BOOKS & AUTOGRAPHS

BOOK AND AUTOGRAPH AUCTIONS

Antiquarian and modern books take centre stage at specialist auctions organised by the department.

Every day,Elvire Poulain and Romain Béot see great authors, beautiful bindings and rare and precious works come and go.

Sales dedicated to bibliophiles

Bibliophily crosses centuries, minds and tones. Our experts and auctioneers arm themselves with their erudition so as not to miss a single discovery.

Elvire Poulain-Marquis, following in her father's footsteps, appraises work after work. There's a mailing that deserves contextual research, an autograph that recalls the relationship between the author and a celebrity, and a first edition that takes us on a journey through history.

millon holds 5 sales a year. Online or in person, they bring together bibliophile enthusiasts and collectors. These auctions bring together collectors' works as well as discoveries made during inventories: who doesn't have a library at home?

A wide range of auctions: autographs, first editions, theatres, etc

Auctions specialising in books and manuscripts cover a wide range of fields. Take a trip through the works of geography, dream while reading a Roman... The department offers for sale works of learning: economics, science, religion, philosophy and esotericism. Each work is the subject of a description and an estimate, which varies according to its edition, state of preservation, rarity, historical importance, etc.

Across the centuries, the auctions in the Old and Modern Books and Manuscripts department offer books of hours with infinite detail, atlases recounting the discovery of the world, and first editions of works that were once prohibited. It's also a meeting place for extraordinary bindings: in leather, chagrin, sowskin or gilded paper, embossed, inlaid, decorated with Grecques, and so on.

When it comes to poetry, you'll come across works by Baudelaire, Verlaine, Rimbaud, Hugo, Apollinaire, Cros, Mallarmé, Breton, Prévert, Char, Eluard, Ponge and many others.

Top prizes and records for rare works

The Old and Modern Books and Manuscripts department achieved some excellent results, selling some rare works.

• A 17th-century composite atlas fetched a hammer price of €50,000, after an estimate of €3,000 to €4,000. This collection of maps by Blaeu, Jansson, Dankerts and others came from Holland. This fine bidding battle took place in spite of a very worn binding, a detached front cover and spine, freckling, wetness and tears due to the book's great age.

• The Fables de la Fontaine, superbly illustrated by Oudry, sold for €39,800 . A very fine first edition copy of this legendary work in contemporary morocco.

• An exceptional manuscript, circa 1500, fetched 19,000 euros. This half vellum manuscript was written by different hands, decorated with motifs and pages of excerpts from incunabula..

• At €9,800, Frantisek Kupla made a name for himself with Quatre histoires de blanc et noir. Illustrated with woodcuts, only 300 copies of this book were printed.

• As for manuscripts, several volumes containing texts by Molière and Benserade for ballets set to music by Lully sold for €9,000. Three of the four volumes came from the Bibliothèque du Roy, Palais Royal.

The department at your service

The teams in the Department of Antiquarian and Modern Books and Manuscripts are called in to assist with inventories for guardianship, inheritance or insurance purposes, and are involved in a wide range of cases, sometimes providing information and often making wonderful discoveries.

Drawing on their experience and knowledge of books, manuscripts, autographs and consignments, the department's experts and auctioneers provide you with free estimates based on simple photographs. The Antiquarian and Modern Books and Manuscripts department will help you estimate and enhance the value of your work.

Do you own an antiquarian or modern book? An original edition? A book that made history? Our experts will offer you a free, confidential estimate. You can also take advantage of their advice to help you sell at the best price.