well as pristine first editions featuring Virginia Woolf and others; fine art books featuring Robert Indiana and Gustav Klimt.
Read more about Devon Eastland on Caroline Schimmel & the Challenges of Creating Diverse Collections Driven by Women July 9, 2021 Focus On Women Devon Eastland on Caroline Schimmel & the Challenges of Creating Diverse Collections Driven by Women Ahead of Swann’s first auction dedicated to the accomplishments of women on July 15, senior specialist and curator of the sale, Devon Eastland, sat down with author, historian and collector…
Read more about Consign Now for July 2021: Focus on Women April 30, 2021 Focus On Women Consign Now for July 2021: Focus on Women As collectors and institutions turn their focus to the important contributions of women, Swann is pleased to feature their work at auction. We are seeking consignments that highlight the stories of all those in the community who identify as women in the fields of activism, art and design, community, education, entertainment, health and wellness, science and innovation, sport, and work. The auction will feature first editions, handwritten manuscript material, archives, and works on paper by historically significant poets, novelists, scientists, journalists, photographers, playwrights, performers and beyond.
Read more about Lies in Publishing: Collecting False Imprints April 5, 2021 Early Printed Books Lies in Publishing: Collecting False Imprints Bibliographers, cataloguers, and scholars rely upon the veracity of a book’s imprint—that is, the publication information provided by the printer on the title page, and includes the following: city of…
Read more about 2020: Year in Review December 23, 2020 Swann 2020: Year in Review In a year that was unlike any in our lifetimes, Swann’s specialists and staff proved to be as resilient and innovative as ever, bringing forward new and safe ways to…
Read more about As Seen in Books: A Glossary for Items Found in the Pages of Early Printed Books July 21, 2020 Books & Manuscripts As Seen in Books: A Glossary for Items Found in the Pages of Early Printed Books Any experienced cataloger, scholar, collector, or reader of early printing is accustomed to discovering an array of random objects within the pages of books. Even though some of these tidbits may have fallen out of ancient beards, today we celebrate and study them and put them into categories. Devon Eastland, senior specialist for early printed books, provides a handy glossary for these curious items found within various books.
Read more about Introduction to Bookbinding: Folding & Sewing May 5, 2020 Books & Manuscripts Introduction to Bookbinding: Folding & Sewing As a bibliophile expands their collection, they gain a feel for auction house and bookseller’s catalogues, which often include terminology that may seem arcane. However, every character in a complex catalogue entry is used to describe the object being sold. For early printed books, some of the most essential things a specialist must note are the size of the book, its collation, and its condition. In order to understand how a book is described, some knowledge of bookbinding fundamentals is helpful. Here, Devon Eastland, our senior specialist for early printed books, dives into how a book is sewn.
Read more about Swann in Profile: Devon Eastland January 15, 2020 Books & Manuscripts Swann in Profile: Devon Eastland With the 2020 auction season on the horizon, we sat down with the newest addition to our books and manuscripts department, Devon Eastland, senior specialist for early printed books, to discuss all things books and material culture.
Read more about 2010-19: The Decade in Review January 13, 2020 Swann 2010-19: The Decade in Review The 2010s brought Swann a number of notable moments including memorable sales, the establishment of two new departments, and the celebration of the 75th anniversary of our first sale. Here we take a look at some of favorite highlights from the last ten years.
Read more about Fine Books & Manuscripts: Winter 2020 January 3, 2020 Books & Manuscripts Fine Books & Manuscripts: Winter 2020 First editions of all of Jane Austen’s major novels, over 20 inscribed first editions by Graham Greene, autographmaterial from Walt Whitman, Napoleon and Princess Diana.
Read more about The History of Books & Manuscripts at Swann Galleries October 7, 2019 Autographs The History of Books & Manuscripts at Swann Galleries Bibliophiles of every denomination—Americana, autographs, art books, archives, atlases, ephemera, literature, maps—can find their niche at Swann Galleries. Originally founded in New York as a book auction house, we hold regular specialized sales devoted to books, printed material and manuscripts.