Donating a statue of Satan to the Ashmolean

Jeffrey Archer shows off his skills as a charity auctioneer.

Hons and rebels

At the FT (site registration required), Jo Ellison on the late Duchess of Devonshire's possessions going up for auction:

Ironically, another lot, a pre-edition of Brideshead Revisited by Evelyn Waugh (£15,000-£20,000) exposes Debo as an early Waugh reader and occasional editor. “She did once recount saying something like, ‘In 1930 women wouldn’t have worn Cartier clips ... ’ ” says MacDonald, of her contribution to his oeuvre. “But, I don’t know if that’s Brideshead.”

"Crocodile"

"We'd expect the collection, including denture moulds, to sell for £2,000 to £3,000."

First editions, second thoughts

At the FT, Liz Jobey on PEN's fundraising auction of first editions annotated by their authors (site registration required). Various bits of note, including Kazuo Ishiguro:

“I’ve always been drawn to the ‘diary entry’ way of narrating a story in which the timeframe keeps shifting as the book progresses and the narrator’s emotional and intellectual position keeps shifting with it. This method is particularly good for highlighting a character’s levels of self-deception, I find.”

In a good cause

The YA for NJ fundraiser is raising money post-Sandy for the New Jersey Community Food Bank. Lots of good stuff on their auction site, including a 50-page manuscript critique from my lovely Invisible Things editor Zareen Jaffery. I think they are not the plum prizes on the list, but you could bid on my two YA novels here!

Horse heaven

Signed copies and first editions from the collection of Dick Francis will be auctioned later this month to benefit the Cayman Humane Society.  I must confess that I find it a funny assortment!  Would definitely be tempted to go to the event, though, if I were on-island...

A coat with a pedigree

Edward Gorey's fur coats went up for auction a few weeks ago....

(Bonus link: Lauren Cerand models one of 'em!)