The Italian printer Aldo Manuzio (1449-1515) is cherished for his craftsmanship and innovative printing practice. Having published a variety of Greek and Latin classics, he is also credited with helping to revive interest in these cultures on a mass scale and play a critical role in how the concept of the Renaissance would be known for centuries. T. Kimball Brooker’s collection features approximately 1,000 Aldine volumes published from the 1490s to the 1590s. Bibliotheca Brookeriana marks the largest collection of Aldines to come to market in a century, and the only private library of its kind ever collected outside of Europe.

Books published by renowned printer Aldo Manuzio, referred to as Aldines, are highly prized not only for their detail and craftsmanship but also because they were central to disseminating the ideals of Renaissance Humanism.

All About Aldines

As evidenced through Bibliotheca Brookeriana, the expert eye of a collector is integral to the scope and quality of their collection. This is also true for book collector Charles Walker Clark (1871–1933), one of the sons of Montana copper baron Senator William Andrews Clark. Of the Clark books in Bibliotheca Brookeriana, eleven are offered in the present sale, with more to come.

In some instances, a collector can be as fascinating as their collection. For such an example, one might look to Charles Walker Clark, “a golden collector of the golden age,” several of whose books are now offered as a part of Bibliotheca Brookeriana.

Power of Provenance

Jean Grolier, “a Renaissance and modern ‘Prince des bibliophiles,’ was instrumental in the development of French decorated book-bindings, based on the Italian model” (Isabelle de Conihout). An active collector for almost sixty years (from ca. 1508 to his death in 1565), his legacy is highlighted through a remarkable selection of lots offered in Bibliotheca Brookeriana.

This collection features a significant selection of bindings both created for and inspired by Jean Grolier – aptly titled a Renaissance and modern “Prince des bibliophiles.”

Grolier Bindings

The long history of Sotheby’s as an auction house, from the first sale held by Samuel Baker in March 1744, enables us to trace a particular book and assess its appeal to buyers at different times in its history. Michael Wodhull (1740-1816) is a particularly useful link in the chain of a book’s provenance. He amassed a large library over the years, mostly of classical texts and incunabula, and he helpfully wrote in each book where he bought it, the purchase price, the cost of any binding or repairs, and, at the end of the volume, when he finished reading it. His library was eventually sold by Sotheby’s in 1886, in 2,804 lots, for a total of nearly £12,000. Bibliotheca Brookeriana contains several books from Wodhull’s library.

The journey of a book over the course of decades and centuries can be documented through marks of ownership and by records in auction and sale catalogues. Many of the volumes in Bibliotheca Brookeriana offer evidence of their history, revealing the story of the book trade.

A Tale of Auction History

Bibliotheca Brookeriana features many volumes with royal provenance, including books bound for François I of France. Two of these remarkable bindings are offered here.

François I 

New York

Among the many exceptionally rare treasures within the Brooker Collection, the crown jewel is an unprecedented, extensive group of Renaissance-era volumes published by Aldo Manuzio, which T. Kimball Brooker began collecting in earnest in the mid-1960s. Based in Venice beginning in the late fifteenth century, Aldus would become one of the most revered and influential book publishers of all time. Numbering approximately 1,000 volumes published from the 1490s to the 1590s, the Brooker collection marks the largest assemblage of Aldines to come to market in a century, and the only private library of its kind ever amassed outside of Europe. Offered in a series of three sales, the first of which, “Bibliotheca Brookeriana: A Renaissance Library. The Aldine Collection A–C,” will be held on the 12th of October. Referred to as Aldines, after Aldo, these works are highly prized not only for their detail and craftsmanship but were also central to disseminating the ideals of Renaissance Humanism, as Aldo published a variety of Greek and Latin classics, helping to revive interest in these cultures on a mass scale and playing a critical role in how the concept of the Renaissance would be known for centuries. Additionally, his innovative practice of printing in a smaller format created new handbooks that would establish an easier and more popular way of reading and transporting books—which may be considered the first form of the paperback book known today. Sale Number: N11294

Global Head of Department, Books & Manuscripts

Richard Austin

Head of Books & Manuscripts, Europe

Dr. David Goldthorpe

Senior Vice President, International Senior Specialist

Selby Kiffer

Deputy Director, Specialist

Charlotte Miller 

Director, Specialist, Books & Manuscripts

Benoit Puttemans

AVP, Specialist, Books & Manuscripts

Ella Hall

AVP, International Specialist, Head of Sale

Dr. Kalika Sands

Associate

Bridget Quinn

Pre-Sale Coordinator, Books & Manuscripts

Caroline Woodward

Meet Our Team

October 2023–2025 | New York &amp; London

Live Auction: 11 October 2023 | 6:00 PM EDT | New York

For assistance with bidding and registration, please contact: +1 212-606-7000 
 
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Among the many exceptionally rare treasures within the Brooker collection, the crown jewel is an unprecedented, extensive group of Renaissance-era volumes published by Aldo Manuzio, which T. Kimball Brooker began collecting in earnest in the mid-1960s. Based in Venice beginning in the late fifteenth century, Aldo would become one of the most revered and influential book publishers of all time. The Brooker collection marks the largest assemblage of Aldines to come to market in a century, and the only private library of its kind ever amassed outside of Europe. Sotheby’s is pleased to present a portion of these beloved volumes and important bindings as part of the second auction within the sale series, “Bibliotheca Brookeriana: A Renaissance Library. The Aldine Collection A – C.” The sale will be open for online and absentee bidding on 20 September and will culminate in a live auction on 12 October.

Bibliotheca Brookeriana: A Renaissance Library. The Aldine Collection A–C.