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‘Unparalleled treasure trove’ of 16th-century texts worth $25m up for auction
The collection of T Kimball Brooker comprises more than 1,300 books, including an early manuscript of Leonardo da Vinci’s treatise on painting
An “unparalleled treasure trove” of 16th-century Renaissance texts is expected to fetch in excess of $25m (£19.7m) when it goes up for auction later this year.
Bibliophile T Kimball Brooker amassed more than 1,300 titles over the course of six decades. The collection, one of the most significant rare libraries to ever reach auction, features French and Italian volumes in their original bindings.
Brooker said that collecting the titles had “been an enduring source of satisfaction and enjoyment” and that he had “mixed feelings” about parting with the “wonderful books”.
Up for auction are approximately 1,000 editions from Aldine Press, the pioneering Venetian publisher that was the first to produce small format books similar to today’s paperbacks and to print a book in italics. Published between the 1490s and the 1590s, Brooker’s Aldine collection represents the largest to come to market in a century and is estimated to sell for over $10m (£7.8m).
“The volumes are not merely of historical curiosity – they have left a lasting impact on the world of publishing and the appearance of the modern book,” said Charlotte Miller, books and manuscript specialist at Sotheby’s.
Also included in the library is an early manuscript of Leonardo da Vinci’s treatise on painting, containing 375 chapters and 56 ink illustrations, with an expected sale price of at least $120,000 (£94,500).
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Brooker was formerly a managing director at Morgan Stanley and is now president of the Barbara Oil Company. In 1959, while studying at the Sorbonne in Paris, he came across a book of Cicero’s orations in early vellum binding. He bought it for $10, thinking he had made a great find, before taking it to a dealer on rue de Seine who told him it was “not worth anything”. Undeterred, Brooker set out to start a collection.
He incorporated bibliography into his studies, titling his Harvard MBA thesis “Rare Books as a Hedge against Devaluation and Inflation”, and went on to receive a PhD in art history.
The auction of “Bibliotheca Brookeriana” will span eight sales, beginning with a live evening sale on 11 October in New York. The first sale dedicated to the Aldine editions will take place on 12 October. Further sales will take place in New York and London through 2025. A pre-sale exhibit will be on display at Sotheby’s York Avenue galleries between 5 and 11 October. Price estimates for the volumes range from $200 to $600,000.
“Bibliotheca Brookeriana stands as a monument to the scholarly passion that guided Mr Brooker in his lifelong pursuit of this unparalleled treasure trove,” said Richard Austin, Sotheby’s global head of books and manuscripts. “The sale series promises to be a momentous event in the book world and is a celebration of the spirit that has inspired book collectors and connoisseurs for centuries.”
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