The collection of Parisian collector Renaud Gillet sold well at Sotheby's on October 27th 1999 in London with a turnover of some £ 4,3 million (US $ 6,98 million). The first edition of «Jazz», illustrated by Henri Matisse and bound by Georges Leroux, fetched a record price of £ 166,500 (US $ 268,450). It went to English dealer Edward Bayntun-Coward from Bath. Paris dealer Jean-Claude Vrain bought for £ 66,000 (US $ 106,420) Beaudelaire's «Fleurs du Mal».
René Char's «Les Transparents», illustrated by Picasso and bound by Leroux, sold for £ 18,000 (US $ 29,000). Another Char's book, «Nadja», with the triple face of Breton seen by Man Ray, went for £ 120,000 (US $ 186,000).
Buyers have been quite active during the second half of 1999 and have often bought rare bindings that have resulted in prices multiplied by ten for many books. Surrealists and rare science books have also been quite in demand lately.
For example, Guy de Chauliac's «Surgery» went for US $ 299,500 at Christie's on December 10th 1999 in New York.
Manuscripts have also fared well with a world record price being established at
£ 8,58 million (inclusive of buyer premium) (US $ 13,835 million) for an illuminated prayer book from the Rothschild collection last July. On December 10th 1999 Lincoln's preparatory speech for the «Declaration of Independence» fetched US $ 607,500) and Hemingway's last known letter went for US $ 25,300.
In Paris Marcel Proust's manuscript of his article on Flaubert sold for 1,05 million FF (Inclusive of buyer premium) (US $ 162,790) while a «Portulan» map fetched 1,38 million FF (US $ 213,950) on October 5th and Max Jacob's «Cornet à dé» dedicated by the poet reached 515,000 FF (US 82,000) on December 2nd 1999.
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