20/06/2026 General News
There are not that many provincial auction houses which boast a specialist Books Department, and that may be the reason why Keys’ quarterly Books, Maps, Ephemera and Works on Paper Sales now attract so many lots, and, of course, buyers, writes Emily Turner.
Our latest sale, which takes place over two days in the middle of July, features over 1,400 lots, ranging from historic leather-bound books written in weird and wonderful languages to first editions of modern classics - not to mention a fascinating collection of ephemera which captures the imagination of historians, collectors and those simply interested in the world around us.
With so many items going under the hammer, picking out a few to highlight is a difficult task. So I have chosen to focus on two areas which demonstrate that it is not just the historically-important tomes or the rare first editions which are in demand in the saleroom.
Our July sale features some first and early edition children’s books. Many collectors are attracted to works which take them back to their own childhood, and so children’s books from decades such as the 1960s and 1970s achieve good prices in the saleroom.
One such is a 1963 first edition of ‘Tales from Moominvalley’ by Tove Jansson. This was the seventh book in the Moomins series by the Finnish author, and unlike the other novels, this was a collection of short stories. The book provided material for the 1990s TV series.
This volume is in the publisher’s green boards, titled in gilt to the spine, and has its original unclipped dustjacket, with a 16s net price sticker. The pre-sale estimate is £200-£400.
Another 1960s first edition is ‘The Book Of Bond’, or ‘Every Man His Own 007’ by Lt Col William (Bill) Tanner, published in 1965. This was a tongue-in-cheek manual actually written by Kingsley Amis under a pseudonym, and is a whimsical guide on how to live like 007. In its original dustjacket, the pre-sale estimate is £60-£80.
JRR Tolkien’s The Hobbit has entranced generations of readers since its publication in 1937. In 2007 Harper Collins published a three volume boxed set featuring two volumes on the history of the book by John D Rateliff, and an edition of the work itself. We have one of these boxed sets in the Sale, with an estimate of £200-£250.
Local ephemera items are always popular, and the Sale includes a number of items which will delight anyone with an interest in the county’s history.
A collection of original print specimens printed By Jarrolds for Caley’s of Norwich, each measuring approx. 1.5 metres by one metre, include some in crisp colour print and some monotone. Printer’s marks including crop marks are present. The estimate is £300-£500.
Another big Norwich name was Colmans, and the Sale includes three booklets published by the company, including a book of recipes, a musical score of ‘God Save The King’, and ‘The Story Of Bonnie Princess’, written by Albert John Allingham, the grandfather of crime writer Margery Allingham. The estimate is £80-£120.
A fascinating item is the original Art Deco artwork plan for the exterior lighting of The Carlton Cinema in All Saints Green in Norwich, which later became the Gaumont Cinema and subsequently the Mecca Bingo Club, before being demolished in 2014. It comes with an original typed letter from Electrolumination Limited of London, makers of neon signage. The estimate is £70-£120.
Finally, a really unusual item: a Norwich photo medallion in its original box. Produced by Charles Reynolds, it features black and white photographs of the city in its ‘petals’, and a description of Norwich in the centre. The estimate is £50-£80.