GEORGE WASHINGTON LIBRARY BREAKS GROUND AT MOUNT VERNON

IT WAS ONE OF THE FEW THINGS GEORGE WASHINGTON WANTED TO DO BUT NEVER GOT AROUND TO: BUILD A LIBRARY TO HOLD HIS OFFICIAL AND PERSONAL PAPERS. ON THURSDAY, MORE THAN 200 YEARS AFTER WASHINGTON WROTE OF THE IDEA, DIGNITARIES BROKE GROUND AT HIS MOUNT VERNON ESTATE ON A $47 MILLION PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY OF SORTS THAT THEY HOPE WILL EVOLVE INTO A 'THINK TANK' PROMOTING SCHOLARSHIP ABOUT ONE OF THE NATION'S FOUNDING FATHERS. THE ESTATE HOPES THE LIBRARY WILL BECOME A HOME TO A CENTRALIZED COLLECTION OF WASHINGTON'S PAPERS. THE PRESIDENT WROTE IN A 1797 LETTER, TWO YEARS BEFORE HIS DEATH, ABOUT A LIBRARY, SAYING HIS PAPERS WERE 'VOLUMINOUS AND MAY BE INTERESTING'. DEFENSE SECRETARY ROBERT GATES SAID AT THURSDAY'S CEREMONIES THAT NO ONE DESERVES A PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY MORE THAN WASHINGTON. HIS LEADERSHIP AS PRESIDENT PROVIDES GUIDANCE EVEN TODAY, GATES SAID. GATES COMPARED WASHINGTON'S GUIDANCE DURING THE FRENCH REVOLUTION TO THE MODERN DILEMMA ABOUT HOW AMERICA SHOULD SUPPORT DEMOCRATIC-LEANING UPHEAVALS IN THE MIDDLE EAST. WASHINGTON, GATES SAID, WAS CAUGHT BETWEEN FRANCOPHILES LIKE THOMAS JEFFERSON WHO SAW A KINDRED SPIRIT BETWEEN FRENCH, AND AMERICAN REVOLUTIONARIES AND FEDERALISTS LIKE JOHN ADAMS AND ALEXANDER HAMILTON WHO WERE SHOCKED BY THE FRENCH REVOLUTION'S EXCESSES. ULTIMATELY, WASHINGTON EMBARKED ON A CAUTIOUS, PRAGMATIC STRATEGY THAT INCLUDED A DECLARATION OF NEUTRALITY TOWARD FRANCE AND STRUCK A PEACE TREATY WITH THE BRITISH LEADING SOME TO CONCLUDE WASHINGTON WAS 'SELLING OUT THE SPIRIT OF 1776', GATES SAID. 'FROM OUR EARLIEST DAYS AMERICAN LEADERS HAVE STRUGGLED WITH REALISTIC VERSUS IDEALISTIC APPROACHES' TO FOREIGN POLICY, GATES ADDED. THE LESSON FROM WASHINGTON, HE SAID, IS THAT 'WE ARE COMPELLED TO DEFEND OUR SECURITY AND INTERESTS IN WAYS THAT IN THE LONG RUN LEAD TO THE SPREAD OF DEMOCRATIC INSTITUTIONS.' THE BUILDING WILL BE CALLED THE FRED W SMITH NATIONAL LIBRARY FOR THE STUDY OF GEORGE WASHINGTON. MOUNT VERNON DIRECTOR JAMES REES SAID THE TERM 'PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY' COULD MISLEAD PEOPLE INTO BELIEVING THAT THE MOUNT VERNON LIBRARY WILL RECEIVE FEDERAL FUNDING, AS MODERN PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARIES DO THROUGH THEIR ASSOCIATION WITH THE NATIONAL ARCHIVES. THE MOUNT VERNON LADIES' ASSOCIATION, WHICH HAS RUN THE ESTATE SINCE PURCHASING IT FROM THE WASHINGTON FAMILY IN 1858, HAS NEVER ACCEPTED GOVERNMENT FUNDS. THE BIGGEST CHUNK OF MONEY FOR THE LIBRARY CAME FROM THE LAS VEGAS-BASED DONALD W REYNOLDS FOUNDATION, WHICH CONTRIBUTED $38 MILLION. FRED W SMITH, THE FOUNDATION'S CHAIRMAN, HAS BEEN A MOUNT VERNON SUPPORTER SINCE 2001, AFTER BECOMING INVOLVED IN EFFORTS TO KEEP A FAMOUS PORTRAIT OF WASHINGTON FROM BEING SOLD AT PRIVATE AUCTION. REES SAID THE LIBRARY WILL ALLOW THE ESTATE TO EXPAND ITS EXISTING TEACHER-TRAINING PROGRAMS AND HOST SEMINARS FOR GOVERNMENT AND BUSINESS GROUPS ON TOPICS LIKE WASHINGTON'S VISION OF LEADERSHIP. THE ESTATE HAS NOT COMPLETED ITS FUNDRAISING. IT HAS SO FAR RAISED ABOUT $70 MILLION OF THE $100 MILLION THAT WILL BE NEEDED TO BUILD AND ENDOW THE LIBRARY, REES SAID. COMPLETION IS SCHEDULED FOR 2013.

