The Library Collection: 5 May 2026
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The "Library Collection" for 5 May includes a diverse array of vintage and collectible titles that extend beyond academic reference works. This auction features beautifully preserved vintage children’s classics, including titles from the Noddy and Famous Five series, alongside illustrated natural history volumes and retro hobbyist guides. Whether you are looking for nostalgic childhood favorites, decorative leather-bound editions, or mid-century practical manuals, this selection offers a charming variety of literary treasures for every type of collector. Auction Details: This is an online timed auction. Browse the digital catalogue and place your bids today to secure a piece of history. • Bidding Closes: Tuesday, 5 May 2026, from 8:00 pm (Staggered) Important Closing Information: • Staggered Closing: To ensure a smooth experience, items conclude every 30 seconds. • The 2-Minute Rule: Any bid placed in the last moments adds 2 minutes to that specific item’s clock—no sniping, just fair play. • Fair Play: Bidding stays open as long as people are actively bidding. Buyer’s Commission: • EFT & Cash Payments: 10% of the final hammer price. • Card & Online Payments: 13.5% of the final hammer price.
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Auction ends: May 05, 2026 20:00
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Auction registration closes: May 05, 2026 21:00
Auction starts: May 01, 2026 20:45
Auction venue: Cowboy Town, 1 McLean Str, West Village, Krugersdorp, Gauteng, South Africa
Currency: ZAR
Bidding Extension (Lot level)
2 minutes
Buyer's premium rate: 10%
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This vintage hardcover is the official literary tie-in to the 1949 Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Technicolor film Challenge to Lassie, which was based on the classic novel Greyfriars Bobby by Eleanor Atkinson. Published by Ward, Lock & Co., the book features 8 vibrant full-color plates and 80 black-and-white illustrations, including many film stills featuring the famous canine star. The story follows the legendary loyalty of a dog in Scotland, capturing the heart-warming themes that made Lassie a global cultural icon during the mid-20th century. The book is in fair vintage condition, with significant scuffing and edge wear to the pictorial boards, some fraying at the spine, and a small tear on the front cover. Internally, the pages show light toning consistent with age, but the color plates remain bright and the binding is intact.
98 Caro: The Fatal Passion – Henry Blyth (1972)
Per lot
This 1972 first edition biography, published by Rupert Hart-Davis Ltd, provides a compelling account of the life of Lady Caroline Lamb, a figure famously associated with Lord Byron and remembered for her "mad, bad, and dangerous to know" reputation. Author Henry Blyth explores her tempestuous marriage to William Lamb and the scandalous romantic entanglements that defined her place in Regency society, featuring unique sketches drawn by Caroline herself. The book serves as a vivid exploration of the passions and social pressures of the early 19th-century British aristocracy. The copy is in good vintage condition with its original dust jacket, which shows some chipping and a notable tear at the bottom front edge; the interior pages are clean and the binding remains firm.
This antique volume features a curated collection of works by Charles Kingsley, the prominent Victorian novelist, university professor, and social reformer best known for The Water-Babies and Westward Ho!. Published by Macmillan & Co. in London, the book includes a frontispiece portrait of Kingsley engraved by C.H. Jeens from a photograph. The interior exhibits foxing and age-toning, particularly to the title and portrait pages, while the exterior blue cloth binding shows wear, including frayed corners and a partially detached spine.
This volume is a 1980 reprint of the rare 1817 work by Arthur Clifford, an antiquary known for his extensive research into the historical and genealogical records of the Clifford family. The book is organized into three distinct sections: anecdotes of illustrious figures sharing the Clifford name, detailed historical and genealogical notices regarding the family's origins, and a five-act tragedy titled Clifford. It serves as a significant genealogical resource for those researching English nobility and the Clifford lineage. This copy is in good overall condition, featuring a clean cream-colored dust jacket with a portrait of Lady Anne Clifford on the front; the internal pages are crisp and the binding remains tight, with only minor shelf wear and light foxing visible on the title page.
Written by the renowned historian and polymath Lisa Jardine, this compelling work examines the 1584 murder of William I, Prince of Orange, identifying it as the first assassination of a head of state by a handgun. Jardine expertly weaves together political intrigue, the rise of firearms, and the religious tensions of the Dutch Revolt to show how this single event reshaped European history. This Harper Perennial paperback edition is in very good condition, featuring a striking illustrated cover with minimal edge wear; the internal pages are clean, bright, and securely bound, showing no significant marks or creases beyond very light natural toning to the page edges.
