The Library of Barry Humphries
Wednesday 26th March 2025 | 1:00 pm | Lots:
Forum Auctions presents The Library of Barry Humphries. The sale will feature a remarkable array of books, manuscripts, works on paper and objects from the extensive library of the legendary comedian, actor, author, and satirist Barry Humphries (1934-2023). For any enquiries, please contact info@forumauctions.co.uk
LOT 1
Thicknesse (Philip) Useful Hints to those who make the Tour of France..., first edition,...
Estimate: £400 - £600
Hammer Price: £650
LOT 2
Beckford (William) Biographical Memoirs of Extraordinary Painters, first edition, the author's...
Estimate: £400 - £600
Hammer Price: £900
![Beckford (William) [Vathek] An Arabian Tale, first (but unauthorised) edition, Lady Caroline Lamb's copy with her signature and notes, 1786](https://am-s3-bucket-assets.s3.eu-west-2.amazonaws.com/forum/prod/lot_images/medium/316b4320-10ea-ef11-9345-6045bdd0c92e/f4a3565f-f0f5-ef11-9345-6045bd122cb8.webp "Beckford (William) [Vathek] An Arabian Tale, first (but unauthorised) edition, Lady Caroline Lamb's copy with her signature and notes, 1786")
LOT 3
Beckford (William) [Vathek] An Arabian Tale, first (but unauthorised) edition, Lady Caroline...
Estimate: £2,000 - £3,000
Hammer Price: £8,000
![[Beckford (William)] [Vathek] An Arabian Tale..., first (but unauthorised) edition, later red straight-grain morocco, gilt, by Roger de Coverly & Sons in s](https://am-s3-bucket-assets.s3.eu-west-2.amazonaws.com/forum/prod/lot_images/medium/89926bc5-f4e9-ef11-9345-6045bdd0c92e/ba0d3205-1ef5-ef11-9345-6045bd122cb8.webp "[Beckford (William)] [Vathek] An Arabian Tale..., first (but unauthorised) edition, later red straight-grain morocco, gilt, by Roger de Coverly & Sons in s")
LOT 4
[Beckford (William)] [Vathek] An Arabian Tale..., first (but unauthorised) edition, later red...
Estimate: £1,200 - £1,800
Hammer Price: £2,200
LOT 5
Beckford (William) Vathek, Conte Arabe, early French edition, Paris, Poinçot, 1787
Estimate: £600 - £800
Hammer Price: £600
LOT 6
Beckford (William) Vathek, fourth edition, the author's copy with pencil notes in his hand, 1823
Estimate: £2,000 - £3,000
Hammer Price: £6,500
LOT 7
Beckford (William) Modern Novel Writing, or the Elegant Enthusiast..., 2 vol. in 1, first...
Estimate: £4,000 - £6,000
Hammer Price: £4,200
![[Beckford (William)] Azemia: A Descriptive Novel...By Jacquetta Agneta Mariana Jenks, 2 vol., first edition, 1797](https://am-s3-bucket-assets.s3.eu-west-2.amazonaws.com/forum/prod/lot_images/medium/c4edfa59-32e9-ef11-9345-6045bd127f5f/01ad5a5f-24f5-ef11-9345-6045bd122cb8.webp "[Beckford (William)] Azemia: A Descriptive Novel...By Jacquetta Agneta Mariana Jenks, 2 vol., first edition, 1797")
LOT 8
[Beckford (William)] Azemia: A Descriptive Novel...By Jacquetta Agneta Mariana Jenks, 2 vol.,...
Estimate: £4,000 - £6,000
Hammer Price: £7,000
![[Beckford (William)] The Story of Al Raoui, a Tale from the Arabic, first edition, original boards, C.Whittingham for C.Geisweiler, 1799 & Recollections of](https://am-s3-bucket-assets.s3.eu-west-2.amazonaws.com/forum/prod/lot_images/medium/15948d2b-ceee-ef11-9345-6045bdf24d13/d260eb4e-1ef5-ef11-9345-6045bd122cb8.webp "[Beckford (William)] The Story of Al Raoui, a Tale from the Arabic, first edition, original boards, C.Whittingham for C.Geisweiler, 1799 & Recollections of")
LOT 9
[Beckford (William)] The Story of Al Raoui, a Tale from the Arabic, first edition, original...
