A very rare first edition and author’s presentation copy of Charles Darwin’s groundbreaking work, “On the Origin of Species,” fetched an astonishing £305,200 ($384,000) at Bonhams Fine Books and Manuscripts Sale held on March 20, 2024. This price surpassed its initial estimate by over double, marking a significant moment in literary auction history. The auction saw a total sale of £1,308,337 ($1,648,000), with an impressive 93% of the lots sold by volume and an astounding 99% sold by value.

Darwin’s seminal work on evolution, first published in 1859, was limited to just 1,250 copies. Among these, an esteemed few were presented by Darwin himself to individuals he held in high regard. One such recipient was Dr. Hugh Weddell, a distinguished British-born botanist and physician. The manuscript list of persons to receive copies of the first edition of “On the Origin of Species,” compiled by Darwin between August and October 1859, included Dr. Weddell’s name.

Matthew Haley, Managing Director and Head of UK Books & Manuscripts at Bonhams Knightsbridge, expressed his delight at the remarkable outcome of the auction. “We are absolutely delighted with this result,” he said. “The interest in this edition is not surprising given only a few dozen copies were presented by Darwin to his circle. This book is regarded as one of the most important scientific works in history.”

Aside from the success of Darwin’s work, the auction also featured noteworthy results for pieces by Argentinian short-story writer, Jorge Luis Borges. An autograph manuscript of Borges’s short story ‘Funes el memorioso’, circa 1942, fetched an impressive £70,250, over 14 times its estimated value. Similarly, Borges’s annotated copy of the first edition of “The Aleph” from 1949 sold for £35,840, surpassing its estimate by over eight times.

Among other highlights of the auction were a cabinet portrait photograph of Fyodor Dostoevsky signed and inscribed by the author himself, which sold for £76,600, over double its estimate. Additionally, a Māori Land Transaction document signed by fifteen Māori chiefs from September 1826, representing an early attempt at the colonisation of New Zealand, fetched £53,740.

Also featured was an uncorrected proof copy of the first edition of J.K. Rowling’s “Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone,” inscribed and signed by the author, which sold for £35,840. An illuminated manuscript titled “Recueil de pieuses prières” by Ferdinand and Charles De Pape, dated 1908, sold for the same amount, representing an exquisite example of neo-medieval illumination.

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