Thursday, October 20, 2011

RARE JOYCE AND SHAKESPEARE BOOKS FAIL TO SELL AT NYC AUCTION


A rare first edition copy of James Joyce’s Ulysses has failed to sell at auction in New York despite attracting bids up to $420,000.

And the first ever collection of Shakespeare’s plays published in 1623 – described as the most important book in English literature – was also withdrawn from sale after failing to meet the reserve price.

Both books were in the collection of a private British collector which went under the hammer at Sotheby’s in Manhattan Thursday.

Sotheby’s described the copy of Ulysses as “one of the most important” copies of Joyce’s classic to ever come to public auction.

Bids opened at $260,000 and quickly rose in increments of $20,000 among several bidders.  But interest evaporated once the price rose to $420,000 – shy of the $450,000-$550,000 estimate.  Not only was the first edition signed by Joyce, but the book itself has a fascinating history.

It was originally owned by Sylvia Beach, the American woman who ran the bookshop in Paris which published Ulysses in 1922. She kept a personal copy of the novel, which was signed by the author. During World War II, Beach was forced to close her shop and was interned by the Nazis. Her release was secured by an American living in Paris at the time, Tudor Wilkinson, and as a token of her gratitude, she gave Wilkinson the book as a gift.

Ulysses is one of the most sought after works for rare book collectors. Just one thousand copies of the first edition were printed, and of those, 100 were published on Dutch manuscript paper and signed by the author. The book on sale in New York Thursday was one of those 100. Only around one third of those are in private ownership, which makes them even more valuable.

Two other Joyce books - first editions of Dubliners and A Portrait of an Artist as a Young Man – also went under the hammer at last night’s auction in New York and also failed to reach their asking prices of $150,000 and $40,000 respectively. Just two Joyce works from the collection sold – a first English edition of Ulysses from 1936 and Collected Poems (1936) went for $6,000 and $17,500 respectively.

But Joyce’s Ulysses was not alone in not selling.

A first folio of Shakespeare plays from 1623 – considered the most important book in English literature and, along with the King James Bible published a few years earlier, one of the two greatest books of the English language – also failed to meet its reserve price of $600,000.

Experts say without the publication of this folio after Shakespeare’s death, 18 of his plays including Macbeth, Julius Caesar, A Comedy of Errors, As You Like It, The Tempest, Henry VIII, Twelfth Night and others, would have been lost forever.

Of the 750 copies made, only 220 are known to exist. This copy attracted bids of up to $550,000 before being withdrawn.

A third folio of Shakespeare plays published in 1664 did sell at Sotheby’s for $542,500. That collection is considered the rarest of the 17th century editions of Shakespeare, as a large number of copies were destroyed in the Great Fire of London of 1666.

4 comments:

  1. I know of a 1st edition of portrait that was covertly kept by a nun in cork and discovered in the late 70s after she died. Sold for buttons to a traveler and given on without knowing its value, it now sits in a smokey sitting room in north county Dublin. There it will stay, at least for another generation

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. HOW I GET A LEGIT LOAN @ 2% INTEREST RATE
      I was not sure of getting a legit loan lender online But when i could not face my Debt any more, my son was on hospital bed for surgery that involve huge money and i also needed some money to refinance and get a good home then i have to seeks for Assistance from friends and when there was no hope any more i decide to go online to seek a loan and i find VICTORIA LAWSON Loan company (marianlawson@outlook.com) with 2% interest Rate and applied immediately with my details as directed. Within seven Days of my application She wired my loan amount with No hidden charges and i could take care of my son medical bills, Renew my rent bill and pay off my debt. I will advice every loan seeker to contact Victoria Lawson Company with marianlawson@outlook.com For easy and safe transaction.

      *Full Name:_________

      *Address:_________

      *Tell:_________

      *loan amount:_________

      *Loan duration:_________

      *Country:_________

      *Purpose of loan:_________

      *Next of kins :_________

      *Email :_________

      Contact her company Via Email: marianlawson@outlook.com

      Delete
  2. Good Day !!

    I am Hwa Jurong, a Reputable, Legitimate & an accredited money
    Lender. I want to use this medium to inform you that i render reliable beneficiary
    assistance as I'll be glad to offer you a loan at 2% interest rate to
    reliable individuals.

    Services Rendered include:

    *Home Improvement
    *Inventor Loans
    *Car Loans
    *Debt Consolidation Loan
    *Line of Credit
    *Second Loan
    *Business Loans
    *Personal Loans
    *International Loans.

    Please write back if interested.
    Upon Response, you'll be mailed a Loan application form to fill. (No social
    security and no credit check, 100% Guaranteed!) I Look forward permitting me to
    be of service to you. You can contact me via e-mail:hwajurong382@yahoo.com hwajurong12@gmail.com
    Yours Sincerely,

    Hwa Jurong(MD).

    ReplyDelete


  3. Good day everyone. I am Johnson Cilva, a citizen of Georgia USA, I will love to share this great testimony that took place in my life for everyone to know it

    and be partaker of it that is why I always place it on answer, I want to thank ( Mr Rathan Charod ) for his kindness upon my family. Just a few months Back,

    I was in search of a loan of $75,000.00 as I was running out of money for my business and i could not pay my bills anymore. I was scammed $8,500 and I

    decided not to get involve in such business again I never knew that a real lender like ( Rathan Charod Company ) still exist on internet and on earth here.

    until a Friend of mine introduced me to ( rathancharodloancompany@gmail.com ) due to my appearance and doings. At first I told him I was not interested in

    any loan deal anymore then he assure me that ( Mr Rathan Charod ) is a genuine lender, though i never believed him, I made a trial and I am glad i did, I was

    given a loan amount of $75,000.00, by this Company ( Rathan Charod Loan Company ) managed by (Mr Rathan Charod) If you are in need of a genuine, legit loan

    or any financial assistance and you can be reliable, trusted and capable of paying back at the due time of the funds I will advice you to contact:(

    rathancharodloancompany@gmail.com ) and you be free from scams on the internet. All thanks to Mr Rathan Charod Loan Company for restoring life unto my

    business.

    ReplyDelete