ELIZABETH TAYLOR'S LOVE LETTERS TO BE AUCTIONED

BEFORE BECOMING A BRIDE EIGHT TIMES OVER, ELIZABETH TAYLOR WAS A 17 YEAR OLD STARLET SCRIBBLING LETTERS TO HER FIRST FIANCE, CHARTING ON PALE PINK STATIONARY HIS PROGRESSION FROM HER ONE AND ONLY TO THE ONE THAT GOT AWAY. 'I'VE NEVER KNOWN THIS KIND OF LOVE BEFORE - IT'S SO PERFECT AND COMPLETE - AND MATURE', TAYLOR WROTE TO WILLIAM PAWLEY ON 6.MAY.1949. 'I'VE NEVER LOVED ANYONE IN MY LIFE BEFORE ONE THIRD AS MUCH AS I LOVE YOU - AND I NEVER WILL (WELL, AS FAR AS THAT GORES - I'LL NEVER LOVE ANYONE ELSE - PERIOD!) TAYLOR, WHO DIED LAST WEEK AT AGE 79, WAS ENGAGED TO PAWLEY IN 1949, JUST BEFORE HER FIRST MARRIAGE. MORE THAN 60 OF THE LETTERS SHE WROTE HIM BETWEEN MARCH AND OCTOBER OF THAT YEAR WILL BE AUCTIONED IN MAY BY RR AUCTIONS OF AMHERST, N.H. IT BOUGHT THE LETTERS TWO YEARS AGO FROM PAWLEY, WHO LIVES IN FLORIDA. THE UNPUBLISHED LETTERS - SOME WRITTEN IN PURPLE FOUNTAIN INK ON PINK PAPER - PROVIDE A GLIMPSE OF A TEENAGER'S TRANSITION TO ADULT STAR. SHE FRETS ABOUT HER WEIGHT ('AS I'M SITTING HERE - WRITING TO YOU, I'M JUST STUFFING MYSELF ON A BOX OF CANDY - HONESTLY I'VE GOT TO STOP EATING SO MUCH') AND PASSING HER HIGH SCHOOL EXAMS. AND SHE CONTRASTS TWO MOVIES SHE WAS DOING AT THE TIME, 'A PLACE IN THE SUN' AND 'THE BIG HANGOVER', PRAISING THE DIRECTOR OF THE FORMER AND COMPLAINING ABOUT HER ROLE IN THE LATTER. BUT MOSTLY, SHE GUSHES ABOUT PAWLEY, THE 22 YEAR OLD SON OF A FORMER AMBASSADOR TO BRAZIL, REASSURING HIM OVER AND OVER THAT HER LOVE IS TRUE. 'MY HEART ACHES & MAKES ME WANT TO CRY WHEN I THINK OF YOU, AND HOW MUCH I WANT TO BE WITH YOU AND TO LOOK INTO YOUR BEAUTIFUL BLUE EYES, AND KISS YOUR SWEET LIPS AND HAVE YOUR STRONG ARMS HOLD ME, OH SO TIGHT, & CLOSE TO YOU ... I WANT US TO BE 'LOVERS' ALWAYS ... EVEN AFTER WE'VE BEEN MARRIED SEVENTY FIVE YEARS AND HAVE AT LEAST A DOZEN GREAT-GREAT-GRANDCHILDREN', SHE WROTE ON 28.MARCH. AT THE TIME, TAYLOR WAS PUBLICLY DATING FOOTBALL PLAYER GLENN DAVIS, BUT IN SEVERAL OF THE LETTERS, SHE COMPLAINS ABOUT THE RUSE PROMOTED BY HER MOTHER AND THE STUDIO TO MAINTAIN HER GIRL NEXT DOOR IMAGE. IN A 10 PAGE LETTER DATED 1.APRIL, SHE DESCRIBES HER REACTION TO DAVIS ACCIDENTALLY BREAKING A PAIR OF EARRINGS PAWLEY HAD GIVEN HER. 'I HAVE NEVER HAD SUCH A STRONG DESIRE TO HIT ANYONE WITH ALL MY MIGHT IN ALL MY LIFE', SHE WROTE. 'I GAVE HIM BACK HIS 'A' PIN, THE FOOTBALL AND HIS ALL-AMERICAN SWEATER ... I DON'T CARE WHAT THEY SAY ANYMORE ... FROM NOW ON I', GOING TO LIVE MY LIFE THE WAY I WANT TO.' IN MAY, SHE TOLD PAWLEY SHE WAS READY TO SAY GOODBYE TO HER CAREER AND EVERYTHING CONNECTED WITH IT, 'FOR I WON'T BE GIVING ANYTHING UP - BUT I WILL BE GAINING THE GREATEST GIFT THAT GOD BESTOWS ON MAN - LOVE, MARRIAGE, A FAMILY - AND YOU MY DARLING.' BY SEPTEMBER, HOWEVER, TAYLOR WAS WRITING ABOUT RETURNING HER ENGAGEMENT RING AT PAWLEY'S REQUEST. 'I KNOW WITH ALL MY HEART AND SOUL THAT THIS IS NOT THE END FOR US - IT COULDN'T BE - WE LOVE EACH OTHER TOO MUCH', SHE WROTE. LESS THAN EIGHT MONTHS LATER, SHE MARRIED HOTEL HEIR CONRAD 'NICKY' HILTON. THE ONLINE AUCTION, SET FOR 19-26.MAY, WILL ALSO FEATURE LETTERS TAYLOR'S MOTHER WROTE TO PAWLEY AFTER THE ENGAGEMENT ENDED, INCLUDING ONE IN WHICH SHE WROTE, 'YOU HAVE A NERVOUS CONDITION AND A PROBLEM WITH JEALOUSY, AS SUCH YOU AND ELIZABETH CAN NEVER BE TOGETHER.' BOBBY LIVINGSTON, SPOKESMAN FOR THE AUCTION HOUSE, SAID THE LETTERS WERE ESTIMATED AT $25,000 TO $35,000 BEFORE TAYLOR'S DEATH, AND HE EXPECTS THEY COULD FETCH TWO OR THREE TIMES THAT AMOUNT.

CHOPIN MUSEUM TO PRESENT A COLLECTION OF FREDERIC CHOPIN'S LETTERS

A COLLECTION OF FREDERIC CHOPIN'S LETTERS TELLING OF THE POLISH COMPOSER'S DAILY LIFE, FROM GIVING LESSONS TO THE HOT CHOCOLATE HE DRANK, HAVE GONE ON DISPLAY IN WARSAW'S CHOPIN MUSEUM MORE THAN SIX DECADES AFTER THEY WENT MISSING. THE SIX LETTERS WRITTEN BY CHOPIN TO HIS PARENTS AND SISTERS BACK HOME IN WARSAW IN 1845-1848 ARE THE CENTERPIECE OF THE EXHIBIT THAT OPENED THURSDAY. IT WILL RUN FOR ONE MONTH AFTER WHICH THEY WILL BE MADE AVAILABLE TO RESEARCHERS. THE COLLECTION ALSO INCLUDES LETTERS FROM THE PIANO COMPOSER'S SCOTTISH PUPIL JANE STIRLING TO CHOPIN'S SISTER, AS WELL AS OTHER ITEMS, SUCH AS A TICKET FOR A REHEARSAL CONCERT ON 26.JULY.1840. ALTHOUGH THE CONTENTS OF THE LETTERS WERE KNOWN TO RESEARCHERS, THE ORIGINALS WERE BELIEVED TO HAVE BEEN LOST OR DESTROYED DURING WORLD WAR II. 'THIS IS A GREAT DAY FOR US. THIS IS AN INVALUABLE COLLECTION THAT WE HAVE ACQUIRED', MUSEUM CURATOR ALICJA KNAST TOLD A NEWS CONFERENCE. HE SAID THAT UNTIL 1939 THE COLLECTION WAS IN THE HANDS OF LAURA CIECHOMSKA, A GRANDNIECE OF CHOPIN'S. WORD EMERGED IN 2003 THAT THE LETTERS EXISTED AND THAT A POLISH EMIGRE ART DEALER LIVING IN MEXICO, MAREK KELLER, WAS TO BUY THEM. HE THEN DONATED THEM TO THE MUSEUM. MUSEUM AUTHORITIES REFUSED TO DISCLOSE THE NAME OF THE COLLECTOR WHO HAD THEM OR THE FATE OF THE ITEMS SINCE 1939, HONORING THE COLLECTOR'S REQUEST TO REMAIN ANONYMOUS. KNAST SAID ALL THE ITEMS WERE CONFIRMED AS AUTHENTIC BEFORE THEY WERE BOUGHT FOR AN UNDISCLOSED SUM OF MONEY. CHOPIN WAS BORN IN POLAND IN 1810 TO A FRENCH FATHER AND A POLISH MOTHER, AND SPENT THE FIRST HALF OF HIS LIFE IN POLAND. DURING THE SECOND HALF HE LIVED IN FRANCE, WHERE HE WON FAME WITH HIS COMPOSITIONS, MOSTLY FOR THE PIANO, AND HIS POPULAR CONCERTS. HE DIED IN PARIS IN 1849.

