First Edition Copy of 'Frankenstein' by Mary Shelley Sells for $1.17 Million Dollars at Auction!!

 Wow, simply wow, at the sheer fact that a first edition copy of Mary Shelley's novel, Frankenstein, sells for $1.17 million dollars at auction.

I learned about the recent auction through an online article from CNN titled, First edition copy of 'Frankenstein' sells for over $1 million at auction by Kaanita Iyer. In the article, Kaanita Iyer wrote the following:

Christie's, which hosted the auction, estimated the book would go for $200,000 to $300,000. But by selling for nearly four to six times as much, the book set a record for the highest price paid for a published work by a woman, according to Fine Books Magazine.

I think it's pretty cool that Frankenstein set the record for the highest price paid for a published work written by a woman.

Sylvia Plath's Tarot Deck Sold For $206,886 at Auction!

 I came across an article on Lithub's website titled, Sylvia Plath’s tarot deck just sold for $200,000 by Dan Sheehan. In the article, Dan Sheehan wrote the following:

The Tarot de Marseille deck, gifted to Plath by Ted Hughes on the occasion of her 24th birthday, sold earlier this afternoon at a much-ballyhooed online auction (somewhat creepily titled Your Own Sylvia) conducted by Sotheby’s London.

The hot ticket deck (which was expected to fetch somewhere between $6,000 and $9,000) was part of a 50-item trove that included Plath and Hughes’ gold wedding bands, which sold for nearly $38,000; more than a dozen love letters from Plath to Hughes dating from the rosy early days of their marriage; a set of recipes; and a family photo album. All in all the Plath/Hughes reliquary, sold by the poets’ daughter Frieda Hughes, netted over $1 million.

It's always interesting to discover which personal items belonging to famous authors end up at auction and what these items sell for at auction.

Original Winnie-the-Pooh map sets world record at Sotheby's auction

It's always fun to read about literary items sold at auction. I recently came across an article on The Guardian titled, Original Winnie-the-Pooh map sets world record at auction by Sian Cain. In the article, Sian Sain wrote the following:

The original map of Winnie-the-Pooh’s Hundred Acre Wood by the artist EH Shepard has set a world record for a book illustration sold at auction, selling for £430,000.

The 1926 sketch, which was privately owned and had been unseen for nearly half a century, introduced readers to the world of Christopher Robin and his friends in the original book.

Purportedly drawn by Christopher Robin himself, the map is littered with spelling errors – “nice for picnicks” and “100 aker wood” – and is captioned “Drawn by Me and Mr Shepard helpd”.

The London auction house Sotheby’s had estimated its value at between £100,000 and £150,000.

“We’re extremely pleased, obviously,” said Philip Errington, Sotheby’s senior specialist in the book department, who said there had been significant international bidding.

“It reflects the fact that people fall in love with the works of AA Milne and EH Shepard. The map is part of the defining world of Winnie-the-Pooh. However you approach Pooh, whether it was through a book or a Disney cartoon, the map is your way in. It is the first thing you encounter. It has a resonance.”

Click on the above link to read the full story.

Sylvia Plath and Ted Hughes Personal Items Sell Well At Auction

As a follow up to a post I made earlier this week regarding the personal effects of Sylvia Plath up for auction, I've decided to write a follow up post about the auction. 

I discovered an article from the LA Times, titled Sylvia Plath and Ted Hughes rarities garner big bids in London auction by Michael Schaub. In the article, I learned that Sylvia Plath's typewriter sold for almost $46,000!

However, the following items were the big money makers at the auction:

The star of the event was a first edition of "The Bell Jar" signed by Plath, which sold for just under $123,000, followed by Plath's annotated, uncorrected proof copy of the novel, which went for $105,000.

Click on the above link to learn about some of the other personal effects that sold at the auction in London.