Manuscripts

Documentation that has not been compiled into books serves as an invaluable record of history and human interest in the form of manuscripts. Manuscripts are included in most libraries and can be found in many private collections. This documentation takes the form of letters, diaries, legal records, essays, plays, poems, on anything from notes on scientific research to articles on women’s rights.

Manuscripts are often just as valuable, or more so, than a rare book. Original manuscripts are a primary source from the writer that has not been subjected to mass-market publishing. Often, antique manuscripts only exist in leaves and fragments, a sad but precious tribute to those who wished to preserve their contents for posterity. Library manuscript departments provide only limited access to these works because of their fragility.

The most expensive manuscript to date is the "Rothschild Prayerbook," an illuminated book of hours created between 1505 and 1510. Rescued from the Nazi-seized art from the Austrian government by Baroness Rothschild, the work incorporates the artistry of master Flemish Renaissance painters. A more contemporary example is the large collection of poet John Keats’ autograph poetry and transcript letters at the Harvard University Library.

Quick Facts

• An original signed gouache and watercolor drawing for Arthur Conan Doyle’s Sherlock Holmes story "The Adventure of Silver Blaze" sold at auction for $112,500 at Christie’s in 2014
• A historic autograph signed letter from Abraham Lincoln to friend and Congress member Richard Yates sold for $118,000 at an auction by Profiles in History in 2014
• A document commemorating the "Los Alamos New Mexico Atomic Bomb Project," signed by 30 scientists, officers, and civilians employed on The Manhattan Project sold for $161,000 at an auction by Christie’s in 2014