Estimate: £600 - £800
Hammer Price: £800
LOT 10
Beckford (William) Italy; with Sketches of Spain and Portugal, 2 vol., first edition, with...
Estimate: £600 - £800
Hammer Price: £1,300
LOT 11
Beckford (William).- Irving (David) Memoirs of the Life and Writings of George Buchanan, first...
Estimate: £2,000 - £3,000
Hammer Price: £8,000
LOT 12
Beckford (William).- Dalrymple (Sir David, Lord Hailes) An Inquiry into the Secondary Causes...
Estimate: £2,000 - £3,000
Hammer Price: £2,000
LOT 13
Beckford (William).- Alison (Archibald) & P.F.Tytler. Travels in France, during the years...
Estimate: £2,000 - £3,000
Hammer Price: £2,000
LOT 14
Beckford (William).- Sheppard (John) Letters, descriptive of a Tour through some parts of...
Estimate: £2,000 - £3,000
Hammer Price: £5,500
LOT 15
Beckford (William).- Rogers (Samuel) Human Life, a Poem, second edition, William Beckford's copy...
Estimate: £2,000 - £3,000
Hammer Price: £8,000
LOT 16
Beckford (William).- Rutter (John) Delineations of Fonthill and its Abbey, first edition, large...
Estimate: £750 - £1,000
Hammer Price: Unsold
![Beckford (William).- [Sale Catalogue] The Valuable Library of Books in Fonthill Abbey, Phillips, 1823](https://am-s3-bucket-assets.s3.eu-west-2.amazonaws.com/forum/prod/lot_images/medium/ea9092ad-37ea-ef11-9345-6045bdd0c92e/abf5520b-1ef5-ef11-9345-6045bd122cb8.webp "Beckford (William).- [Sale Catalogue] The Valuable Library of Books in Fonthill Abbey, Phillips, 1823")
LOT 17
Beckford (William).- [Sale Catalogue] The Valuable Library of Books in Fonthill Abbey, Phillips,...
Estimate: £600 - £800
Hammer Price: £600
![Beckford (William).- Hamilton (Alexander, 10th Duke) [Sale Catalogue] Catalogue of the Collection of Pictures, Works of Art, and Decorative Objects..., 5 parts](https://am-s3-bucket-assets.s3.eu-west-2.amazonaws.com/forum/prod/lot_images/medium/8b37cca6-d8ee-ef11-9345-6045bdf24d13/e060eb4e-1ef5-ef11-9345-6045bd122cb8.webp "Beckford (William).- Hamilton (Alexander, 10th Duke) [Sale Catalogue] Catalogue of the Collection of Pictures, Works of Art, and Decorative Objects..., 5 parts")
LOT 18
Beckford (William).- Hamilton (Alexander, 10th Duke) [Sale Catalogue] Catalogue of the...
Estimate: £500 - £700
Hammer Price: £500
![Beckford (William).- [Lansdown (Henry Venn)] Recollections of the late William Beckford..., first edition, one of 100 copies, original cloth, privately printed](https://am-s3-bucket-assets.s3.eu-west-2.amazonaws.com/forum/prod/lot_images/medium/766ef3a7-d3ee-ef11-9345-6045bdf24d13/d760eb4e-1ef5-ef11-9345-6045bd122cb8.webp "Beckford (William).- [Lansdown (Henry Venn)] Recollections of the late William Beckford..., first edition, one of 100 copies, original cloth, privately printed")
LOT 19
Beckford (William).- [Lansdown (Henry Venn)] Recollections of the late William Beckford...,...
