Books & Manuscripts Sale | 21 September 2026
Our upcoming Books & Manuscripts sale brings together a wonderfully varied selection of rare and collectable books, manuscripts and ephemera.
From a stunning collection of modern first editions including Fleming, Salinger, du Maurier and Christie to earlier rarities by Swift, Samuel Johnson and Dickens, there is plenty to interest book lovers.
Among the highlights is a particularly special set of A.A. Milne's four Pooh books: When We Were Very Young, Winnie-the-Pooh, Now We Are Six and The House at Pooh Corner. All four volumes are signed by Milne, with Winnie-the-Pooh inscribed by him. Three retain their original dust wrappers and the set is beautifully presented together in a custom-made case. Estimated at £12,000–15,000, it is an exceptional and rare presentation set.
Other literary highlights include a deluxe edition of Watership Down with a fore-edge painting, a deluxe Tolkien edition and an excellent selection of Sherlock Holmes first editions in fine bindings. The modern first edition section includes Daphne du Maurier's Rebecca, Salinger’s The Catcher in the Rye and Harper Lee’s To Kill A Mockingbird.
For James Bond enthusiasts, the sale offers an impressive selection of early Ian Fleming titles in their original dust wrappers, including Live and Let Die, a first edition, first impression with its scarce first-state dust jacket; Casino Royale with its first-issue dust jacket; and Moonraker, a first edition, first impression.
Earlier literary highlights include a first edition of Jonathan Swift's Gulliver's Travels from 1726, a first edition of Samuel Johnson's A Dictionary of the English Language from 1755, and a first edition of Dickens's The Posthumous Papers of the Pickwick Club in the original parts.
The sale also includes two fascinating early boxing books, including the rare 1788 work by Lemoine, offering an intriguing glimpse into the history of the sport.
In our autograph and manuscript section, a remarkable collection of autograph letters belonging to Victoria, Princess Royal, eldest child of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert, offers a very different insight into the 19th Century. More than 30 letters and related documents span over fifty years, providing an unusually personal glimpse into royal life, friendship, politics and family affairs.
Another rare archive of nearly 100 letters covers early 19th-century British politics, including letters from William Pitt the Younger and Viscount Althorp.
We look forward to welcoming you to Gorringes, in person or online, for what promises to be a particularly interesting and varied sale.
To stay up to date with news from our Books & Manuscripts department - Click here
Kate Harries, Books & Manuscripts Valuer, and Albert Radford, Junior Valuer - Books & Manuscripts, are on hand should you have any questions about any aspect of the sale. They can be contacted via clientservices@gorringes.co.uk.
