Art News

Battle of Boyne Eye Witness Account Triples Estimate at Bonhams

LONDON.- An eye witness account of the Battle of the Boyne estimated at £10,000 – 15,000 was sold yesterday at Bonham’s book sale for £43,200. The journal’s author, Captain John Stevens, tells of the chaos caused by the drunkenness of King James’s troops at the crucial moments before battle was joined – a fact discreetly overlooked by 19th century historians. In fierce bidding, the book was finally sold to an unnamed buyer. A specially bound first edition of James Joyce’s Ulysses made £22,800 against an estimate of £10,000-15,000 and the first edition in English of Isaac Newton’s Mathematical Principles of Natural Philosophy was sold for £28,000 (estimate £10,000 – 15,000). Three photographs taken by Lewis Carroll of one of his favourite models, Alexandra ‘Xie’ Kitchen made £24,000 (estimate £10,000 – 15,000). In total the sale made £500,000 and 90% was sold by value.