One of the most significant private libraries to appear at auction this century

The Library of Dr. Rodney P. Swantko

An outstanding selection from the great American poet, including the Martin-Self copy of Edgar Allan Poe’s first book, Tamerlane and Other Poems, as well as three autograph poetical manuscripts by Poe, including the first eight stanzas of “For Annie”&nbsp;

An outstanding selection from the great American poet

Edgar Allan Poe

The autograph manuscript signed by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle of the second Sherlock Holmes novel, The Sign of the Four, is joined by Sidney Paget’s original pen and ink and wash drawing of the illustration “The Death of Sherlock Holmes” for the short story “The Final Problem”

The most significant manuscript to appear at auction, and more

Arthur Conan Doyle

F. Scott Fitzgerald

The original watercolor for the upper cover of Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone, J.K. Rowling’s modern classic runaway best-seller.

The magical cover art for J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone

Thomas Taylor

The Magical Cover Art for Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone

An impressive selection of manuscripts that chronicle the development and codification of the sport of golf.

A comprehensive collection of golf material

The Sport of Golf

A Comprehensive Collection of Golf Material

New York

Global Head of Department | Books &amp; Manuscripts

Richard Austin

Senior Vice President | International Senior Specialist

Selby Kiffer

AVP | Specialist

Ella Hall

AVP | International Specialist, Head of Sale

Dr. Kalika Sands

Cataloguer

Fenella Theis

Pre-Sale Coordinator, Books & Manuscripts

Caroline Woodward

Meet our Specialists

New York, Paris, London | 12 June–10 July 2024

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The Library of Dr. Rodney P. Swantko, compact and highly personalized, is nevertheless one of the most significant private libraries to appear at auction this century. Small, perhaps, in number, but massive in impact, these books, manuscripts, and drawings meticulously integrate great rarities and significant presentation copies representing the most celebrated and most read authors of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries: from Frank Baum to Charles Dickens, from Sir Arthur Conan Doyle to F. Scott Fitzgerald, and from Edgar Allan Poe to Vladimir Nabokov. The printed books are complemented by vitally significant autograph manuscripts and original and iconic literary drawings.

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 <blockquote>But, Hagrid, there must be a mistake! This says Platform 9 and 3/4. There’s no such thing! Is there?</blockquote>
 
 
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 </div>–Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone, chapter 6 In 1996, Thomas Taylor was 23 years old, fresh out of art school, and an aspiring illustrator. He took a train to London, walked into the Bloomsbury offices, and left some sketches of dragons. A week later, he received a call from publisher Barry Cunningham. “[H]e said he’d seen my samples,” Taylor recalled in a 2022 interview. “[H]e had a book by an unknown author, and would I fancy doing the cover?” (Pollard). Taylor was one of Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone’s earliest readers. Bloomsbury sent him a printout of the manuscript—complete with editors’ notes and emendations—and he was entrusted with bringing Rowling’s text into a visual realm. In a 2010 interview, Taylor explained: “When I was first approached about cover art for [Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone], the brief included chapter heading illustrations in black and white line, and I did make a few rough sketches of other characters in the book. But very quickly the brief firmed up as cover artwork only” (The Rowling Library). There were no direct conversations with Rowling, only Cunningham, who had taken a chance on Philosopher’s Stone after 12 other publishers had turned it down. Using Rowling’s description, Taylor was the first person to give the boy wizard a public face, establishing the way the world would see Harry Potter, complete with his trademark dark hair, round glasses, and lightning bolt scar. The present illustration features more detail than what was reproduced on the cover of the first edition of Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone. For example, Platform 10 is visible in this image, as is more of Harry’s clothing—which is distinctly muggle-like, and suitably shabby—and an impressive plume of steam and stars emanating from the Hogwarts Express. Then, the image was imbued with a sense of magic. Now, for many, it elicits a sense of nostalgia.