A Library of Curiosities

Gray’s Auctioneers presents A Library of Curiosities – Part II, a captivating continuation of the late John A. Davidson Jr.’s private collection. This sale celebrates centuries of human curiosity; our collective drive to explore, document, and understand the world through print. From early atlases to legendary voyage accounts, each volume offers a window into how the world was once imagined and measured.
Proceeds from the auction will benefit the APL of Lorain County and the Dittrick Museum, extending the collector’s legacy of discovery and preservation.

Below are five remarkable highlights that define the scope and ambition of this collection.

Auction Highlights:

Abraham Ortelius (1527–1598), Theatrum Orbis Terrarum (Lot 59)
Often celebrated as the first modern atlas, Abraham Ortelius’s Theatrum Orbis Terrarum (Antwerp, 1584) unified the known world into a single, organized visual statement. This revolutionary work introduced the idea of the atlas as a coherent whole rather than a loose assemblage of maps. Beautifully engraved and meticulously labeled, Ortelius’s maps reflect both scientific precision and Renaissance artistry. For collectors, it represents the beginning of modern cartography; an essential cornerstone in any collection devoted to exploration or the printed history of the world.

Estimate: $40,000 – $60,000

Samuel Purchas (1577–1626), Purchas His Pilgrimes (Lot 69A)
Published in London between 1625 and 1626, Purchas His Pilgrimes compiles extraordinary firsthand accounts from travelers, explorers, and missionaries. Purchas’s vast anthology gathers stories spanning the African coasts, the East Indies, the New World, and the Arctic, offering readers in early-seventeenth-century England an unprecedented view of global experience. The set remains one of the most ambitious projects in English travel literature. Its narrative style, part spiritual reflection, part geographic survey, embodies both the faith and fervor of an age defined by discovery.

Estimate: $20,000 – $30,000

Giovanni Battista Ramusio (1485–1557), Delle Navigationi et Viaggi (Lot 70) 
Before Purchas and Hakluyt, there was Ramusio. His Delle Navigationi et Viaggi, published in Venice during the mid-sixteenth century, stands as the first systematic compilation of global voyage narratives. The collection includes accounts by Marco Polo, Vespucci, and early Portuguese and Spanish explorers whose discoveries redrew the boundaries of the known world. Ramusio’s work not only preserved these vital records but also shaped how Renaissance Europe imagined distant lands. For collectors, it remains a foundational text; bridging humanist scholarship, geographic curiosity, and the dawn of modern travel literature.

Estimate: $10,000 – $15,000

George Anson (1697–1762), A Voyage Round the World in the Years MDCCXL (Lot 6)
Admiral George Anson’s chronicle of his circumnavigation (1740–1744) became one of the century’s bestselling naval narratives. Compiled by Richard Walter, A Voyage Round the World recounts Anson’s perilous expedition across the Pacific; marked by shipwrecks, mutiny, and eventual triumph. The book’s vivid engravings and precise charts capture both the danger and the ambition of eighteenth-century exploration. It remains an enduring favorite among collectors of maritime history, offering insight into the age when exploration and empire were inextricably linked.

Estimate: $2,000 – $3,000

James Cook (1728–1779), A Voyage Towards the South Pole, and Round the World (Lot 21)
Few names resonate in the history of exploration like Captain James Cook. His Voyage Towards the South Pole (1772–1775) documents his second major expedition, during which he sailed deeper into the Antarctic than any before him. The richly illustrated volumes combine scientific observation with thrilling narrative, chronicling encounters with ice-filled seas, remote islands, and uncharted coasts. This account captures the Enlightenment spirit of exploration; measured, methodical, yet still driven by wonder at the limits of the known world.

Estimate: $2,000 – $4,000

Taken together, these volumes form a map of human ambition; charting the progression from speculation to science, from mythic geography to measured globe. A Library of Curiosities – Part II invites bidders to hold that legacy in their hands. Whether drawn by the artistry of early printing, the drama of maritime adventure, or the intellectual pursuit of discovery, collectors will find in this sale a celebration of curiosity itself.

See the full catalog online and register to bid at Bidsquare.com.