BUILDING on the successes of recent years Greenslade Taylor Hunt is pleased to announce the return of specialist sales of books, maps and documents at its Octagon Saleroom in Taunton.

The next is scheduled for Thurday, May 4th and entries are currently being invited for this flagship event.

Important past discoveries by Greenslade’s experienced valuer, Dr Peter Rixon, have included a first edition of Thomas Malthus’s Essay on the Principle of Population (1798). This emerged from a group of damp children’s annuals in a garden summer house to sell for £31,500 and a first edition copy of A Tale of Two Cities (1859), by Charles Dickens, in its original red cloth binding, which made £5,500.

However, it is not only antiquarian books that may contain hidden value. The auctioneers are pleased to consider items from all periods, on any subject, in quantities large or small. The same comments apply equally to maps, plans, manuscript material, other documents and ephemera.

A folio Atlas of the Counties of England by C. & J. Greenwood (1834) sold for £1,900, and a map of Oxfordshire, Buckinghamshire and Berkshire by Christopher Saxton (circa 1640) fetched £1,100, but later Ordnance Survey sheet maps have also performed strongly.

All Greenslade Taylor Hunt’s antique and specialist sales benefit from fully-illustrated on-line catalogues and a live internet bidding facility, giving a global reach and a guarantee that each and every lot receives maximum exposure.

If you have books that you are considering selling and would like to take advantage of our free valuation service, why not speak to us soon?

Simply ring us on 01823 332525 or e-mail antiques.saleroom@gth.net for friendly, confidential advice, without charge or obligation.

All set for April sale

This pair of carved and adzed oak table lamps by Robert ‘Mouseman’ Thompson, will feature in Greenslade Taylor Hunt’s next antiques sale at The Octagon Salerooms, East Reach, Taunton, on Thursday, April 6. The octagonal columns are carved with Thompson’s signature mouse, on square section bases, each 26cm high excluding fittings and shade. They have a pre-sale guide of £300-£500.