Estimate: £400 - £600
Hammer Price: £750
LOT 20
Radcliffe (Ann) A Sicilian Romance, 2 vol., first edition, T. Hookham, 1790
Estimate: £1,500 - £2,000
Hammer Price: £7,000
![[Radcliffe (Ann)] The Romance Of The Forest: Interspersed With Some Pieces Of Poetry, 3 vol., first edition, T. Hookham and J. Carpenter, 1791](https://am-s3-bucket-assets.s3.eu-west-2.amazonaws.com/forum/prod/lot_images/medium/bc2f8946-0cdf-ef11-9344-0022483f966f/21bba0c9-2cf8-ef11-9346-7c1e52039490.webp "[Radcliffe (Ann)] The Romance Of The Forest: Interspersed With Some Pieces Of Poetry, 3 vol., first edition, T. Hookham and J. Carpenter, 1791")
LOT 21
[Radcliffe (Ann)] The Romance Of The Forest: Interspersed With Some Pieces Of Poetry, 3 vol.,...
Estimate: £1,000 - £1,500
Hammer Price: £2,200
LOT 22
Lewis (Matthew Gregory) The Monk: a Romance, 3 vol. third edition, first issue, for J. Bell, 1797
Estimate: £750 - £1,000
Hammer Price: £750
LOT 23
Lewis (Matthew Gregory) Romantic Tales, 4 vol., first edition, Horatia Nelson's copy, Longman,...
Estimate: £500 - £700
Hammer Price: £1,100
![[Maturin (Charles Robert)],](https://am-s3-bucket-assets.s3.eu-west-2.amazonaws.com/forum/prod/lot_images/medium/f7bcf3c3-59de-ef11-9344-0022484258d0/b560eb4e-1ef5-ef11-9345-6045bd122cb8.webp "[Maturin (Charles Robert)],")
LOT 24
[Maturin (Charles Robert)], "Dennis Jasper Murphy". Fatal Revenge; Or, The Family of Montorio. A...
Estimate: £1,000 - £1,500
Hammer Price: £3,500
![Utterson (Sarah Elizabeth) Tales of the Dead, first edition, [by S. Hamilton] for White, Cochrane, and Co., 1813](https://am-s3-bucket-assets.s3.eu-west-2.amazonaws.com/forum/prod/lot_images/medium/9ae1211c-aedc-ef11-9344-6045bd141d73/d2cb9623-1ef5-ef11-9345-6045bd122cb8.webp "Utterson (Sarah Elizabeth) Tales of the Dead, first edition, [by S. Hamilton] for White, Cochrane, and Co., 1813")
LOT 25
Utterson (Sarah Elizabeth) Tales of the Dead, first edition, [by S. Hamilton] for White,...
Estimate: £1,000 - £1,500
Hammer Price: £2,400
LOT 26
Famous hoax.- Caraboo: A Narrative of a Singular Imposition, practised upon the Benevolence of a...
Estimate: £500 - £700
Hammer Price: £500
LOT 27
Poesias Eroticas Escolhidas, 4 finely-engraved plates depicting well-endowed monks at play,...
Estimate: £750 - £1,000
Hammer Price: £1,100
![[Polidori (John)] The Vampyre; A Tale, first edition, third issue, 1819](https://am-s3-bucket-assets.s3.eu-west-2.amazonaws.com/forum/prod/lot_images/medium/86f4d45d-4be2-ef11-9345-7c1e52792355/1e4bc87f-1ef5-ef11-9345-6045bd122cb8.webp "[Polidori (John)] The Vampyre; A Tale, first edition, third issue, 1819")
LOT 28
[Polidori (John)] The Vampyre; A Tale, first edition, third issue, 1819
Estimate: £1,500 - £2,000
Hammer Price: £2,400
![[De Quincey (Thomas)] Confessions of an English Opium-Eater, first edition, ink presentation inscription](https://am-s3-bucket-assets.s3.eu-west-2.amazonaws.com/forum/prod/lot_images/medium/6b92a225-a3e4-ef11-9345-7c1e527a034b/888069aa-1ef5-ef11-9345-6045bd122cb8.webp "[De Quincey (Thomas)] Confessions of an English Opium-Eater, first edition, ink presentation inscription")
LOT 29
[De Quincey (Thomas)] Confessions of an English Opium-Eater, first edition, ink presentation...
Estimate: £1,500 - £2,000
Hammer Price: £2,200
LOT 30
Ghost Stories; Collected with a Particular View to Counteract the Vulgar Belief in Ghosts and...