This notable 1911 first edition features three social dramas by the French playwright Eugène Brieux—Maternity, The Three Daughters of M. Dupont, and Damaged Goods—translated into English by Mrs. Bernard Shaw, St. John Hankin, and John Pollock. The volume is most significant for its lengthy and influential 45-page preface by George Bernard Shaw, who championed Brieux as the most important dramatist in Europe following Ibsen for his courageous exploration of domestic and social taboos. This copy is an ex-library volume from the Glasgow Public Libraries, as evidenced by the stamps on the title page and frontispiece. The tan cloth boards show noticeable shelf wear, bumping to the corners, and some fraying at the spine ends, while the interior remains generally intact with light foxing and a tissue-guarded portrait of Brieux that has caused some ghosting on the opposite page.
This classic novella by Paul Gallico is a poignant tale of solitude, friendship, and heroism set against the desolate Essex marshes and the evacuation of Dunkirk during World War II. It tells the story of Philip Rhayader, a lonely artist living in a lighthouse, and a young girl named Fritha who bond over the rescue of a wounded snow goose. Gallico, a prolific American novelist and sportswriter, achieved international acclaim with this work, which has since become a symbol of regenerative hope and wartime sacrifice. This particular copy is a sixth impression, published in September 1942, just ten months after the original release. The book is in good vintage condition with its original yellow cloth boards showing some age-related soiling and light bumping to the corners. The interior pages are printed on antique wove paper and remain clean and legible.
104 Godiva Durleigh by Sarah Doudney
Per lot
This charming late 19th-century novel is the work of Sarah Doudney, a prolific and popular Victorian author best known for her sentimental fiction and hymns. Published by Hutchinson & Co., the story is a characteristic example of Victorian domestic fiction, often focusing on themes of resilience and moral fortitude. The book features a beautiful decorative blue cloth cover with a vibrant pink floral motif and gilded accents, typical of the era's ornate publishing style. This copy includes a black-and-white frontispiece illustration and is in good vintage condition; the binding is firm, though there is visible rubbing to the edges, bumping at the corners, and some minor scuffing on the front board. The interior pages show light natural toning but remain clean and free from major inscriptions or tears.
This scholarly Dutch work, titled Literature of Ancient Israel, is a comprehensive introduction to the texts of the Old Testament, the Apocrypha, and the Dead Sea Scrolls. Written by two eminent theologians and Semitic language scholars, Dr. Theodorus Christiaan Vriezen and Dr. Adam Simon van der Woude, the book remains a respected academic resource for its analysis of the historical and cultural context of ancient Semitic writings. This 1980 edition features a sturdy green cloth hardcover with elegant gold-leaf lettering on the front and spine. The book is in very good condition with a strong, tight binding and clean internal pages that appear free of highlighting or marginalia; the exterior shows only minimal shelf wear to the edges and corners, making it a well-preserved copy for collectors of theological or historical literature.
Published by George G. Harrap & Co., this engaging work by the prolific British historian and poet Dorothy Margaret Stuart offers a panoramic survey of global cultures and landscapes, from China and Japan to "Eskimo-Land" and the South Sea Islands. Stuart, widely respected for her ability to make history and geography accessible to a general audience, fills the volume with detailed cultural observations and numerous black-and-white illustrations that capture the world as seen in the interwar period. This 1927 reprint is in fair to good condition; while the interior pages remain generally clean with some light foxing and natural toning, the external binding shows wear, including scuffing and loss to the illustrated spine label and cloth boards, though the unique world map plate on the front cover remains largely intact.
This vintage instructional manual, published by Sir Isaac Pitman & Sons, Ltd., serves as a comprehensive guide to the stenographic system that revolutionized modern office work. Released to mark the 100th anniversary of Isaac Pitman’s 1837 invention, the "New Course" offers a refined approach to the phonetic-based shorthand method used globally by reporters and secretaries throughout the 20th century. The book features a vibrant orange cloth-bound cover with clean typography and remains a significant piece of social and educational history. Internally, the pages are remarkably clean and well-preserved, showing minimal toning for their age; however, the exterior displays noticeable shelf wear, including fraying at the spine head and corners, and some light staining on the front board.
108 Grimms' Fairy Tales - Illustrated Edition
Per lot
This charming volume features a selection of the beloved folklore collected by Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm, whose 19th-century scholarly research preserved traditional German oral storytelling for generations. Based on the celebrated Marion Edwardes translation, this edition includes vibrant full-page color illustrations that bring classic tales like "Jack My Hedgehog" to life. The book is bound in a distinctive purple and tan patterned cloth cover with a central title block. Regarding condition, the volume shows significant age-related wear, including rubbing and fraying along the spine and corners, as well as some light foxing and handling marks to the internal pages, though the text and illustrations remain clear and legible.