BONHAMS TO SELL RARE BOOK OF EARLY POEMS BY WILLIAM BLAKE

A PREVIOUSLY UNKNOWN COPY OF A VERY RARE BOOK OF EARLY POEMS BY WILLIAM BLAKE IS UP FOR AUCTION AT THE BOOKS, MAPS, MANUSCRIPTS AND HISTORICAL PHOTOGRAPHS SALE AT BONHAMS IN LONDON ON 22.MARCH. IT IS ESTIMATED AT BETWEEN £60,000-80,000. THE POEMS IN POETICAL SKETCHES WERE WRITTEN BETWEEN 1768 AND 1777 WHEN BLAKE WAS IN HIS TEENS. IN 1783, A GROUP OF HIS FRIENDS BANDED TOGETHER AND PAID FOR THEM TO BE PRINTED IN A SLIM 70 PAGE VOLUME. APPROXIMATELY 50 COPIES WERE PRINTED BUT THE WHEREABOUTS OF ONLY 20 ARE KNOWN SO THE DISCOVERY OF THIS COPY, ONE OF A VERY FEW IN PRIVATE HANDS, IS HIGHLY SIGNIFICANT. BLAKE WAS GIVEN THE PRINT RUN TO SELL OR GIVE AWAY BUT HE SEEMS NOT TO HAVE BEEN VERY ACTIVE IN PROMOTING THEM BECAUSE SEVERAL COPIES WERE FOUND AMONG HIS POSSESSIONS WHEN HE DIED. HIS FRIENDS, WHO INCLUDED THE SCULPTOR JOHN FLAXMAN, WERE KEEN TO SPREAD THE WORD OF BLAKE'S TALENT AND GAVE SOME VOLUMES AWAY ON HIS BEHALF BUT THE COPY FOR AUCTION WAS ACTUALLY GIVEN BY BLAKE HIMSELF. IT CARRIES HIS INSCRIPTION AND HIS ADDRESS NEAR LEICESTER FIELDS (PRESENT DAY LEICESTER SQUARE) WHERE HE LIVED FROM 1782 UNTIL JULY 1784, SO HE MUST HAVE GIVEN THE COPY AWAY FAIRLY SOON AFTER IT WAS PRINTED. THE IDENTITY OF THE RECIPIENT IS NOT KNOWN. THE BOOK ITSELF WAS LITTERED WITH ERRORS, SOME OF WHICH BLAKE CORRECTED BEFORE HANDING COPIES OUT. ALTHOUGH IT NEVER WENT INTO COMMERCIAL PUBLICATION DURING BLAKE'S LIFETIME, THE BOOK, WHICH INCLUDES WORKS SUCH AS 'MAD SONG' AND 'TO THE EVENING STAR' IS SEEN AS A SIGNIFICANT PART OF HIS OUTPUT, ANTICIPATING THE STYLE OF HIS MATURE WORK AND THE DEVELOPMENT OF HIS SYMBOLIC LANGUAGE.

MEADOWS MUSEUM PRESENTS 'THE LOST MANUSCRIPTS FROM THE SISTINE CHAPEL'

RARE, LAVISHLY-ILLUSTRATED MANUSCRIPTS FROM THE SISTINE CHAPEL THAT WERE RESCUED FROM NAPOLEON'S ARMY, ONLY TO FALL UNDER THE RADAR SCREEN OF ART HISTORY FOR TWO CENTURIES, HAVE RECENTLY GONE ON DISPLAY IN DALLAS. THE EXHIBIT AT SOUTHERN METHODIST UNIVERSITY'S MEADOWS MUSEUM, WHICH RUNS UNTIL 23.APRIL, IS THE ONLY CHANCE FOR THE US PUBLIC TO SEE THE STUNNING, HAND-MADE CODICES OR MANUSCRIPTS. 'THE LOST MANUSCRIPTS FROM THE SISTINE CHAPEL: AN EPIC JOURNEY FROM ROME TO TOLEDO' FEATURES 40 CODICES THAT RANGE IN DATE FROM THE 11th TO THE 18th CENTURY. THESE WERE IN THE SACRISTY OF THE SISTINE CHAPEL SO THESE WERE THE MOST PRIVATE BOOKS READ BY THE POPES AND CARDINALS AT VERY SPECIAL CEREMONIES. THERE ARE SOME CODICES HERE THAT MICHELANGELO WOULD HAVE HEARD OR READ FROM', SAID MEADOWS DIRECTOR MARK ROGLAN. ASIDE FROM THEIR ARTISTIC VALUE, THE WRITINGS IN THE CODICES ARE LITURGICAL TREASURE TROVES WHICH INCLUDE BLESSINGS, MISSALS AND PREPARATIONS FOR MASSES. THEIR JOURNEY TO DALLAS HAS BEEN IMPROBABLE. THEY WERE LOOTED AT THE END OF THE 18th CENTURY FROM THE VATICAN BY NAPOLEON'S RAMPAGING ARMIES AND MANY WERE SLICED AND DICED AND SOLD IN FRAGMENTS. BUT THE HEROIC EFFORTS OF THE ARCHBISHOP OF TOLEDO ENABLED MANY OF THEM TO BE RESCUED, THOUGH OVER THE YEARS THEY WERE LARGELY FORGOTTEN. THEIR REDISCOVERY OCCURRED IN 1997 WHEN ART HISTORIAN ELENA DE LAURENTIIS, OF THE UNIVERSITY OF GENOA, STUMBLED UPON A PHOTOGRAPH OF ONE OF THE CODICES IN AN ARCHIVE AND RECOGNIZED ITS SIGNIFICANCE. THE MANUSCRIPTS ARE EYE-CATCHING, WITH THEIR ELEGANT HAND-WRITTEN SCRIPT, STUNNING IMAGES AND BEAUTIFUL BINDINGS. ONE ARRESTING AND COLOURFUL ILLUSTRATION FROM THE LATE 15th CENTURY IN INK, PIGMENT AND GOLD ON VELLUM DEPICTS THE CRUCIFIXION, A COMMON MOTIF.

