Fine Literature with Lawrence Ferlinghetti & the Beats (PBA Galleries, Auction 610)

443 lots will be offered at PBA Galleries in Auction 610 (“Fine Literature with Lawrence Ferlinghetti & the Beats”) on March 23. Highlights include first editions of Tolkien’s The Hobbit  (est. $25,000-$35,000), The Lord of the Rings trilogy (est. $10,000-$15,000), the quite rare first American edition of The Hobbit (est. $8,000-$12,000). As experienced collectors know, these books are very difficult to find in top condition; many copies that appear show considerable wear or worse.  The copies offered at PBA, while respectable enough, are certainly not top copies, though at the right price they merit consideration as demand for first editions of The Hobbit and the Lord of the Rings trilogy remains strong.

Other notable lots include a nice copy of the first printing of Frank Herbert’s Dune (est. $2500-$3500), a copy of the very rare author’s edition of Kenneth Patchen’s Fables and Other Little Tales (limited to 50 copies) and roughly 100 lots by or about Charles Bukowski (no surprise for a PBA sale), a decent copy of the first English edition of Henry Roth’s Call it Sleep (with a rather high estimate); though it should be noted that a slightly nicer copy of the same is available from Royal Books for $300.

The full catalogue is here.