Bibliotheca Brookeriana: A Renaissance Library at Auction this month

Thomas Kimball Brooker, a bibliophile, scholar and businessman is a Trustee of the Morgan Library and Museum in New York and the Newberry Library in Chicago.¹

His collection—Bibliotheca Brookeriana— is being auctioned in parts at Sotheby’s.²

The only library with the theme and concentration of Brooker’s ever assembled outside of Europe, Brooker collected both widely and in depth, acquiring numerous volumes of books including titles in multiple editions and variants. What distinguishes Bibliotheca Brookeriana is the unwavering scholarly passion of T. Kimball Brooker, who endeavored to diligently seek out the finest and most impeccably preserved book bindings, works featuring emblems and inscriptions from early owners, as well as works with impeccable provenance that add layers of historical significance. Encompassing books throughout the ages, Bibliotheca Brookeriana is a truly exceptional collection showcasing the convergence of art, architecture, and knowledge in the Renaissance era.³

Bibliotheca Brookeriana: A Renaissance Library Auction: 10 Dec.2024•

The fifth installment of the magnificent Bibliotheca Brookeriana showcases readers and their books: bindings, inscriptions, manuscript shelfmarks and annotations are all indicators of notable ownership. ⁴

Significant binders include Niccolò Franzese, the Fugger Binder, the Vatican Bindery, including one volume bound for Pope Pius V, Wotton Binders B and C, and the Mahieu Aesop Binder for Claude de Laubespine. Beautifully decorated fore-edges indicate that numerous volumes belonged to significant sixteenth- and seventeenth-century libraries, including the Pillone library at Belluno.⁵

Vimercati, In octo libros Aristotelis de naturali auscultatione, Paris, 1550, tan morocco gilt by the Cupid's Bow binder for Marguerite de France bid-60,000 GBP.

T. Kimball Brooker about collecting books of the French Renaissance

1. Brooker, T. Kimball, and Caxton Club. 1982. In Praise of Bibliophily: Reminiscences of a Collector. Caxton Club, Chicago.

2. Southern, Keiran. "One Man's Astonishing Trove of Rare Books Set to Fetch $25m." The Times. August 10, 2023.

3. T. Kimball Brooker (introduction). Sotheby’s. 2023. Bibliotheca Brookeriana : A Renaissance Library. the Aldine Collection: Publications of the Aldine and Giunta Presses and Related Books. New York, 12 October 2023: New York: Sotheby’s.

4. Bibliotheca Brookeriana: A Renaissance Library Part V .Sotheby’s. December 2024.

5. Rare Book Hub. Sotheby’s Posts Ambitious and Diverse December Sale Schedule. December 2024.