LOUIS VUITTON'S 'ART FOR BABY'

LOUIS VUITTON AND YANA PEEL RECENTLY HOSTED AN 'ART FOR BABY' RECEPTION AT ESPACE LOUIS VUITTON HONG KONG. THE 'ART FOR BABY' EXHIBITION BROUGHT TOGETHER IN CELEBRATION OF THE ASIA LAUNCH OF THE HIGHLY ACCLAIMED BOOK BY THE SAME NAME. IT SHOWCASES THE 20th CENTURY'S MOST PROLIFIC PAINTERS FFROM AMERICA, EUROPE AND ASIA, WITH WORKS BY DAMIAN HIRST, GARY HUME, JULIAN OPE AND TAKASHI MURAKAMI. CHOSEN FROM AMONG WORKS BY KASMIR MALEVICH, PAUL MORRISON, BIDGET RILEY AND DAVID SHRIGLEY, EACH OF WHOM IS ALSO FEATURED IN THE ART FOR BABY BOOK. THE BOOK ART FOR BABY WAS CONCEIVED BY YANA PEEL ON THE BASIS OF SCIENTIFIC EVIDENCE THAT WHEN BABIES ARE FIRST BORN, THEY CAN SEE COLOUR BUT HAVE NOT YET DEVELOPED THE ABILITY TO DISTINGUISH SIMILAR TONES. AS A RESULT, BOLD GRAPHICS ALONG WITH MONOCHROMATIC BLACK AND WHITE CONTRASTS PROVIDE THEM WITH THE TOOLS TO NURTURE THEIR VISUAL SKILLS, WHILE AT THE SAME TIME INTRODUCE THEM TO THE WORLD OF ART. THE ART FOR BABY EXHIBITION CONTINUES UNTIL APRIL.2011, AT ESPACE LOUIS VUITTON, 5 CANTON ROAD, HONG KONG, WITH ALL BOOK SALES GOING TO THE OUTSET CONTEMPORATY ART FUND.

VALERIE HIRD 'TRINITY'

VALERIE HIRD'S 'TRINITY', A HANDMADE ART BOOK IS A UNIQUE AND STUNNING WORK OF ART. HIRD'S DELICATE PAINTINGS I MINIATURE ARE MYSTERIOUS, BUT ALSO CAPTIVATING, LYRICAL AND HIGHLY EMOTIONAL. THEY FORM A NARRATIVE WHOSE MEANING IS OFTEN HIDDEN BUT AT THE SAME TIME, TANTALIZING. HIRD'S BOOK, A HANDMADE CREATION IMMENSELY APPEALING TO COLLECTORS OF ART BOOKS, EXISTS IN A NUMBERED EDITION OF 20. EACH IS IN ITS OWN BOX WITH PAINTINGS REMINISCENT OF TAROT CARDS. THEY ARE PRINTED IN ARCHIVAL INKS ON BEAUTIFUL, WHITE HANDMADE PAPER. THE BOOK IS SMALL, 3 5/8 BY 4 5/8 INCHES, WITH FOUR ENDPAPERS THAT FOLD TO MAKE A LITTLE BOX. WITHIN ARE SOME 15 PAINTINGS PLUS A COLOPHON (PRINTER'S IMPRINT) IN A LIMITED PALETTE OF BLUES, GREENS, REDS AND ORANGE WITH TOUCHES OF SILVER LEAF. EACH IS SIGNED WITH HANDWRITTEN ANNOTATIONS. TRAINED AS AN ARCHAEOLOGICAL ILLUSTRATOR, HIRD SPENT SOME 25 YEARS WITH SEMI-NOMADIC TRIBES IN THE MIDDLE EAST. HER BACKGROUND AND EXTENSIVE TRAVELS INFORM HER ART, BUT TODAY SHE IS BASED IN BURLINGTON, VERMONT, WHERE SHE SPENDS MOST OF HER TIME PAINTING ON CANVAS. 'MAKING AN ARTIST BOOK IS SO LABOR INTENSIVE, IT IS TRULY A LABOR OF LOVE', SHE SAYS. 'I DON'T DO THEM UNLESS THE CONCEPT CALLS FOR AN OBSESSIVELY WONDERFUL OBJECT THAT SOMEONE CAN TOUCH, HOLD AND CARRY WITH THEM.' THE BOOKS ARE ON VIEW AT THE NOHRA GALLERY AT 730 FIFTH AVENUE (www.nohrahaimegallery.com) AND ARE PRICED AT $2,000 EACH.

MONTGRAPPA 'THE DRAGON 2010 BRUCE LEE'

WITH A NEW VERSION OF 'THE GREEN HORNET' ABOUT TO BE RELEASED IN THEATERS, MANY PEOPLE ARE REMEMBERING BRUCE LEE AND HIS PORTRAYAL OF KATO IN THE SHORT LIVED TELEVISION SERIES. ITALIAN PEN MANUFACTURER MONTGRAPPA HAS CREATED A RE-INTERPRETATION OF ONE OF THE COMPANY'S MOST COVETED PENS, 'THE DRAGON' TO HONOR THE STAR OD WHAT WOULD HAVE BEEN HIS 70th BIRTHDAY. MONTGRAPPA FIRST PRODUCED THE ORIGINAL 'DRAGON' 15 YEARS AGO IN 1,912 PIECES TO CELEBRATE ITS FOUNDING YEAR. IT WAS PRODUCED IN BLACK MOTHER OF PEARL CELLULOID AND STERLING SILVER. ONLY 100 FOUNTAIN PENS WERE ISSUED IN 18K GOLD. 'THE DRAGON 2010 BRUCE LEE' LIMITED EDITION SERIES HAS BEEN DISTINGUISHED FROM THE 1995 RELEASE BY A CHANGE IN THE DESIGN OF THE POCKET CLIP, A NEW COLOUR, THE DETAIL OF THE DRAGON'S TAIL ON THE BARREL, THE FOUNTAIN PEN NIB AND THE TOP OF THE CAP. THE PEN ALSO FEATURES A BODY AND CAP MADE OF RED CELLULOID WITH BLACK VEINING, REFERRED TO AS 'CINNAMON'. TOPPING THE CAP IS THE YIN-YANG SYMBOL, REPRESENTING BALANCE. THE CAP AND THE BARREL ARE BOTH EMBRACED BY EXQUISITELY CARVED DRAGONS, THEIR EYES HIGHLIGHTED BY RUBIES ON THE STERLING SILVER VERSION AND BY MATCHING PRECIOUS STONES ON THE FULLY-ENCRUSTED VERSIONS. THE NIB ITSELF FEATURES THE PROFILE OF BRUCE LEE IN THE FAMOUS MOVE, FOOT AND FIST EXTENDED, SUSPENDED IN THE AIR. MONTGRAPPA WILL PRODUCE A TOTAL OF 2010 PIECES, WITH PRICES RANGING FORM $4,675 TO $102,200.

