Natural History & Sport
Some of the finest and rarest colour plate books have passed through our rooms over the years. From early woodcut-illustrated herbals to the most magnificent botanical works; from bird books by Gould or Audubon, to obscure works on Butterflies, Big Game Hunting or Bees - you name it, we've probably handled it!
Over the last few years we have also reeled in the best Angling collections to have appeared on the market. The Jeffrey Norton library consigned from Connecticut in 1998 netted over £200,000 and the staggering success of the two-part sale led to the first portion of David Beazley's amazing collection being offered and subsequently the libraries of Fletcher Robinson and John McKinley. Golf books always go with a swing; Cricket is a big hit; Racing is a dead cert and so on! Sport and Pastimes are seemingly as popular to read about as they are to watch and participate in. We specialise in private libraries and have strong links with most specialist publications which are always happy to cover our sales.
The subjects of Cookery and Wine, whilst not strictly speaking sporting or leisure activities, attract collectors with a voracious appetite. The sale of the late John Lyle's books on the culinary arts (in 1999) spanning some 500 years was a roaring success and our clients are hungry for more!
Rupert Powell
Rupert Powell is available Monday to Friday for valuations and for any questions regarding books that you may have.
Phone: +44 (0)20 7495 9494