Cybriety, Your home for information about Alcoholics Anonymous history. We are pleased to have the largest on-line photo gallery of events related to Alcoholics Anonymous. Be sure to check out our Big Book Section- with little know factoids about the Alcoholics Anonymous Big Book! Alcoholics Anonymous Big Book Sells for 1.5 Million+ Sotheby's Press Release June 17, 2004 "BIG BOOK" SELLS FOR $1,576,000 AT SOTHEBY'S MASTER ANNOTATED DRAFT COPY OF ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS EXCEEDS EXPECTATIONS Today at Sotheby's in a sale of Fine Books and Manuscripts the master annotated draft copy of Alcoholics Anonymous sold for $1,576,000, more than three times the high estimate of $500,000. Four determined bidders competed for the typewritten manuscript which was finally purchased over the telephone by William A. Shenk, a book collector from La Jolla, California. Selby Kiffer, Senior Vice President in Sotheby's Books and Manuscripts Department, said, "We immediately recognized the incredible social and historical significance of the manuscript and we also believed in its commercial value. The spirited bidding today confirmed that many collectors shared our conviction on both points." The manuscript was included in a sale of Fine Books and Manuscripts, which totaled $5,377,300. Also offered today was the most significant collection of historical documents relating to Texas history to appear at auction in decades which brought a total of $2,096,960. Mr. Kiffer continued, "We are thrilled with the tremendous results achieved today for the Texas Independence Collection. There was active bidding on virtually every item with many of the dominant buyers hailing from Texas." Rich in documents relating to the struggle for Texan independence, the collection featured one of only three copies of the Texas Declaration of Independence remaining in private hands which sold for $764,000 to a bidder over the telephone. Another spectacular highlight was a first edition copy of Stephen F. Austin's contemporary account of the establishment of the first Anglo-American settlement of Texas which soared past a high estimate of $35,000 to sell for an outstanding $153,600. It was the first copy of that particular book to appear on the market since 1898. The collection, which was 95% sold by lot and 99% sold by value, had been estimated to bring $1.1/1/5 million. Sotheby's June 2004 sales of Books and Manuscripts, including the Texas Independence Collection brought a total of $7,474,260. For More Information, Please Contact Sotheby's Press Office at 212 606 7176 Though one of our primary goals at Cybriety is to pass on information and inspiration to the recovering community, this recent headline caught our attention. The overwhelming response by those who are students of AA's one-of-a-kind history is that this reflects a commercial exploitation of what amounts to a piece of literature that has helped, in part to save the lives of millions. One published piece went on to say that the manuscript could conceivably be sold page by page with a cost of more that $10,000 USD per page. As one of our goals for 2004 is to make Cybriety more of an interactive forum for those interested in AA History, we would love to hear what you think. To send us your opinion, please Click Here! Back to Cybriety Main Page
Cybriety, Your home for information about Alcoholics Anonymous history. We are pleased to have the largest on-line photo gallery of events related to Alcoholics Anonymous. Be sure to check out our Big Book Section- with little know factoids about the Alcoholics Anonymous Big Book!
Alcoholics Anonymous Big Book Sells for 1.5 Million+
Sotheby's Press Release June 17, 2004 "BIG BOOK" SELLS FOR $1,576,000 AT SOTHEBY'S MASTER ANNOTATED DRAFT COPY OF ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS EXCEEDS EXPECTATIONS Today at Sotheby's in a sale of Fine Books and Manuscripts the master annotated draft copy of Alcoholics Anonymous sold for $1,576,000, more than three times the high estimate of $500,000. Four determined bidders competed for the typewritten manuscript which was finally purchased over the telephone by William A. Shenk, a book collector from La Jolla, California. Selby Kiffer, Senior Vice President in Sotheby's Books and Manuscripts Department, said, "We immediately recognized the incredible social and historical significance of the manuscript and we also believed in its commercial value. The spirited bidding today confirmed that many collectors shared our conviction on both points." The manuscript was included in a sale of Fine Books and Manuscripts, which totaled $5,377,300. Also offered today was the most significant collection of historical documents relating to Texas history to appear at auction in decades which brought a total of $2,096,960. Mr. Kiffer continued, "We are thrilled with the tremendous results achieved today for the Texas Independence Collection. There was active bidding on virtually every item with many of the dominant buyers hailing from Texas." Rich in documents relating to the struggle for Texan independence, the collection featured one of only three copies of the Texas Declaration of Independence remaining in private hands which sold for $764,000 to a bidder over the telephone. Another spectacular highlight was a first edition copy of Stephen F. Austin's contemporary account of the establishment of the first Anglo-American settlement of Texas which soared past a high estimate of $35,000 to sell for an outstanding $153,600. It was the first copy of that particular book to appear on the market since 1898. The collection, which was 95% sold by lot and 99% sold by value, had been estimated to bring $1.1/1/5 million. Sotheby's June 2004 sales of Books and Manuscripts, including the Texas Independence Collection brought a total of $7,474,260. For More Information, Please Contact Sotheby's Press Office at 212 606 7176
Today at Sotheby's in a sale of Fine Books and Manuscripts the master annotated draft copy of Alcoholics Anonymous sold for $1,576,000, more than three times the high estimate of $500,000. Four determined bidders competed for the typewritten manuscript which was finally purchased over the telephone by William A. Shenk, a book collector from La Jolla, California. Selby Kiffer, Senior Vice President in Sotheby's Books and Manuscripts Department, said, "We immediately recognized the incredible social and historical significance of the manuscript and we also believed in its commercial value. The spirited bidding today confirmed that many collectors shared our conviction on both points." The manuscript was included in a sale of Fine Books and Manuscripts, which totaled $5,377,300.
Also offered today was the most significant collection of historical documents relating to Texas history to appear at auction in decades which brought a total of $2,096,960. Mr. Kiffer continued, "We are thrilled with the tremendous results achieved today for the Texas Independence Collection. There was active bidding on virtually every item with many of the dominant buyers hailing from Texas." Rich in documents relating to the struggle for Texan independence, the collection featured one of only three copies of the Texas Declaration of Independence remaining in private hands which sold for $764,000 to a bidder over the telephone. Another spectacular highlight was a first edition copy of Stephen F. Austin's contemporary account of the establishment of the first Anglo-American settlement of Texas which soared past a high estimate of $35,000 to sell for an outstanding $153,600. It was the first copy of that particular book to appear on the market since 1898. The collection, which was 95% sold by lot and 99% sold by value, had been estimated to bring $1.1/1/5 million.
Sotheby's June 2004 sales of Books and Manuscripts, including the Texas Independence Collection brought a total of $7,474,260.
For More Information, Please Contact Sotheby's Press Office at 212 606 7176
Though one of our primary goals at Cybriety is to pass on information and inspiration to the recovering community, this recent headline caught our attention. The overwhelming response by those who are students of AA's one-of-a-kind history is that this reflects a commercial exploitation of what amounts to a piece of literature that has helped, in part to save the lives of millions. One published piece went on to say that the manuscript could conceivably be sold page by page with a cost of more that $10,000 USD per page.
As one of our goals for 2004 is to make Cybriety more of an interactive forum for those interested in AA History, we would love to hear what you think. To send us your opinion, please Click Here!
Back to Cybriety Main Page