Keys Auctioneers to host book sale in memory of team member

Andrew was one of those rare people whose incredible knowledge and passion for his subject was matched by an infectious enthusiasm for sharing that expertise, both with the collectors and book dealers he dealt with throughout his career and with his colleagues, many of whom – myself included – benefitted from his patient and cheerful mentoring in the world of books and ephemera.

Emily Ayson of Keys Auctioneers & Valuers (Image: Newman Associates PR)

​He particularly enjoyed helping vendors discover the great interest in lots which they knew very little about. His genuine delight when he discovered a rare copy of Peter Emerson’s ‘Life and Landscape on the Norfolk Broads’ in a box of books brought in by someone clearing out their late father’s house almost matched that of the vendor when it made £66,000 at auction.

It is very much down to Andrew that Keys built a national reputation for its book department over the years. It is also testament to the way he nurtured and encouraged those of us who were lucky enough to work alongside him that this specialism has been able to continue to thrive since he handed over the baton last year.

Andrew Lindsay Bullock, who was head of books at Keys for more than 30 years and who sadly died last month (Image: Newman Associates PR) He would have been delighted to see a two-day Books, Ephemera, Maps and Works on Paper Sale with more than 1,100 lots taking place this month, the first since his passing.

As you would expect from a sale covering such a wide range and with that number of lots, there is a huge variety of volumes going under the hammer, including first editions by Dick Francis, Ian Fleming (‘You Only Live Twice’), John Betjeman, John Le Carre, Stephen King and Roald Dahl (‘The Twits’).  

A 1995 first edition of John Le Carré’s ‘Our Game’, signed by the author, and with an estimate of £100-£200 (Image: Keys Auctioneers)

There is also a large selection of children’s antiquarian books and a section featuring several collections of Folio Society titles.

A lot with both national and local interest is a very rare copy of ‘A Report Of A Committee Appointed By The Admiralty To Examine And Consider The Evidence Relating To The Tactics Employed By Nelson At The Battle Of Trafalgar’, printed in 1913 with a limited run of just 2,000 copies. This volume is bound in oak boards purportedly salvaged from HMS Victory itself, and includes a further collection of ephemera including engravings, letters, illustrations and press cuttings.

The book has what could be a conservative pre-sale estimate of £200-£400.

‘Report of a Committee Appointed By The Admiralty To Examine And Consider The Evidence Relating To The Tactics Employed By Nelson At The Battle Of Trafalgar’, which has an estimate of £200-£400 (Image: Keys Auctioneers) Detail from the Trafalgar Report showing a plan of the naval battle (Image: Keys Auctioneers)

Nelson crops up rather a lot in this sale, with a slew of biographies of both him and Lady Emma Hamilton, along with books of letters and volumes analysing his triumphs at sea, magic lantern slides of his death, and even musical scores relating to his exploits.

You never quite know what the ephemera sections of these sales will throw up, and this time there is a really interesting collection – spanning 40 lots – of historic sales particulars of Norfolk property, including parcels of the Gunton Hall estate, which were sold off between 1913 and 1919.

The world of books and ephemera is endlessly fascinating, and it was this which made Andrew Lindsay Bullock enjoy coming into work every day. We are very proud to be carrying on his work.

Keys Fine Art Auctioneers’ Books, Ephemera, Maps and Works on Paper Sale takes place on Thursday, November 14 and Friday, November 15. A full online catalogue is available at keysauctions.co.uk