STAN LEE GIVEN STAR ON WALK OF FAME

THERE'S A NEW SUPERHERO ON HOLLYWOOD BOULEVARD. COMIC BOOK LEGEND STAN LEE, CREATOR OR CO-CREATOR OF SUCH MARVEL COMICS CHARACTERS AS SPIDER-MAN, THE INCREDIBLE HULK, X-MEN, THE FANTASTIC FOUR AND IRON MAN, HAS NOW BEEN ENSHRINED IN CONCRETE. THE 88 YEAR OLD LEE UNVEILED HIS WALK OF FAME SIDEWALK STAR ON TUESDAY IN FRONT OF THE LIVE NATION BUILDING ON HOLLYWOOD BOULEVARD. IT'S THE 2,428th STAR DEDICATED ON THE FAMOUS AVENUE OF DREAMS. LEE IS FOUNDER, CHAIRMAN AND CHIEF OFFICER OF POW! ENTERTAINMENT. MORE THAN 2 MILLION OF LEE'S COMIC BOOKS HAVE BEEN PUBLISHED IN 75 NATIONS AND IN 25 LANGUAGES. HIS CHARACTERS HAVE BEN FEATURED IN 24 ANIMATED TELEVISION SERIES AND SEVERAL LIVE ACTION FILMS. IN COLLABORATION WITH SEVERAL ARTISTS, MOST NOTABLY JACK KIRBY AND STEVE DITKO, HE CO-CREATED SPIDER-MAN, THE FANTASTIC FOUR, THE X-MEN, THE AVENGERS, IRON MAN, THE HULK, THOR, DAREDEVIL, DOCTOR STRANGE AND MANY OTHER FICTIONAL CHARACTERS. INTRODUCING COMPLEX, NATURALISTIC CHARACTERS AND A THOROUGHLY SHARED UNIVERSE INTO SUPERHERO COMIC BOOKS. IN ADDITION, HE HEADED THE FIRST MAJOR SUCCESSFUL CHALLENGE TO THE INDUSTRY'S CENSORSHIP ORGANIZATION, THE COMICS CODE AUTHORITY, AND FORCED IT TO REFORM ITS POLICIES. LEE SUBSEQUENTLY LED THE EXPANSION OF MARVEL COMICS FROM A SMALL DIVISION OF A PUBLISHING HOUSE TO A LARGE MULTIMEDIA CORPORATION. HE WAS INDUCTED INTO THE COMIC BOOK INDUSTRY'S WILL EISNER COMIC BOOK HALL OF FAME IN 1994 AND THE JACK KIRBY HALL OF FAME IN 1995.

A HEDONIST'S GUIDE TO ART

HG2 ART IS A HANDBOOK THAT GIVES READERS AN INSIGHT INTO BOTH THE DARKER REACHES OF THE ART WORLD AND SOME OF ITS MORE ENCHANTING POCKETS. REVEALING INSIDER SECRETS, IT ANSWERS THE QUESTIONS EVERY WOULD-BE ART COLLECTOR WANTS TO KNOW. HH2 ART IS A SEMINAL COLLECTION OF ESSAYS THAT WILL NOT ONLY INSPIRE ANY BURGEONING COLLECTOR, BUT ANYONE WISHING TO TAP INTO THE ESOTERIC FORTRESS OF STRANGE THAT IS THE ART WORLD. GILBERT & GEORGE, SARAH LUCAS, WILL SELF, KIETH TYSON, SUE WEBSTER, MARTIN CREED, POLLY MORGAN, AND OTHER INTERNATIONALLY RENOWNED ARTISTS, WRITERS, GALLERY OWNERS, ART COLLECTORS AND HANGERS ON, REVEAL THEIR HIDDEN LIVES, THE LIVES OF OTHERS, AND THE SLIGHTLY APPALLING SECRETS THAT ONLY A SELECT HANDFUL OF PEOPLE ARE AS YET A PARTY TO. LEARN HOW TO NAVIGATE THE BEST ART PARTIES, WHY YOU SHOULD BUY THE ART YOU HATE, WHERE THE INTERNATIONAL CURATING AND COLLECTING HOTSPOTS ARE, AND HOW TO BECOME A DEALER. A HEDONIST'S GUIDE TO ART COMPRISES 90+ ESSAYS, AND A FEW PIECES OF NEVER BEFORE SEEN, ORIGINAL ART, ESPECIALLY MADE FOR THE BOOK. SOME OF THE CONTRIBUTIONS WILL MAKE YOU LAUGH OUT LOUD, SOME WILL MAKE YOU TURN A SHADE OF PUCE, WHILE OTHERS MIGHT JUST MAKE YOU CRY. WHATEVER THEIR POISON, THIS UNIQUE ANTHOLOGY WILL BRING A WRY SMILE TO ALL ART ENTHUSIASTS.

MCM/ASSOULINE TRAVEL TRUNK

RECENTLY LUXURY DESIGNER MCM AND SPECIALTY PUBLISHER ASSOULINE COLLABORATED TO CREATE A STUNNING TRAVEL TRUNK FOR ASSOULINE'S 40 BOOK SIGNATURE MEMOIRES SERIES ON FASHION, ART AND DESIGN. THE TRUNK IS COVERED IN MCM's ICONIC SIGNATURE MONOGRAM CANVAS WITH BRASS ACCESSORIES. THE UNIQUE TRAVEL TRUNK IS AVAILABLE AT MCM BOUTIQUES AND ASSOULINE SHOPS WORLDWIDE AND IS PRICED AT $4,995

"THE IRISH COUNTRY HOME"

THE COUNTRY HOUSES OF IRELAND ARE NOT AS WELL KNOWN AND CELEBRATED AS THOSE OF ENGLAND, YET NO SERIOUS STUDENT OF THE FORM CAN AFFORD TO MISS WHAT ARE UNDOUBTEDLY SOME OF THE MOST STUNNING EXAMPLES ON THE EMERALD ISLE. TEN EXQUISITE IRISH COUNTRY ESTATES ARE GIVEN LAVISH TREATMENT IN THE IRISH COUNTRY HOUSE, A BEAUTIFUL NEW BOOK BY IRISH ARISTOCRAT THE KNIGHT OF GILN, WHOSE OWN CASTLE IS AMONG THE FINEST, AND JAMES PEILL FROM THE VENDOME PRESS. ALL OF THE HISTORICAL HOUSES AND CASTLES FEATURED IN THE BOOK ARE STILL OWNED AND LIVED IN BY THE ORIGINAL FAMILIES, AN INCREASING RARITY, AND MANY HAVE NEVER BEEN PUBLISHED BEFORE. SPECIALLY COMMISSIONED PHOTOGRAPHS BY JAMES FENNELL SHOW GRAND BUT INVITING LIVING ROOMS, HALLWAYS LINED WITH HUNTING PRINTS, WELL-TRAMPLED MUDROOMS AND RICHLY-FURNISHED LIBRARIES. THE DECOR OF THE HOUSES HAS 'EVOLVED OVER GENERATIONS, FURNISHED WITH HEIRLOOMS AND CHERISHED HAND-ME-DOWNS, EXUDING THE MOSSY SCENT OF PEAT FIRES', FULL OF TELLING DETAILS CAPTURING THE DISTINCTIVE PERSONALITIES OF THE COLOURFUL INHABITANTS WHOSE STORIES ARE RECOUNTED IN THE TEXT.

