Book Auction
A week ago, I went to a book auction in New London, Connecticut. It was
of the type they call a "pick auction". There were thousands of books, divided up onto separate tables for each source (estate, dealer, etc.) and the potential buyers put together lots of up to ten items per lot on which everyone can bid. After the lots are formed (the first round had 215 lots), the buyers examine the lots to decide what they want to bid on. Then the bidding commences as usual. After the first round, there is a second round (which had about 150 lots). Then the remaining books still on the tables are sold by auction where each table is a lot. Well, I bought six lots of books. But I also bought two of the tables at the end. It was a very good thing that I took my Jeep Grand Cherokee to the auction, because I needed every inch of space in it to bring the books home - and that includes the passenger seat and foot well. I am guessing that I bought about 700 books. I have now had a chance to get through them all at least once. One of the tables, by the way, was mystery and related novels. Among the books from that table were a number of signed books, including a first of Peter Benchley's _The Island_ , one by Donald Westlake, and three by science fiction writer Frederick Pohl. I still have a lot of work to do and it is clear I simply cannot keep all the books. Nor would I want to. There are, for instance, a considerable number of late 19th C. romances. Most of them are by unknowns, but there are two or three by Marie Corelli, a British writer whose real name was Mary Mackay. Though she is virtually unknown today, apparently at the time she wrote her sales were more than the combined contemporaneous sales of books by Conan Doyle, H. G. Wells and Kipling. Sic transit gloria mundis. In 2007, by the way, the British film _Angel_ was a fictionalized biography of Marie Corelli. Francis A. Miniter |
Book Auction
Francis A. Miniter wrote:
A week ago, I went to a book auction in New London, Connecticut. It was of the type they call a "pick auction". There were thousands of books, divided up onto separate tables for each source (estate, dealer, etc.) and the potential buyers put together lots of up to ten items per lot on which everyone can bid. After the lots are formed (the first round had 215 lots), the buyers examine the lots to decide what they want to bid on. Then the bidding commences as usual. After the first round, there is a second round (which had about 150 lots). Then the remaining books still on the tables are sold by auction where each table is a lot. Well, I bought six lots of books. But I also bought two of the tables at the end. It was a very good thing that I took my Jeep Grand Cherokee to the auction, because I needed every inch of space in it to bring the books home - and that includes the passenger seat and foot well. I am guessing that I bought about 700 books. I have now had a chance to get through them all at least once. One of the tables, by the way, was mystery and related novels. Among the books from that table were a number of signed books, including a first of Peter Benchley's _The Island_ , one by Donald Westlake, and three by science fiction writer Frederick Pohl. I still have a lot of work to do and it is clear I simply cannot keep all the books. Nor would I want to. There are, for instance, a considerable number of late 19th C. romances. Most of them are by unknowns, but there are two or three by Marie Corelli, a British writer whose real name was Mary Mackay. Though she is virtually unknown today, apparently at the time she wrote her sales were more than the combined contemporaneous sales of books by Conan Doyle, H. G. Wells and Kipling. Sic transit gloria mundis. In 2007, by the way, the British film _Angel_ was a fictionalized biography of Marie Corelli. Francis A. Miniter A belated congratulations! I thought I might actually get down to a paper show in CT last month, but my driver turned out to have another commitment. -- Jean B. |
Book Auction
"Francis A. Miniter" wrote in message
... A week ago, I went to a book auction in New London, Connecticut. It was of the type they call a "pick auction". There were thousands of books . . . Congratulations! We enjoy your narratives and your later discoveries. -- Don Phillipson Carlsbad Springs (Ottawa, Canada) |
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