February 16, 2011
By Staff Reporter
A first edition of Joyce’s masterpiece, “Ulysses,” was sold for $460,500. That was well above the estimated value of between $200,000-$300,000.
“It was an incredible price the Joyce books sold really well,” said Christie’s spokeswoman Bendetta Roux.
The copy of “Ulysses,” one of a limited first edition of 100 copies, and one of only two in that batch signed by the author, was the highest selling book at a sale of international literary works that well surpassed expectation.
The “Ulysses” copy, on hand-made paper, was signed by Joyce 80 years ago, on Oct. 12, 1922. It was presented in Dijon, France, to Henry Kaeser, a publisher based in Lausanne, Switzerland.
It was purchased at last Friday’s a U.S. book dealer Glenn Horowitz.
Five other Joyce works went on the block at the auction and three of them well surpassed pre-auction estimates.
Another signed first edition of “Ulysses,” this one not on special paper, though in its original blue printed wrappers, sold for $119,000. It was estimated at between $70,000-$90,000.
This copy was signed by Joyce in Paris in 1922 and given to Louis Galantiere, and American writer and playwright. It was sold to an unnamed private collector.
Also sold was a signed 1914 first-edition copy of “Dubliners” in its original dust jacket. It was estimated at between $80,000-$120,000 but fetched $262,500 and was bought by an unnamed U.S. book dealer.
A signed first edition of “Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man,” valued $60,000-$80,000, sold for $89,625. The buyer was anonymous.
A 1907 first edition of Joyce’s first collection of poems, “Chamber Music,” inscribed to the author’s friend Vincent Cosgrave, was sold to an unnamed U.S. book dealer for $59,750. It had been valued at $30,000-$40,000.
A 1927 first edition of Joyce’s later poetry works, “Pomes Penyeach,” published by Shakespeare & Company, sold for just over $10,000, its estimated value. It was also purchased by an unnamed U.S. book dealer.