Potter & Potter Auctions
Live Auction

Summer Fine Books & Manuscripts

Thu, Jul 9, 2026 11:00AM EDT
  2026-07-09 11:00:00 2026-07-09 11:00:00 America/New_York Potter & Potter Auctions Potter & Potter Auctions : Summer Fine Books & Manuscripts https://auction.potterauctions.com/auctions/potter-potter/summer-fine-books-manuscripts-22825
We are proud to offer some of the rarest items from Ernest Hemingway, rare and important newspapers, excellent books from African-American authors, and some of the finest early printed books to come to market. Potter & Potter Auctions info@potterauctions.com
View Catalog (635)

Prev Lot
Next Lot
Lot 0

[FINE PRESS BOOKS]. [PEAR TREE PRESS]. COLLINS, William (1824-1889). Ode to Evening. [Flansham, Bognor Regis: The Pear Tree Press, 1937].

Estimate: $750 - $1,000
Inquire
Starting Bid
$400
[0 Bids]Bidding History
Bid increments chart

Bid Increments

Price Bid Increment
$0 $5
$30 $10
$100 $25
$500 $50
$1,000 $100
$2,000 $200
$5,000 $500
$10,000 $1,000
$20,000 $2,000
$50,000 $5,000
$100,000 $10,000

[FINE PRESS BOOKS]. [PEAR TREE PRESS]. COLLINS, William (1824-1889). Ode to Evening. [Flansham, Bognor Regis: The Pear Tree Press, 1937]. Folio. 8 bifoliate leaves, printed on rectos only, comprising the half-title, frontispiece, title, three pages of the poem, the colophon (which is signed by James Guthrie), and the tailpiece. The text and illustrations are printed in purple and gold. Publisher's quarter oatmeal cloth over cream boards, illustrated paper label on front cover. Light blue paper dust jacket, featuring a variant version of the frontispiece illustration. SCARCE - NUMBER 17 OF A PURPORTED 100 COPIES. With three proof sheets: the title, page 2 of the poem, and the colophon, printed in green and gold, the first two signed by Guthrie at the foot. 

Condition

Some rubbing, toning, foxing to jacket, light occasional foxing to binding, minor occasional foxing in text. Fine. A lovely copy of a scarce work. 

Available payment options

  • Visa
  • Mastercard
  • Amex
  • Diners
  • Discover
  • JCB
  • Union Pay

If your bid is successful, as an alternative to in-house shipping, we can provide you with a list of shippers. We will not be responsible for the acts or omissions of carriers or packers whether or not recommended by us. Property will not be released to the shipper without the buyer's written consent and until payment has been made in full. Packing and handling by us of purchased lots is at the entire risk of the purchaser, and Potter and Potter Auctions, Inc. will have no liability of any loss or damage to such items. Packing and shipping expenses shall be added to buyer's invoice and will reflect a charge for labor, materials, insurance, transportation, as well as actual shipper fees.

The Pear Tree Press was founded in 1899. Its proprietor, James Guthrie, named it after his residence at the time, Pear Tree Cottage in Brentwood, Essex. He moved from Essex to Kent and Sussex before finally settling in Flansham. A small scale handpress, Guthrie printed in small batches, which he varied "from copy to copy as the order of [his] palette (or slab) suggests." Interestingly, the proof of the colophon is dated September 1934 and that of the finished book exactly three years later, suggesting that it had a long gestation period, during which he experimented with the use of colors. OCLC notes seven copies only worldwide: Columbia, Stanford, Boston Atheneum, Trinithy College Dublin, Cambridge, the National Library of Scotland, and the British Library.

Follow Us

Auctions

Specialties

Potter & Potter

Contents and design copyright © Potter & Potter Auctions.