109 Emily Climbs by L. M. Montgomery
Per lot
This 1937 reprint by George G. Harrap & Co. is the second installment in the beloved Emily of New Moon trilogy by Lucy Maud Montgomery, the celebrated Canadian author of Anne of Green Gables. The novel follows the coming-of-age of Emily Byrd Starr as she navigates high school in Shrewsbury and pursues her dreams of becoming a writer, a character often considered Montgomery's most autobiographical creation. Bound in its original green cloth with black stamped lettering, this copy shows moderate shelf wear, including rubbing to the boards, sunning to the spine, and minor fraying at the head and foot. The interior remains generally clean with some light age-toning and a few faint foxing spots on the preliminary pages, but the binding remains secure.
First published in 1941, this classic instructional guide by Aaron Sussman became a definitive resource for photography enthusiasts, going through numerous revisions to keep pace with evolving technology. This Eighth Revised Edition provides a comprehensive look at mid-century photographic techniques, covering everything from composition and lighting to darkroom processes, illustrated with both striking color plates and instructional black-and-white photography. Sussman, a renowned expert and co-founder of a major advertising firm, wrote with a practical, accessible style that catered to hobbyists seeking professional results. The book is bound in a sturdy navy blue buckram cloth which remains in good condition, showing only minor shelf wear and light bumping to the corners. The interior pages are clean and bright, with the color illustrations remaining particularly vivid and the binding tight and secure.
Co-authored by Robert Bauval and Graham Hancock, this 1996 first edition explores controversial pseudo-archaeological theories regarding the origins of ancient Egyptian civilization, specifically focusing on the Great Sphinx and the Pyramids of Giza. Bauval, a Belgian writer and engineer known for the Orion Correlation Theory, and Hancock, a prominent British journalist and author of Fingerprints of the Gods, argue that these monuments are far older than traditional Egyptology suggests, serving as a vast "astronomical map" left by a lost precursor civilization. This hardback copy, published by William Heinemann Ltd, presents in fair to good condition; while the binding remains firm and the text is unmarked, there is water staining and rippling visible along the top edges of the preliminary pages, and the dust jacket shows some light edge wear and scuffing.
112 My Lady Scandalous by Jo Manning
Per lot
This engaging biography, published by Simon & Schuster in 2005, chronicles the sensational life of Grace Dalrymple Elliott, a prominent Scottish courtesan who navigated the highest social circles of Georgian England and Revolutionary France. Author Jo Manning, an archival researcher and librarian, masterfully details Elliott’s high-profile liaisons with figures like the Prince of Wales and the Duke of Orléans, as well as her harrowing experiences imprisoned during the Reign of Terror. The book is an excellent resource for those interested in 18th-century social history and the lives of women who defied societal norms. This first edition hardback is in very good condition, featuring a crisp dust jacket with only minor surface scuffing at the top right corner. The binding is tight, the cloth boards are clean, and the interior pages—which include numerous black-and-white illustrations and genealogical tables—remain bright and unmarked.
113 Great Men of South Africa by R. Johnston
Per lot
This historical biographical survey, published in 1944 by the South African Publishing Co. Ltd., highlights the lives and legacies of significant figures who shaped South African history, including Jan van Riebeeck, Simon van der Stel, and Paul Kruger. Written by R. Johnston, the volume serves as a mid-20th-century educational record of the nation’s political and social development, illustrated with portrait plates and historical narratives. This hardback edition is bound in its original blue cloth with black stamped lettering and presents in fair condition; the boards show significant shelf wear, mottled staining, and fading, particularly along the spine. Internally, the pages are tanned with some foxing and occasional handling marks, but the text remains clear and the binding is secure.
114 The Complete Works of William Shakespeare
Per lot
This comprehensive volume, published by Gawthorn Press Ltd., gathers the timeless plays and sonnets of William Shakespeare, widely regarded as the greatest dramatist in the English language. This particular edition features a classic mid-century binding and includes a scholarly introduction and a helpful glossary, making it a functional reference for students and collectors of literature alike. The book is bound in a durable maroon cloth with gold gilt lettering on the spine, which remains bright. In terms of condition, the volume is in good used shape; there is minor bumping to the corners and light shelf wear to the edges of the boards. The interior pages are clean and well-preserved with a firm binding, though the top edge of the text block shows light dust spotting consistent with age.
This 1943 wartime memoir by the esteemed British publisher Michael Joseph is a touching tribute to his thirteen-year companionship with his Siamese cat, Charles. A notable example of the "Book Production War Economy Standard," the volume features specialized thin paper and typography mandated during WWII and is enriched with several charming black-and-white photographic plates of the author's feline friends. The book is in good vintage condition, showing expected shelf wear and fading to the red cloth spine, while the interior remains secure with light age-toning and foxing consistent with the paper quality of the era.
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