Christie’s New York is offering an unparalleled collection of early American literature that is being hailed as the best to come to market in a generation. This collection includes the nation’s first spy novel and first bestseller written by a woman, as well as first editions from renowned authors such as Walt Whitman, Nathaniel Hawthorne, Herman Melville, and Edgar Allan Poe. These “impossibly rare” works were meticulously collected over 40 years by Bruce Lisman, a former executive at Bear Stearns. The two-day sale, beginning Thursday, features over 300 items from Lisman’s collection, estimated to be worth $3 million to $5 million in total.
According to Fine Books, this sale is a significant event where every lot holds considerable value. For instance, a copy of Hawthorne’s classic novel, “The Scarlet Letter,” with handwritten corrections by the author himself, is expected to fetch a minimum of $600,000. Lisman had acquired the page proofs for $545,100 in 2004, and the slight increase in price is meant to attract potential buyers. Additionally, a first edition of Whitman’s masterpiece, “Leaves of Grass,” accompanied by a letter from Ralph Waldo Emerson praising the book and its author, is expected to sell for $200,000. The “true first edition” of Melville’s renowned novel, “The Whale” (also known as “Moby-Dick”), is projected to reach at least $120,000.
Other noteworthy items include Peter Markoe’s 1787 spy novel, “The Algerine Spy in Pennsylvania,” which is expected to sell for no less than $10,000. Additionally, Susanna Rowson’s 1794 novel, “Charlotte. A Tale of Truth,” the first bestseller written by a woman in the US, is estimated to fetch at least $12,000. Moreover, Thomas Godfrey’s circa 1765 play, “The Prince of Parthia,” the first play both written and produced by an American, is expected to reach a minimum sale price of $1,000. The collection also comprises works from prominent authors like Emerson, Henry David Thoreau, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, Mark Twain, Harriet Beecher Stowe, Louisa May Alcott, Emily Dickinson, and more. (Read more auction stories.)
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