22Speculum Orbis Terrae [Mirror of the world] 1593 Cornelis de Jode $406,186 (£232,000) Sotheby’s (London) 18 October 2005– Wardington Sale Enlarged, second edition of the world atlas started by de Jode’s father, Gerard – see No 25. With fully-coloured maps.

23Sonnetti Lussuriosi [Small Redhot Sonnets] c 1527 Pietro Aretino, L’Arétin $405,375 (£227,106) Christie’s (Paris) 27 April 2006 – Nordmann A world auction record for an erotic work, this copy of the first erotic book of modern times is the only one known from any 16th century edition, and is illustrated with the famous ‘sexual poses’ of Giulio Romano.

24Les malheurs des immortels [Misfortunes of the immortals] 1922 Max Ernst and Paul Eluard $378,852 ( € 314,400) Christie’s (Paris) 21 October 2005 – Filipacchi sale,Part II Another joint-project of Eluard’s poems and Ernst’s original illustrations. Presentation copy, inscribed by the artist to his muse, Gala. First edition. One of only two copies with Ernst’s hand-coloured illustrations.

25Speculum Orbis Terrae [Mirror of the world] 1578 Gerard de Jode $376,772 (£215,200) Sotheby’s (London) 18 October 2005 – Wardington Sale First edition atlas from the master Belgian cartographer, later revised and enlarged by his son Cornelis – see No 22.

26The Yellowstone National Park, and the Mountain Regions of Portions of Idaho, Nevada, Colorado, and Utah 1876 Ferdinand V. Hayden and Thomas Moran $374,400 Christie’s (New York) 21 June 2005 First edition of the American landscape book, with chromolithographed illustrations of Yellowstone.

27The Master of Game Mid 15th century Edward of Norwich, 2nd Duke of York $354,144 (£198,400)

Matthew Haley Bonhams

Our highlight for the last year was the extraordinary collection of presentation copies

and letters from TS Eliot to the Faber family. Along with letters to Thomas Faber (Eliot’s godson) were many books signed or inscribed by the poet, including a first edition of The Waste Land(£32,400 / $58,320) inscribed to his friend and publisher, Geoffrey Faber, with a quotation from Dante.

Christie’s (London) 26 January 2006 Decorated vellum manuscript about hunting.

28Bible (Massachusetts) 1663 Translated by John Eliot $345,851 (£198,400) Sotheby’s (London) 11 April 2006 Translation of the Bible into the Native American language, Algonquian. From the the Earls of Macclesfield Library’s bible collection.

29Book of Hours, Use of Rome 1520 to 1530 $345,474 (£198,400) Sotheby’s (London) 6 December 2005 236-leaf manuscript, probably illuminated in Bruges by leading Flemish illuminator, Master of the David Scenes.

30Shakespeare’s Comedies, Histories, and Tragedies [Second Folio] 1632 William Shakespeare $331,400 (£187,200) Sotheby’s (London) 15 December 2005 First issue of the second collected edition of Shakespeare’s plays.

31Sidereus Nuncius [Starry messenger] 1610 Galileo Galilei $323,312 (£176,000) Christie’s (London) 8 June 2005 One of only three surviving presentation copies. Galileo announces his telescopic discoveries.

32Aboriginal Port-Folio; or a Collection of Portraits of the Most Celebrated Chiefs of the North American Indians 1836-8 (in fact, 1835-6) James Otto Lewis $307,200 Christie’s (New York) 21 June 2005 First edition, with complete set of 80 hand-coloured lithographed plates. One plate for each chief.

33Opera [Collected Works] 1756-1778 Giovanni Battista Piranesi $302,280 (£176,000) Sotheby’s (London) 17 November 2005 Thirteen-volume folio of Piranesi’s etchings of Rome’s historic architecture.

34A Journal of a Tour of Discovery across the Blue Mountains in New South Wales.1823 Gregory Blaxland $302,027 (AU $407,750) Australian Book Auctions,27 February 2006 – Davidson Sale,Part II First edition of Blaxland’s journal account of his expedition into inland Australia beyond the seemingly impassable Blue Mountains. One of only three complete copies in private hands.

35Hortus Eystettensis [The garden at Eichstätt] 1613 Basilius Besler $292,662 (£170,400) Sotheby’s (London) 17 November 2005 First edition of the illustrated botanical book, with 364 engraved plates of over 1,000 flowers from the Prince Bishop of Eichstätt’s spectacular gardens.

Alex Dove Lyon and Turnbull

One of our most exciting discoveries was a grubby and slightly tattered sketchbook of 16th-century drawings of ancient Roman architecture, which we found in a country house in the Scottish Borders. This turned out to be the Codex Stoschby Giovanni Battista da Sangallo. Its first owner was Prussian nobleman, Baron Philipp von Stosch.

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