Auction Articles

A comprehensive list of auction-related books and pamphlets
By Robert A. Doyle, CAI-ISA

A tremendous amount of information has been written regarding the auction method of marketing, and I would like to present a list to you here.

Many of these books and pamphlets highlight the lives of Auctioneers and the history of specific auction companies. Much has also been published regarding auctions as they pertain to history, psychology and methodology. Auctions have touched humanity all through history, as witnessed by the long list of publications that follows.

My wife, Sue, and I have assembled this list over the past five years. Most titles are in our personal library. We are providing this list so that Auctioneers can peruse what was published to find titles of interest to fill in their own libraries. Although there are many places to find out-of-print books, our personal favorite is www.Abebooks.com. You can sort by title or author and choose from a variety of formats, including “lowest price” first or “newly listed.”

Many of the following books are written by or about famous Auctioneers. Included in this list is Emma Bailey, supposedly the first woman Auctioneer; George Bean, “The Yankee Auctioneer”; R.G. Bell of New Zealand, Walter S. Britten, Don Castner, Jeremy Cooper, Jack Cunningham, Dick Dewees, J. Riley Green, Jim Hall, Richard Harton, Bill Hubbard, W.T. Huisman, J.P. