This May, Christie’s New York is delighted to present The Private Collection of William S. Reese: Part One, Part Two and Part Three. 

The late William Reese (1955-2018) was renowned as the foremost dealer-scholar of antiquarian books of his generation. The founder of the William Reese Company of New Haven, Connecticut, Reese was a seminal figure in antiquarian Americana—a man whose expertise and intellect left an indelible impact on both his trade and the nation’s most important rare book collections. His legendary private collection will be among the most valuable sales of printed Americana in more than 50 years. The 523 lots to be sold this May have a total pre-sale auction estimate of around $10 million. Additional works will be sold in June and September. 

Part One is a live evening auction, May 25, comprising 100 important lots of New World exploration and landmark Americana to 1828. Part Two is a two-session live auction on May 26, featuring John James Audubon, American paintings, printed and manuscript Americana after 1828, Travel and Natural History, and important Literature. Part Three is an online auction from May 19 to June 2, of categories that include fine art, Yale and Connecticut, American architecture and carpentry, book history, and first edition literature. All three will be exhibited in their entirety at Christie’s Rockefeller Center from May 20-25.