Estimate: £400 - £600
Hammer Price: £650
![Morier (Sir James Justinian) [The complete prose fiction], 24 vol., first editions, 4 works signed or inscribed by the author, Richard Bentley, 1824-47](https://am-s3-bucket-assets.s3.eu-west-2.amazonaws.com/forum/prod/lot_images/medium/1d00ec8f-8be4-ef11-9345-7c1e527a034b/b9175598-1ef5-ef11-9345-6045bd122cb8.webp "Morier (Sir James Justinian) [The complete prose fiction], 24 vol., first editions, 4 works signed or inscribed by the author, Richard Bentley, 1824-47")
LOT 31
Morier (Sir James Justinian) [The complete prose fiction], 24 vol., first editions, 4 works...
Estimate: £3,000 - £4,000
Hammer Price: £3,000
![[Hogg (James)] The Private Memoirs and Confessions of a Justified Sinner, first edition, original boards, the John Sparrow copy, Hurst, Rees, Orme, Brown, and](https://am-s3-bucket-assets.s3.eu-west-2.amazonaws.com/forum/prod/lot_images/medium/ccdca618-a3e4-ef11-9345-7c1e527a034b/76f572a4-1ef5-ef11-9345-6045bd122cb8.webp "[Hogg (James)] The Private Memoirs and Confessions of a Justified Sinner, first edition, original boards, the John Sparrow copy, Hurst, Rees, Orme, Brown, and")
LOT 32
[Hogg (James)] The Private Memoirs and Confessions of a Justified Sinner, first edition,...
Estimate: £4,000 - £6,000
Hammer Price: £6,200
![[Hoffmann (Ernst Theodor Amadeus)] Specimens of German Romance, 3 vol., Geo. B. Whittaker, 1826](https://am-s3-bucket-assets.s3.eu-west-2.amazonaws.com/forum/prod/lot_images/medium/c1bb5c12-a3e4-ef11-9345-7c1e527a034b/eafc699e-1ef5-ef11-9345-6045bd122cb8.webp "[Hoffmann (Ernst Theodor Amadeus)] Specimens of German Romance, 3 vol., Geo. B. Whittaker, 1826")
LOT 33
[Hoffmann (Ernst Theodor Amadeus)] Specimens of German Romance, 3 vol., Geo. B. Whittaker, 1826
Estimate: £400 - £600
Hammer Price: £850
![Pushkin (Alexander) The Talisman... with other pieces, [translated by George Borrow], first edition of the first English translation of Pushkin's works, [one o](https://am-s3-bucket-assets.s3.eu-west-2.amazonaws.com/forum/prod/lot_images/medium/1661d09d-95dc-ef11-9344-6045bd141d73/b5389a17-1ef5-ef11-9345-6045bd122cb8.webp "Pushkin (Alexander) The Talisman... with other pieces, [translated by George Borrow], first edition of the first English translation of Pushkin's works, [one o")
LOT 34
Pushkin (Alexander) The Talisman... with other pieces, [translated by George Borrow], first...
Estimate: £3,000 - £4,000
Hammer Price: £3,500
![[Le Fanu (Joseph Sheridan)] Ghost Stories and Tales of Mystery, first edition, Dublin, James McGlashan, 1851](https://am-s3-bucket-assets.s3.eu-west-2.amazonaws.com/forum/prod/lot_images/medium/1cdda618-a3e4-ef11-9345-7c1e527a034b/99f572a4-1ef5-ef11-9345-6045bd122cb8.webp "[Le Fanu (Joseph Sheridan)] Ghost Stories and Tales of Mystery, first edition, Dublin, James McGlashan, 1851")
LOT 35
[Le Fanu (Joseph Sheridan)] Ghost Stories and Tales of Mystery, first edition, Dublin, James...
Estimate: £1,500 - £2,000
Hammer Price: £3,800
LOT 36
Le Fanu (Joseph Sheridan) The Wyvern Mystery, first one-volume edition, Montagu Summers' copy,...
