Fine Printed Books & Important Americana at Auction
Freeman’s | Hindman’s Fine Printed Books and Manuscripts, Including Americana auction on November 14 delivered an impressive total of $1.85 million far surpassing pre-sale expectations. Featuring standout collections of printed Americana and natural history manuscripts, the auction achieved a remarkable sell-through rate by value of 145%, with 92% of lots successfully sold. The Federalist (NY, 1788) was the top lot of the day, demonstrating the enduring demand for important Americana.
Gretchen Hause, Senior Vice President and Head of the Books and Manuscripts Department, Chicago, stated: “The extraordinary success of this auction not only exceeded our expectations but also underscored the continuing strength of the rare book and manuscript market. The remarkable sale result for The Federalist, which far surpassed its estimate, 
reflects the enduring significance of the foundational works that shaped democracy in the United States. Similarly, the demand for superlative copies of beloved literary works remains very strong, with prices realized far surpassing their estimates, demonstrating that the timeless appeal of literary works continues to inspire and resonate with collectors. Very strong interest in some of the most renowned works of natural history rounded out the sale and contributed to the exceptional result.”
Written primarily by Alexander Hamilton, with significant contributions from John Jay and James Madison, The Federalist essays (Lot 299) were instrumental in swaying public opinion during the ratification of the United States Constitution. Freeman’s | Hindman’s auction featured a highly coveted thick-paper presentation copy, believed to have been owned by Captain David Olmstead, a Revolutionary War veteran who served at West Point and the Battle of Ridgefield. This exceptionally rare edition—one of only seven to come to auction in the past 50 years—sparked enthusiastic bidding, ultimately selling for $203,200, more than triple the pre-sale estimate.
The sale also featured an extraordinary selection of ornithological and natural history works, highlighted by eight John Gould monographs from a distinguished private collection. The standout was Gould’s A Monograph of the Trochilidae, or Family of Humming-Birds (Lot 234), which exceeded its high estimate, closing at $88,900. William Lewin’s The Birds of Great-Britain with their Eggs (Lot 243) from the same collection captured significant interest, realizing $41,275—four times the pre-sale low estimate.
Other highlights from the natural history category included: Gould, John. The Birds of Europe. London, 1837, the first edition, which sold for $63,500; Gould's A Monograph of the Ramphastidae...Toucans. London, [1852-] 1854, the second edition, which brought $47,625; Audubon's The Birds of America. NY, [1839-] 1840-1844, the first octavo edition, fetched $44,450 and a first edition of Sibthorpe's Flora Graeca. London, 1806-1813 sold for $21,590
Two remarkable literary treasures from the Library of Dr. John Talbot Gernon captivated collectors at the Freeman’s | Hindman’s auction. The first issue of the American edition of Gaston Leroux’s The Phantom of the Opera (1911), featuring an exceptionally rare original dust jacket, soared to $20,320, well above the pre-sale estimate of $6,000–8,000. This marked only the second time this particular dust jacket variant—depicting Christine staggering and swooning—has ever appeared at auction. Meanwhile, a desirable copy of Samuel L. Clemens’ (“Mark Twain”) The Adventures of Tom Sawyer attracted intense bidding, ultimately realizing $41,275, significantly exceeding its pre-sale estimate of $4,000–6,000. Also, a first edition of George Orwell’s Nineteen Eighty-Four (1949) in a remarkably well-preserved dust jacket fetched $22,860, drawing enthusiastic interest from bidders.
Other notable auction highlights included Vancouver's A Voyage of Discovery... London, 1798, first edition with the atlas, which sold for $22,860; Mathew's Pencil Sketches of Montana. NY, 1868. the first edition which fetched $53,975; and McKenney and Hall's History of the Indian Tribes of North America... Phila., 1836-1844. in the first edition which fetched $44,450
For more information and complete sales results call (872) 270-3103.
