Chiswick Auctions’ March Books & Works on Paper sale presents a rich and varied catalogue spanning exploration, natural history, caricature, India, fine bindings and modern first editions.
Including six original works by one of Britain’s best-loved cartoonists, Carl Ronald Giles, all gifted to Harold Keeble, an editor at the Sunday Express. Foremost is the cover artwork for the ninth series Giles Annual, 1954-55, featuring the Giles family and the infamous ‘Grandma’. Another, depicting the Daily Mail office, is still wrapped in its original labelled parcel paper.
![Giles [Carl Ronald Giles O. B. E.] Cover artwork for the Giles Annual, 1955](https://chiswick.blob.core.windows.net/main/267053-0-medium.jpg)
Giles [Carl Ronald Giles O. B. E.] Cover artwork for the Giles Annual, 1955, Estimate £6,000 - £8,000
The India section is particularly strong, building on recent successes in the category. It is led by an album of forty original drawings executed during the Indian Mutiny by Lt. R. S. Gray of the Bengal Native Infantry. Complementing this are works including The Complete Hindoo Pantheon (Madras, 1842) and an evocative mid-19th century watercolour of Tirmula Nayak’s Palace, Madurai, reflecting the breadth and historical depth of the material.
![Tirmula Nayak's Palace at Madurai. watercolour [Madura, c. 1850]](https://chiswick.blob.core.windows.net/main/265809-1-medium.jpg)
Tirmula Nayak's Palace at Madurai. watercolour [Madura, c. 1850], Estimate £5,000 - £7,000
Exploration and early travel are represented by Captain Edward Cooke’s 1712 Voyage to the South Sea, recounting the story of Alexander Selkirk, widely regarded as the inspiration for Robinson Crusoe. Also featured is Lane’s 1811 Celestial Globe, preserved in its original shagreen case.
Cooke. Voyage to the South Sea, 2 vol. 1712, Estimate £1,800 - £2,200
Lane’s Celestial Globe, 1811,Estimate £600 - £800
The modern first editions section includes an inscribed second printing of Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone by J. K. Rowling, alongside first editions such as Animal Farm by George Orwell and signed limited editions of works by A. A. Milne.
Rowling. Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone. Inscribed. Estimate £6,000 - £8,000
Orwell. Animal Farm, 1st ed. 1st iss. 1945, Estimate £2,000 - £3,000
From 18th-century satire by James Gillray to polar photography and fine bindings, the sale offers opportunities across a wide range of collecting categories.
Viewing exclusively at 1 Roslin Square, W3 8DH:
Monday 9 March 10:00 - 17:00
Tuesday 10 March 10:00 - 17:00
Wednesday 11 March 10:00 - 18:00
Bidding is available online and in person.
View the catalogue and register to bid online.
Our specialists provide confidential, no-obligation valuations for rare books, manuscripts, works on paper and archival material. Whether you are considering the sale of a single volume or an entire collection, we would be pleased to advise.
clive.moss@chiswickauctions.co.uk
Or submit your item via our Online Valuation Form