Estimate: £800 - £1,200
Hammer Price: £1,400
![Le Fanu (Joseph Sheridan) The Watcher and Other Weird Stories, first edition, Downey & Co., [1894]](https://am-s3-bucket-assets.s3.eu-west-2.amazonaws.com/forum/prod/lot_images/medium/02dda618-a3e4-ef11-9345-7c1e527a034b/92f572a4-1ef5-ef11-9345-6045bd122cb8.webp "Le Fanu (Joseph Sheridan) The Watcher and Other Weird Stories, first edition, Downey & Co., [1894]")
LOT 37
Le Fanu (Joseph Sheridan) The Watcher and Other Weird Stories, first edition, Downey & Co.,...
Estimate: £600 - £800
Hammer Price: £1,200
LOT 38
Baudelaire (Charles) Les Fleurs du Mal, first edition containing the 6 suppressed poems, first...
Estimate: £4,000 - £6,000
Hammer Price: £8,500
LOT 39
Crowe (Catherine) Ghosts and Family Legends. A Volume for Christmas, first edition, Thomas...
Estimate: £1,000 - £1,500
Hammer Price: £1,400
LOT 40
Lortic (Marcellin, binder).- Cardoze (Jules) Lina, Histoire Vraie, with original drawings, bound...
Estimate: £500 - £700
Hammer Price: £500
![Symonds (John Addington) [Collected works], 17 vol., finely-bound, 1860-1902](https://am-s3-bucket-assets.s3.eu-west-2.amazonaws.com/forum/prod/lot_images/medium/3d18e5b5-c9f5-ef11-9345-6045bd1372a0/fa1c0ab9-eaf5-ef11-9345-6045bd122cb8.webp "Symonds (John Addington) [Collected works], 17 vol., finely-bound, 1860-1902")
LOT 41
Symonds (John Addington) [Collected works], 17 vol., finely-bound, 1860-1902
Estimate: £1,000 - £1,500
Hammer Price: £1,000
LOT 42
Symonds (John Addington) In the Key of Blue and Other Prose Essays, one of 50 large-paper...
Estimate: £1,000 - £1,500
Hammer Price: £1,900
![[Bierce (Ambrose)],](https://am-s3-bucket-assets.s3.eu-west-2.amazonaws.com/forum/prod/lot_images/medium/6632beb5-41ed-ef11-9345-7c1e52029357/7c1be935-1ef5-ef11-9345-6045bd122cb8.webp "[Bierce (Ambrose)],")
LOT 43
[Bierce (Ambrose)], "Dod Grile". The Fiend's Delight, first edition, John Camden Hotten, [1873];...
Estimate: £400 - £600
Hammer Price: £650
LOT 44
Éléonore ou l'Heureuse Personne, 2 vol. in 1, large paper copy with plates in 2 states,...
Estimate: £1,000 - £1,500
Hammer Price: £2,200
LOT 45
Wilde (Oscar) Ravenna. Recited in the Theatre, Oxford, June 26, 1878, from the Newdigate Prize...
Estimate: £500 - £700
Hammer Price: £1,200
LOT 46
Wilde (Oscar) The Picture of Dorian Gray, first published appearance, English issue, rare...
Estimate: £500 - £700
Hammer Price: £900
![Wilde (Oscar) After Reading [&] After Berneval, 2 vol., each number 10 of 75 copies on Japanese vellum signed by the illustrator and printer, Cyril William](https://am-s3-bucket-assets.s3.eu-west-2.amazonaws.com/forum/prod/lot_images/medium/3bd25e6b-1cee-ef11-9345-000d3a7e99b9/8799583c-1ef5-ef11-9345-6045bd122cb8.webp "Wilde (Oscar) After Reading [&] After Berneval, 2 vol., each number 10 of 75 copies on Japanese vellum signed by the illustrator and printer, Cyril William")
LOT 47
Wilde (Oscar) After Reading [&] After Berneval, 2 vol., each number 10 of 75 copies on Japanese...
Estimate: £500 - £700
Hammer Price: £1,100
LOT 48
Wilde (Oscar).- Saltus (Edgar) The Philosophy of Disenchantment, first edition, signed...
Estimate: £1,500 - £2,000
Hammer Price: £8,000
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