SOTHEBY'S SELLS AUDUBON'S 'BIRDS OF AMERICA' FOR RECORD $10,270,000

JOHN JAMES AUDUBON'S 'BIRDS OF AMERICA', A RARE BLEND OF ART, NATURAL HISTORY AND CRAFTSMANSHIP, FETCHED MORE THAN $10 MILLION AT AUCTION ON TUESDAY, MAKING IT THE WORLD'S MOST EXPENSIVE PUBLISHED BOOK. WITH ITS 435 HAND-COLOURED ILLUSTRATIONS OF BIRDS DRAWN TO SIZE, THE VOLUME IS ONE OF TE BEST PRESERVED EDITIONS OF AUDUBON'S 19th CENTURY MASTERPIECE. THE SALE AT SOTHEBY'S LONDON HAD BEEN ANTICIPATED FOR MONTHS BY WEALTHY COLLECTORS. THE BOOK SOLD FOR $10,270,000 TO AN ANONYMOUS COLLECTOR BIDDING BY TELEPHONE, THE AUCTION HOUSE SAID. BECAUSE EACH PICTURE IS SO VALUABLE, THERE HAVE BEEN FEARS THE VOLUME WILL BE BROKEN UP AND SOLD AS SEPARATE WORKS OF ART. HOWEVER, EXPERTS BELIEVE THAT'S UNLIKELY. THE TOME IS PROBABLY MORE VALUABLE INTACT. AND COLLECTORS HOLD AUDUBON IN SUCH REVERENCE THAT THE NOTION OF RIPPING APART A PERFECT COPY WOULD BE AKIN TO SACRILEGE. PART NATURALIST AND PART ARTIST, AUDUBON POSSESSED AN UNEQUALED ABILITY TO OBSERVE, CATALOG AND PAINT THE BIRDS HE OBSERVED IN THE WILD. EXPERTS SAY HIS BOOK, ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN 1827, IS UNMATCHED IN ITS BEAUTY AND IS ALSO OF CONSIDERABLE SCIENTIFIC VALUE, JUSTIFYING ITS HISTORIC PRICE TAG. WHILE THE AUDUBON VOLUME HOLDS TE RECORD FOR A PUBLISHED BOOK, A 72 PAGE NOTEBOOK OF LEONARDO DA VINCI'S HANDWRITTEN NOTES AND ILLUSTRATIONS WENT FOR EVEN MORE. KNOWN AS THE LEICESTER CODEX, THE COLLECTION WAS BOUGHT BY BILL GATES IN 1994 FOR $31 MILLION. ALSO ON THE BLOCK TUESDAY WAS A SHAKESPEARE FIRST FOLIO FROM 1623 THAT FETCHED $2.05 MILLION. SOTHEBY'S BOOKS EXPERT DAVID GOLDTHORPE SAID THE AUDUBON AND SHAKESPEARE VOLUMES REPRESENT 'THE TWIN PEAKS OF BOOK COLLECTING.' BOTH CAME FROM THE ESTATE OF THE 2nd BARON HESKETH, A COLLECTOR WHO DIED IN 1955.

COLLECTION OF RARE AND HISTORIC CORRESPONDENCE SOLD AT AUCTION IN GENEVA

GENEVA BASED AUCTIONEERS HOTEL DES VENTES SOLD A HIGHLY IMPORTANT AND UNIQUE COLLECTION OF EXTENSIVE CORRESPONDENCE, PHOTOGRAPHS AND DRAWINGS EXCHANGED BETWEEN HIH GRAND DUKE GEORGE ALEXANDROVICH, HIH GRAND DUCHESS XENIA ALEXANDROVNA, HIH GRAND DUKE MIKHAIL ALEXANDROVICH AND HIH GRAND DUCHESS OLGA ALEXANDROVNA AND THEIR PRIVATE TUTOR FERDINAND THORMEYER OF SWITZERLAND. THE AUCTION ROOM WAS OVERCROWDED LEAVING STANDING ROOM ONLY. THE TWO MOST PROMINENT BUYERS WERE SWISS PRIVATE COLLECTORS. RUSSIAN BUYERS WERE ACTIVE BOTH IN THE ROOM AND BY TELEPHONE AS WELL AS A SELECT FEW AMERICAN CLIENTS. THE TOTAL SALE PRICE REACHING 390,000 SWISS FRANCS, THE COLLECTION FETCHED ALMOST FOUR TIMES ITS HIGH ESTIMATE. BERNARD PIGUET, DIRECTOR AND PRINCIPAL AUCTIONEERS OF HOTEL DES VENTES STATES: 'WE ARE DELIGHTED WITH THE SUCCESS OF THIS SALE, WHICH HAS SURPASSED OUR EXPECTATIONS. WE CAN REVEAL THAT ALL THE LOTS HAVE BEEN SOLD WITHOUT EXCEPTION AND FOR AN AMOUNT ALMOST FOUR TIMES THE HIGH ESTIMATE, CLEARLY SHOWING TEH LEVEL OF INTEREST AMONG COLLECTORS FOR THIS HISTORICAL AND UNPUBLISHED CORRESPONDENCE'. THE LOT THAT ACHIEVED THE HIGHEST PRICE IN THE COLLECTION WAS LOT #185, THE 35 LETTERS WRITTEN BY GRAND DUKE MIKHAIL BETWEEN 1902 AND 1911 ESTIMATED AT 5,000-8,000 SOLD FOR 34,000 SWISS FRANCS. CLOSE BEHIND WAS LOT #184, CONSISTING OF 80 LETTERS WRITTEN BY THE GRAND DUKE BETWEEN 1900 AND 1904 ESTIMATED AT 10,000-15,000, SOLD FOR 32,800 SWISS FRANCS. MATCHING THIS WAS THE PRECIOUS ROSE GOLD AND SILVER CIGARETTE CASE LOT #164, PRESENTED BY NICHOLAS II AND HIS BROTHER GRAND DUKE GEORGE TO THEIR TUTOR, ESTIMATED AT 5,000-8,000 AND ALSO SOLD FOR 32,800. THE HIGHEST PRICE FOR A SINGLE PHOTOGRAPH WAS LOT #153, THE FAMILY PORTRAIT OF ALEXANDER III BY LEVITSKY, ESTIMATED AT 400-600 AND FETCHING 6,600 SWISS FRANCS.

