William And Walt

When it comes to literary champions, you’d be hard pressed to find two writers sitting on loftier perches than Shakespeare and Whitman. Kings of their respective times, with legacies growing richer as each year passes, and enthusiastic audiences that never seem to diminish.

On Sunday, November 15, Skinner offers bidders a unique opportunity to snare prized collectibles by these great men when they stage their November Fine Books & Manuscripts auction. Both are extremely valuable editions, rarely available at auction, so competition is sure to be fierce.

Lot 287 will have devotees of The Bard licking their lips in anticipation! An 1820 edition of Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, and Tragedies published according to the true original copies. The book is bound in full brown calfskin and decorated in a very spare geometric style reminiscent of cathedral bindings, spine tooled and lettered in gilt.

Fans of American literature will be lining up for Lot 314 - a first edition, first issue of Walt Whitman’s Leaves of Grass. Containing poems loosely connected, each representing Whitmans celebration of life and humanity, it was described by Emerson as “the most extraordinary piece of wit and wisdom America has yet contributed."

Lot 331 - John Audubons Black-Taied Deer

Skinner’s November Fine Books & Manuscripts sale is over four hundred lots strong and contains historical and literary documents, fine and rare books, prints, and maps. Look now at the full catalog.