The 59th Annual New York International Antiquarian Book Fair
The 59th Annual New York International Antiquarian Book Fair will see over 200 dealers from the US and abroad gathering at the Park Avenue Armory from 7th to 10th March. The usual mix of rare books, ephemera, maps etc. will fill the exhibition space with an eclectic mix including an exceptional collection of original logbooks from whaling ships from the mid 19th century which paints a comprehensive picture of whaling history (Kainbacher Rare Books, Austria). An incredibly rare French edition of the Welsh naval surgeon and poet that sailed around the world with Captain James Cook, "Détails nouveaux et circonstanciés sur la mort du Capitaine Cook, traduits de l'Anglois" will be for sale at Hordern House (Australia). This rare item is one of the earliest books on Hawaii, and fills gaps including who was responsible for Cook’s death.
For the politically minded, Raptis Rare Books (USA) will bring The Prairie Edition of the Works of Theodore Roosevelt, the 26th President of the United States as well as "The Quiet Man: The Indispensable Presidency of George H.W. Bush" signed by George H.W. Bush, the 41st President. Aquila Books (Canada) are offering a sensational antiphonary divided into three parts - the item's origins are from the Iberian Peninsula from a Dominican Abbey or Convent - while Geographicus Maps (USA) will bring the rubbing of the Dili Tu (12th/13th century) one of the rarest and most important maps of China. Although the stone stele survives in China, it is believed to be the only available rubbing outside of Chinese institutional collections. Shapero Rare Books (UK) will bring the beautiful book 'Les Roses' by one the greatest botanical illustrators, Pierre-Joseph Redouté and Hugues de Latude (France) is selling Jacques Gautier d'Agoty's most famous engraving 'l'Ange Anatomique' where a woman, dissected from the nape to the sacrum, seen from behind with stripped out back muscles resemble angel's wings.