On October 15-16, 2020, Heritage held a rare books auction featuring works from the 16th to 20th centuries. The two-day sale attracted 1,300 bidders, totaling $2,287,797 for the highly coveted tomes.

Many books came from the collection of mystery book publisher, dealer, and collector Otto Penzler. “What we saw during this sale was inspiring,” James Gannon, Heritage’s Director of Rare Books, said. “We weren’t necessarily surprised by the results, because a majority of the books in Otto’s collection are the best-known examples in the very best condition with just gorgeous dust jackets. We knew the market was there, based on results from parts I and II of the Penzler sale. But a lot of the authors in this event were relatively new to the auction market – as will many of those to be featured in part IV.”

The Astronomicum Caesareum of Petrus Apianus, dedicated to the Emperor Charles V in 1540, was the auction leader at $325,000. This was an expected result as it is considered “the most spectacular contribution of the book-maker’s art to 16th century science,” in the words of Owen Gingerich, Harvard University’s Professor Emeritus of Astronomy.

Two popular fantasy series saw strong results when a first edition of J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Hobbit or There and Back Again realized $60,000 and a first edition of J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone achieved $55,000.

Several other books from Penzler’s collection were highlights in the auction. An inscribed first edition of Earl Derr Biggers’ 1925 The House Without a Key, the first Charlie Chan mystery, totaled $50,000. A signed, first edition of Ellery Queen’s The Roman Hat Murder, the 1929 mystery novel, hammered for $40,000. A first edition of Fer-De-Lance, Rex Stout’s 1934 first mystery with Nero Wolfe reached $31,250. A first edition of Queen’s The Egyptian Cross Mystery, published in 1932, sold for $25,000 – 25 times its original estimate.

“Otto’s name in the industry is as much a mainstay as some of the best-known mystery and detective fiction authors,” said Gannon. “Having something from his personal collection is probably a highlight of many current mystery and detective fiction collectors.”