BOOKS SOLD AT AUCTION

Southland Times, Issue 24881, 22 October 1942, Page 5

BOOKS SOLD AT AUCTION

First Of Churchill Series (Special) DUNEDIN, October 21. The attendance was discriminating rathei' than large when the South Island Churchill Auction, the first of three to be held in the main centres, began today at the Art Society’s rooms. A representative collection of New Zealand books and a large selection of general literature comp’ised the first day’s offering, and generally speaking satisfactory prices were obtained for many interesting items, though some decided bargains were knocked down to. wary purchasers. The keen participation of the University of Otago library, supported by certain generous friends and of the Hocken Library, materially assisted in fixing fair values on items of rare and unusual interest. The Dunedin and Invercargill public libraries were both bidders on a selective scale. _ The top price for the day was £25 paid by the University Library for a collection of 96 letters and autographs of eminent Victorians and others, including the Queen herself. A book of autographs and other items from the family of the late Sir James Allen brought moderate prices. Buller’s “Birds,” second edition, maintained its value at £2O, the first edition and a ‘‘Supplement’’ bringing £7 apiece. Hawkesworth’s “Cook,” 1773, and relevant items were cheap at £l3, and Parkinson’s rare “Journal of a Voyage to the South Seas” brought £5/5/-. Hamilton’s “Maori Art Workmanship” (£7/7/-), Macdonald's "Highlanders of Waipu” (£3 15/-), Polachi’s “Manners and Customs” (£2/5/-), Kirk’s "Forest Flora” (£l/10/-), Hochstetter’s "New Zealand” (£2) were among the items which struck a more or less stabilized value. AUTHOR’S COPIES

The authors’ copies presented for sale by contemporary New Zealand writers disappointingly failed to find a good market, and some minor Bracken items, autographed, fared no better. Manuscripts and documents, including the MSS of a Maori song by Alfred Hill, poems by Jessie Mackay and a staff appointment signed by George HI brought low prices. The remnants of the Chaldee MSS went to the University Library at £4/5/-. In the general literature section values were set low. The rare first edition of Trollope’s "Ayala’s Angel” went for 10/-, Kipling’s “Firsts" at 5/- apiece, "Bleak House” at 7/6, a Kelmscott Coleridge at £l/10/-, a limited and signed Walpole at 7/- and a beautiful limited edition of "The Faerie Queen” at £l/5/-. The patriotic fund will on the day s indication benefit substantially from the auction. Tomorrow morning and afternoon a select collection of paintings, sketches, prints and objects d’art will be put under the hammer.