Travel books auctioned for £314,800
Sharon MillerA series of rare travel books, including one which was the property of Captain Cook, has generated more than £300,000 at an auction in Edinburgh.
The sale, initiated by The Northern Lighthouse Heritage Trust, ws carried out in order to raise funds to safeguards other books in its library.
Amongst the sold items was a rare 1815 book of maps by explorer Nicolas Baudin. It sold for £32,000.
Another book fetched £14,000; the 19th Century atlas of Australia authored by explorer Matthew Flinders. One interesting fact about his book it was published one day before Flinders’ death on July 19, 1814. Its publication had been delayed because he had been jailed for six years.
Other books sold at the auction included works of extensive journeys such as Captain Cook’s voyages in the Pacific and James Bruce’s exploration of the River Nile.
It has been said that auction of a collection of travel books of the 18th and 19th Century is a very unique occasion.
The books performed better than expected, fetching a total of £314,800.
Northern Lighthouse Heritage Trust representative Peter Mackay said that the result of the auction was excellent and this will mean that the trustees now have the necessary money to finance for the conservation and care of other precious books within their library alongside historical artefacts in the trust’s care.
The Edinburgh-based Northern Lighthouse Heritage Trust has among its book collection Robert Stevenson’s account of the Bell Rock light and keepers’ log books.
/images/rssicon.jpg "Subscribe to RSS feed")
Subscribe for free and recieve the latest Self-Catering-Breaks news and stories
Filed under Holiday News