RARE DA VINCI MANUSCRIPT DISCOVERED IN FRENCH LIBRARY

A LONG-LOST FRAGMENT OF MANUSCRIPT BY RENAISSANCE GENIUS LEONARDO DA VINCI HAS BEEN UNCOVERED IN A PUBLIC LIBRARY IN WESTERN FRANCE AFTER LYING FORGOTTEN IN STORAGE FOR NEARLY ONE HUNDRED AND A HALF CENTURIES. THE TEXT, WRITTEN FROM RIGHT TO LEFT IN DA VINCI's TRADEMARK MIRROR-WRITING, WAS AMONG 5,000 DOCUMENTS DONATED TO THE CITY OF NANTES IN 1872 BY WEALTHY COLLECTOR PIERRE-ANTOINE LABOUCHERE, AND THEN LEFT TO LANGUISH IN THE LOCAL ARCHIVES. IT WAS ONLY WHEN A LOCAL JOURNALIST CAME ACROSS A REFERENCE TO THE DOCUMENT'S LOCATION IN A BIOGRAPHY OF THE ITALIAN MASTER THAT THE MANUSCRIPT WAS FINALLY TRACKED DOWN. 'HE WAS MOST PROBABLY WRITING IN 15th CENTURY ITALIAN, AND POSSIBLY IN OTHER LANGUAGES, SO IT'S NOW GOT TO BE DECIPHERED', SAID AGNES MARCETTEAU, HEAD OF THE NANTES LIBRARY WHERE THE MANUSCRIPT WAS FOUND. FOR THE TIME BEING, HOWEVER, THE CONTENTS OF THE DA VINCI SCRIPT, A FEW LINES ON A YELLOWED SCRAP OF PAPER, REMAINED A MYSTERY AND EXPERTS HAD YET TO DECIPHER THE ARTIST'S BROWN SCRAWL, SHE SAID. THIS IS THE SECOND RARE ITEM UNCOVERED IN LABOUCHERE'S COLLECTION, AFTER THE DISCOVERY IN 2008 OF A NEVER BEFORE SEEN SCORE BY COMPOSER WOLFGANG AMADEUS MOZART.

'MY PASSION FOR DESIGN' BY BARBRA STREISAND

IT'S NOT EXACTLY OPENING YOUR HOME TO GUESTS AT A HOLIDAY PARTY, BUT FOR THE ICONIC HOLLYWOOD LEGEND BARBRA STREISAND AND HER FANS, IT'S PRETTY CLOSE. THIS WEEK STREISAND HAS SEEN HER FIRST BOOK LAND IN STORES, BUT IT'S NO MEMOIR OF STAR TURNS IN FILMS SUCH AS 'FUNNY GIRL' OR 'THE WAY WE WERE', NOR DOES IT RECOUNT THE MAKING OF ALBUMS THAT HAVE SOLD OVER 71 MILLION COPIES. FOR HER DEBUT AS AN AUTHOR, STREISAND HAS INSTEAD WRITTEN ABOUT HER LOVE OF ARCHITECTURE, ART, FURNITURE AND LANDSCAPING IN 'MY PASSION FOR DESIGN'. BUT DON'T BE FOOLED BY ITS TITLE BECAUSE WITHIN THE PAGES, THE STAR TELLS TALES FROM HER LIFE AND CARRIER THAT INFLUENCED THE CHOICES SHE MADE IN DESIGNING HER DREAM HOME IN MALIBU, CALIFORNIA. 'I THINK IT MAKES IT MORE INTERESTING', SHE TOLD REUTERS ABOUT THE BOOK'S FIRST PERSON STYLE. 'PEOPLE HAVE BEEN ASKING ME TO WRITE NY AUTOBIOGRAPHY, BUT I DON'T WANT TO GO THERE YET AND BE THAT PERSONAL. I GUESS IT CREPT INTO MY OWN WRITING.' THE COFFEE TABLE BOOK FROM VIKING PUBLISHERS TAKES READERS ON STREISAND'S YEARS LONG JOURNEY PLANNING, BUILDING AN FURNISHING THE COMPOUND THAT RESEMBLES A 19th CENTURY NEW ENGLAND FARM WITH A BARN, MILL HOUSE, MAIN HOUSE, GRANDMA'S HOUSE AND EVEN A CHICKEN COOP. IT IS NOT THE FIRST HOUSE THE SINGER HAS DESIGNED FOR HERSELF. IN FACT, IT FOLLOWS SEVERAL OTHERS INCLUDING AN ART DECO THEMED HOUSE, AND HER NEW YORK CITY APARTMENTS. BUT IT IS THE HOME IN WHICH STREISAND AND HER HUSBAND JAMES BROLIN SPEND MOST ALL THEIR TIME AND IT IS, IN A WORD, RATHER COMFY. ADDING TO THE BOOK'S PERSONAL TOUCHES, AVID PHOTOGRAPHER STREISAND TOOK MOST ALL THE PICTURES HERSELF. IN THE INTRODUCTION, READERS LEARN STREISAND LIKES TO SPEND HER MORNINGS IN BED, WITH HER DOG SAMANTHA AT HER FEET. IT IS THERE THAT SHE WRITES, READS, EATS AND EVEN TRADES STOCKS. 'IT'S A WAY OF GAMBLING WITHOUT HAVING TO GET DRESSED', STREISAND WRITES. SHE SAID SHE DOESN'T KNOW EXACTLY FROM WHERE SHE DERIVED HER LOVE OF ARCHITECTURE AND DESIGN, BUT ADDS IT CERTAINLY WASN'T FROM HER MOTHER, WHO COVERED THEIR FURNITURE IN PLASTIC WHEN SHE WAS A CHILD TO KEEP IT FROM GETTING DAMAGED. IN STREISAND'S MALIBU HOME, NOTHING IS SHEATHED. THE BOOKS IS DIVIDED INTO SEPARATE SECTIONS COVERING THE DIFFERENT STRUCTURES WITHIN THE COMPOUND. SHE STARTS IN THE CHICKEN COOP, WHERE SHE HOUSES HENS WHO LAY EGGS, AND SHE COVERS THE GARDENS WHERE SHE GROWS HER OWN VEGETABLES. HER 'BARN' IS A HOME, REALLY, NO STALLS FOR LIVESTOCK, BUT STREISAND IS QUICK TO POINT OUT THAT SHE DOESN'T LIVE THERE. THE MAIN HOUSE IS HER HOME. 'BUILDING THE BARN WAS LIKE COMPLETING AN ART PROJECT', SHE WRITES. THE DESIGN STYLES SPAN ROUGHLY THREE CENTURIES, FROM THE 18th THROUGH THE 20th, BUT THE COMMON THEME IS A LOVE OF AMERICANA. THERE IS HER 'FEDERAL LOUNGE', THAT LOOKS LIKE A TOWNHOUSE IN WASHINGTON DC, HER 'BEE'S DOLL SHOP', WHICH HOUSE HER DOLL COLLECTION, AND THE ANTIQUE CLOTHES SHOP, WHICH SHOWS OFF HER LOVE OF VINTAGE CLOTHING. 'IT REPRESENTS ALL THE DIFFERENT PARTS OF MY PERSONALITY', SHE SAID OF THE ROOMS AND THEIR VARIOUS STYLES. IN ADDITION TO DESIGN, STREISAND ALSO HAS A PASSION FOR RAISING MONEY TO HELP FUND RESEARCH FOR HEART DISEASE IN WOMEN, WHICH SHE SAID HAS IMPACTED HER OWN FAMILY. SHE RECENTLY LAUNCHED A $10 MILLION FUND-RAISING EFFORT BENEFITING THE WOMEN'S HEART CENTER AT THE CEDARS-SINAI HEART INSTITUTE.

