Profile bust portrait of Charles Darwin, signed by Cameron. London: Colnaghi, 1868

The great Darwin portrait, Julia Margaret Cameron’s 1868 profile of Darwin is probably the most famous photograph of a 19th-century scientist. Darwin remarked, “I like this photograph very much better than any other which has been taken of me.”

$52,000

Moby-Dick; or, the Whale. New York: Harper, 1851

FIRST AMERICAN EDITION. From Jonah to Jaws, the Great Fish stories have fascinated readers for thousands of years. Melville’s masterpiece is perhaps the foremost of these tales.

$42,000

Autograph letter signed to his sister [together with] “To the Sun-Set Breeze” Original printer’s proof, signed by Whitman.. Camden, 1890; 29 June 1891

In this fine, warm letter to his sister, Whitman writes, “Love to you sister dear. The day has got along & I have just time to hurry this off to catch this evng’s mail. Much the same with me— hot wave here again. Am anchor’d here at my window as usual. 2 enc’d.” The latter comment may refer to Whitman’s enclosure of the accompanying broadside (see next item). Several well-known photographs capture Whitman in his final years seated at his window at a table overflowing with his papers.

$40,000

The Complete Writings. New York: G. P. Putnam’s Sons, 1902

First edition of “the first comprehensive collection of Whitman’s work.” This is the rare deluxe issue printed on Japan vellum, number 2 of only 10 such sets, in the magnificent original morocco binding.

$38,000

A Christmas Carol and the other Christmas Books. London: Chapman and Hall [and Bradbury and Evans], 1843-1848

FIRST EDITIONS of all five Dickens Christmas books, including the first issue of A Christmas Carol.

$37,500

Flowers from My Garden. Sketched and Painted from Nature. [New York], [1864]

FIRST EDITION, a unique pre-publication copy with 18 fine watercolors, the original art used as the basis for the lithographs in the published edition.

$37,500

Tender is the Night. New York: Scribner’s, 1934

FIRST EDITION, the extremely rare advance issue in wrappers.

$35,000

Original drawing, “3rd Stage Satellite Vehicle (landed),” signed and dated 1952.. Huntsville, Alabama, 1952

This is an original signed drawing of a space ship by Wernher von Braun. The father of the American space program, Von Braun made this drawing for the epochal series “Man will Conquer Space Soon.” This publication played a central role in inspiring a generation of American rocket scientists and convincing the American public of the possibility of space exploration.

$35,000

Armstrong and Aldrin raising the U.S. flag on the Moon’s surface. NASA, [1969]

Signed by Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin, the first two men on the Moon. This image was taken by the Maurer Data Acquisition Camera (DAC, pronounced “dak”). The DAC made films through the Lunar Module Pilot’s window during the approach and landing of the LM and took stop motion photographs during the EVA at the rate of one frame per second.

$32,000

Apollo 11 Philatelic Cover signed by Neil Armstrong, Michael Collins, and Buzz Aldrin. [Houston], 1969

Signed by the crew of Apollo 11, the first manned mission to the Moon: Neil Armstrong (commander), Buzz Aldrin (lunar module pilot), and Michael Collins (command module pilot). From the collection of Neil Armstrong.

$32,000