41. Lot sold

The library of Jacques Levy, which was on sale at Sotheby's, New York, on 20 April, had some surprises in store for us. The special copy of Daphnis and Chloe sold for 8.780 US$, while the exceptional copy of The importance of being earnest - one of only twelve copies on Japanese paper, bound in full vellum, with the author's dedication to Robert Ross - sold for the amount of 362.500 US$ (hammer price with buyer's premium).

Should we see this as reasonable prices for books, while a pastel by Munch, one of four known 'Scream' images, changed hands for more than a hundred million?

I would love to see a picture of the bookcase, now containing the Jacques Levy copies of Ricketts's books, on Bookshelf Porn - or on this blog.

Detail of Charles Ricketts, woodcut,  'Love in the snow' (from Daphnis and Chloe, 1893, p. 61)