ASSOULINE PRESENTS NEW BOOK ON CECIL BEATON

FAMED PHOTOGRAPHER CECIL BEATON DIDN'T JUST SHOOT PICTURES FOR VOGUE AND VANITY FAIR, HE ALSO MINGLED WITH THE CREAM OF 20th CENTURY SOCIETY. AND HE KEPT NOTES. CECIL BEATON KEPT EXACTING DIARIES OF HIS DAILY LIFE AND ALSO AMASSED DOZENS OF SCRAPBOOKS NOW HELD BY SOTHEBY'S LONDON. A NEW BOOK FROM ASSOULINE REVEALS THESE SCRAPBOOKS TO THE PUBLIC. THE 400 PAGES CONTAINS OVER 600 IMAGES INCLUDING HIS OWN PRINTS AND CLIPPINGS FROM MAGAZINES, NEWSPAPERS AND PLAYBILLS, IT'S AN ASSEMBLAGE OF A FABULOUS AND WELL-LIVED LIFE. THE BOOK WAS ASSEMBLED BY JAMES DANZIGER, THE DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY AT THE LONDON SUNDAY TIMES MAGAZINES, FEATURES EDITOR OF VANITY FAIR, AND DIRECTOR OF MAGNUM NEW YORK. IT GOES ON SALE NEXT WEEK AND SELLS FOR $250.

CAXTON MISSAL RETURNS HOME

THE LIBRARY AT THE NATIONAL TRUST'S LYME PARK HAS BEEN RESTORED AND IS HOME ONCE AGAIN TO THE CAXTON MISSAL. A THREE YEAR PROJECT TO RETURN A UNIQUE BOOK TO THE LIBRARY AT LYME PARK AND RESTORE THE ROOM TO ITS 19th CENTURY GLORY HAS FINALLY BEEN REALIZED. THE CAXTON MISSAL, A RARE 15th CENTURY PRAYER BOOK PRINTED BY ENGLAND'S FIRST PRINTER, WILLIAM CAXTON. THE MISSAL WAS ACQUIRED WITH THE ART FUND'S SUPPORT AND HELP FROM OTHER FUNDING BODIES. ART FUND DIRECTOR STEPHEN DEUCHAR SAID: ' THIS VISUALLY STRIKING WORK HELPS TELL THE STORY OF 15th CENTURY ENGLAND AND IT'S SO IMPORTANT THAT PEOPLE SEE IT WITHIN ITS ORIGINAL CONTEXT. WE THANK ALL OUR MEMBERS AND SUPPORTERS FOR HELPING BRING IT BACK WHERE IT BELONGS, AND NOW THAT THE FANTASTIC LIBRARY HAS BEEN RESTORED, MANY MORE PEOPLE WILL COME AND BE INSPIRED BY IT.' LYME PARK IS A BEAUTIFUL ESTATE ON THE EDGE OF THE PEAK DISTRICT. ITS LIBRARY HAS BEEN RESTORED TO HOW IT WOULD HAVE LOOKED IN THE LATE 19th CENTURY WHEN THE MISSAL WAS LAST DISPLAYED THERE. THE LIBRARY WAS OFFICIALLY OPENED BY THE HON DAVID LEGH, WHOSE GRANDFATHER GAVE LYME TO THE NATIONAL TRUST IN 1946.

RARE COMIC BOOK SELLS FOR $492,937

A RARE COMIC BOOK AN 84 YEAR OLD CALIFORNIA MAN BOUGHT FOR A DIME WHEN HE WAS A TEEN HAS BEEN SOLD IN TEXAS FOR $492,937. THE COPY OF DETECTIVE COMICS NO 27 FEATURED THE DEBUT OF 'THE BATMAN'. ROBERT IRWIN SAYS HE BOUGHT THE MAY 1939 ISSUE FROM A SACRAMENTO, CALIFORNIA NEWSTAND WHEN HE WAS 13, AND IT'S THE ONLY COMIC BOOK HE KEPT FROM HIS YOUTH. THE WINNING BID CAME FROM A COLLECTOR WHO WISHED TO REMAIN ANONYMOUS. HE PLACED THE BID BY PHONE THURSDAY IN AN AUCTION BY HERITAGE AUCTIONS IN DALLAS. IRWIN, WHO ATTENDED THE AUCTION, SAYS HE IS ELATED AND WISHES HE HAD ANOTHER BOOK. HERITAGE SOLD A RARE COPY OF THE SAME COMIC IN BETTER CONDITION FOR $1,075,500 IN FEBRUARY.

LOUIS VUITTON HOTEL LABELS POSTCARD BOX SET

OVER THE COURSE OF HIS LIFE, LOUIS VUITTON'S GRANDSON, GASTON-LOUIS, ASSEMBLED A UNIQUE COLLECTION OF OVER 3,000 HOTEL LABELS THAT ARE TODAY PRESERVED IN THE HOUSE'S ARCHIVE. AFFIXED TO TRUNKS AND LUGGAGE, THE COLOURFUL, UNIQUELY DESIGNED LABELS PROVIDED INSIGHT INTO THEIR OWNERS' TRAVELS. TO THE INFORMED, THE LABELS' PRECISE PLACEMENT REVEALED AN UNSPOKEN LANGUAGE THAT ENABLED HOTEL PERSONNEL TO SHARE GUST TIPPING HABITS WITH ONE ANOTHER. TO TE REST OF THE WORLD, THESE MEMENTOS FROM FAR-OFF PLACES SUGGESTED TRAVELERS OF MEANS AND, POSSIBLY, ADVENTURE. IN ADDITION TO THE DELUXE HARDBOUND EDITION OF LOUIS VUITTON: 100 LEGENDARY TRUNKS, WHICH CELEBRATES THE HOUSE'S FAMED TRUNKS, LOUIS VUITTON HAS RECENTLY RELEASED A COLLECTION OF 30 POSTCARD DESIGNS THAT ARE REPRODUCED HOTEL LABELS FROM THE PRIVATE COLLECTION. PACKAGED IN AN ATTRACTIVE BOX SET FEATURING THE SAME MOTIFS AS THE 100 LEGENDARY TRUNKS SLIPCOVER, EACH POSTCARD EVOKES THE ART OF TRAVEL AND THE GREAT HOTELS OF THE WORLD WITH HOTEL LABELS FROM L'HOTEL DE CRILLON IN PARIS TO THE MANDARIN ORIENTAL HOTEL IN BANGKOK. THE LOUIS VUITTON HOTEL LABELS POSTCARD BOX SET IS AVAILABLE EXCLUSIVELY AT LOUIS VUITTON BOUTIQUES WORLDWIDE FOR $80.