First edition copies of Mahatma Gandhi’s autobiography, “The Story of My Experiments with Truth: Volumes I and II” will go under the hammer at an upcoming online auction by Saffronart’s StoryLTD.
Printed in 1927, the two volumes of Mahatma Gandhi’s autobiography will come in their original binding of green cloth boards with black lettering on the spine and front panel. They are estimated at ₹2.5 - 3 lakh. The sale featuring 107 first editions, signed and limited edition books, will be held on June 25-26.
“The 24-hour online auction offers a collection spanning a wide range of themes such as art, music, politics, literature and sports,” Saffronart said in a statement on Friday.
Among the top lots will also be a limited edition copy of “Lysistrata” by greek comic playwright Aristophanes, including the signature of and illustrations by Spanish artist Pablo Picasso. It is estimated at ₹5 – 6 lakh.
Published in 1934 by the Limited Editions Club (LEC), this copy of the renowned ancient Greek comedy includes six etchings and 34 in-text lithographs created by Picasso exclusively for this edition, which was available only to members of the Club. The LEC, founded in 1929 in New York, published uniquely bound and illustrated books in limited quantities for its members, and provided employment to many of the world’s greatest artists during the years of the Great Depression.
{{/usCountry}}Published in 1934 by the Limited Editions Club (LEC), this copy of the renowned ancient Greek comedy includes six etchings and 34 in-text lithographs created by Picasso exclusively for this edition, which was available only to members of the Club. The LEC, founded in 1929 in New York, published uniquely bound and illustrated books in limited quantities for its members, and provided employment to many of the world’s greatest artists during the years of the Great Depression.
{{/usCountry}}A collection of 26 signed volumes of novels, short stories and non-fiction by British-Indian novelist Salman Rushdie will also be part of the show.
Estimated at ₹2.5 – 3 lakhs, the collection will also include Rushdie’s 1981 novel “Midnight’s Children” for which he won the Booker Prize. Other highlights include a selection of 10 first and second edition books from the James Bond series by Ian Fleming (estimate: ₹6 – 8 lakh); a 1902 edition of “The Hound of the Baskervilles” signed by Arthur Conan Doyle (estimate: ₹2.75 – 3.5 lakh); and a first edition copy of “The Jungle Book” by Rudyard Kipling, published in 1894 by Macmillan and Co (estimate: ₹1.4 – 1.8 lakh).
The auction will be preceded by viewings at the Saffronart gallery in Mumbai from June 18 – 26.