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There has been numerous intriguing items belonging to writers and fascinating books that have been put up for auction; from a rare, watercolour miniature of Jane Austen’s lost love Tom Lefroy to a dolls’ house decorated by Charlotte Brontë. Below are some of the most interesting auction sales bought by bibliophiles.
A lock of Jane Austen’s hair, £4800
An “in memoriam” locket featuring a lock of Jane Austen’s light brown hair was sold at Dominic Winter Auction House, near Cirencester, for nearly £5000. The curl of hair has been shaped into the symbol of mourning or resurrection, the weeping willow. Holybourne Rare Books of Alton in Hampshire bought the precious item on behalf of an anonymous fan of the Pride and Prejudice author. During the Victorian era, lockets and brooches containing locks of hair were very popular.
Virginia Woolf’s beach, £80,000
Upton Towans beach in Gwithian, Cornwall, considered by many as the inspiration behind Virginia Woolf’s To The Lighthouse, was sold for £30,000 more than the guide price after vigorous auction bidding. In Woolf’s childhood years she visited this Cornish coastland with her family on holidays. However, the buyer lacks complete control over the 30 hectare plot: the owner cannot build on it, dig it or prevent other people from using it. Richard Argles, director of auctioneers Colliers, believes that the chief pleasure of buying the land is simply being able to proudly announce ‘I own that’ significant plot of land.
John Keats’ love letter, £96,000
The final love letter from the poet, John Keats to his fiancée Frances Brawne was purchased from Bonhams auction house by the City of London corporation. Keats fell in love with Brawne when she became his next door neighbour. The pair never consummated their love due to the fact that Keats was suffering from the highly contagious illness, tuberculosis. He passionately wrote in his brief note: ‘I shall Kiss your name and mine where your Lips have been – Lips! Why should a poor prisoner as I am talk about such things’. Only a year after expressing these heartfelt words, the 25 year old poet died. 2 love letters from Brawne was buried with the Ode to a Nightingale poet. His friend, Joseph Severn, who was with him when he passed away believed that, ‘many of Keats’ letters contained quite as fine poetry as any of his actual poems’. The letter is permanently exhibited at Keats House in Hampstead, London.
Charles Dickens’ desk, £433,250
A desk and chair that is believed to have been used by Charles Dickens to pen his iconic work, Great Expectations, raised a considerable sum for London’s Great Ormond Street children’s hospital. A bronze plaque with the Victorian author’s name embellishes the mahogany desk. The two objects had been passed down to the author’s great-great-grandson Christopher Charles Dickens and his wife, Jeanne-Marie, Countess Wenckheim. The latter decided to donate the furniture to charity as the famous author was once the enthusiastic patron of Great Ormond Street hospital. The Irish entrepreneur who bought the novelist’s possessions described his purchase as a ‘bargain’ to own a slice of literary history.
John James Audubon’s Birds of America, £7,321,250
In December 2010, John James Audubon’s magnificent, four volume copy of Birds of America was proclaimed as the world’s most expensive book. The 1827 masterpiece was bought at Sotheby’s by London book dealer Michael Tollemache, who has declared the collection of bird paintings as ‘priceless’. The elephantine book measures 39 inches by 26 inches and contains 1000 life-size depictions of nearly 500 different breeds of birds. Sadly, a great number of the birds he painted are now extinct, like the passenger pigeon. Audubon devoted 12 years in total to producing this beautiful work of art. The book that influenced Charles Darwin is incredibly rare, with only 119 copies in existence.
Emily Cleaver
Emily Cleaver is Litro's Online Editor. She is passionate about short stories and writes, reads and reviews them. Her own stories have been published in the London Lies anthology from Arachne Press, Paraxis, .Cent, The Mechanics’ Institute Review, One Eye Grey, and Smoke magazines, performed to audiences at Liars League, Stand Up Tragedy, WritLOUD, Tales of the Decongested and Spark London and broadcasted on Resonance FM and Pagan Radio. As a former manager of one of London’s oldest second-hand bookshops, she also blogs about old and obscure books. You can read her tiny true dramas about working in a secondhand bookshop at smallplays.com and see more of her writing at emilycleaver.net.
