Stockholms Auktionsverk invites you on a unique journey through time and space with The Rare Books, Maps & Manuscripts Sale. From Piranesi’s archaeological treasures of Rome to the dramatic eruptions of Vesuvius captured in Hamilton’s and Fabris’ vibrant engravings, from Einstein’s mathematical letters to Greta Garbo’s intimate family correspondence – this auction brings together some of history’s most fascinating documents, books, and maps.

Stepping into the fantastic world of Giovanni Baptista Piranesi is always an exciting experience and his great work Le Antichità Romane published in 1756 is no exception. Four volumes in imperial folio with 218 crisp engravings of Rome’s archaeological secrets which were unearthed during this period. This is just one of the highlights of the Rare books, maps and manuscripts sale which takes place on December 8.

If we go a little further south in Italy, we may end up in the Bay of Naples and Vesuvius. Sir William Hamilton, was not only the British envoy and ambassador, but also a volcanologist and his careful observations were illustrated by Pietro Fabris in the great volcano book Campi Phlegrae. An extremely rare work from 1776 that is absolutely filled with hand-coloured engravings of volcanoes in full eruption, i.a. Vesuvius in the Bay of Naples and Etna in Sicily.

The auction does not only offer fascinating and historical works from the late Middle Ages onwards. Amongst other things Albert Einstein, the greatest scientist of the 20th century, contributes with no less than seven letters written to his colleague Herman Müntz with mathematical calculations and equations. Five other letters with a much lighter content are written by our own superstar Greta Garbo to her brother Sven and his family.

Sometimes you can really feel the wings of history. A small, rather inconspicuous almanac from 1778 with the notes of the previous owner, does not look like much to the world, but when the owner is vice admiral Carl Olof Cronstedt (perhaps most associated with the fall of Suomen /Sveaborg on May 3, 1808) and his notes relate to the fight on the British side in the American War of Independence, then things take a different turn.

America is also seen in other contexts. The Dutch Frederik De Wit published a wall-map of North and South America during the late 17th century. Due to its size, very few copies of this impressive map remain on the market.

In the enchanting world of cartography there are also several fascinating and sometimes also imaginative examples of skilled mapmakers, such as John Speed, Willem Blaeu and Pieter Van der Aa. The latter contributes i.a. with the fine atlas  Le nouveau Theatre du Monde.

The brothers Wilhelm and Magnus von Wright need no special introduction, perhaps neither does the disciple of Linnaeus, Anders Sparrman. Wright’s fantastic Svenska foglar, efter naturen och på sten ritade, with fine lithographs of Swedish birds, was published in 1838 and Sparrman’s Museum Carlsonianum, almost 50 years earlier, in 1786.

Amongst the total of 260 auction lots, there are many other interesting and charming things to them. You can find works by August Strindberg and Ian Fleming, as well as voyages of James Cook. A letter and a photograph signed by the Arctic explorer Adolf Erik Nordenskiöld should also arouse some interest.

The auction concludes with an exciting collection of original documents signed by Emperor Napoleon I and Jean Baptiste Bernadotte, tastefully preserved in a “cosway-binding” by Riviere & Son, an extremely handsome and richly gilt binding with their miniature portraits on the front cover.

We are pleased to offer this kaleidoscope of the past seven centuries of cultural history. With the assurance that there is something for collectors of all kinds, we wish you the best of luck at the auction.