
Mark Wiltshire
Specialist | Books & Manuscripts

Christie’s Valuable Books and Manuscripts auction brings together an exceptional selection of manuscripts, printed books, and cartographic masterpieces spanning six centuries of intellectual achievement. Leading the sale are three extraordinary works: the celebrated Wunderzeichenbuch ('Book of Miracles'), a 16th-century illustrated manuscript comprising 167 remarkable watercolours; a newly-surfaced 1940 autograph manuscript by Albert Einstein on his pursuit of a unified field theory; and Gerard Mercator’s monumental Atlas sive Cosmographicae (1585-1595), one of the defining monuments of early modern cartography.
At the heart of the sale is ‘An Alchemy of Ideas: Works from the Mickey Cartin Collection’, an outstanding assembly of books tracing the transmission of knowledge from classical antiquity to the modern age. Led by the 'Book of Miracles', other highlights include the first complete edition of Plato in Greek, landmarks of early Greek printing, Georg Bartisch’s pioneering illustrated study of ophthalmology, the magnificently illustrated Theuerdank, John Locke’s An Essay Concerning Human Understanding, and Giorgio Vasari’s celebrated Lives of the Artists.
We are also delighted to present a remarkable selection of works documenting the development of modern physics, mathematics and scientific thought. Manuscripts, letters and first editions by figures including Albert Einstein, Max Planck, Henri Poincaré, Marie Curie and Werner Heisenberg chart some of the most transformative discoveries of the modern era.
Explore our Classic Week auctions in London.

Specialist | Books & Manuscripts

Business Development Associate | Books & Manuscripts
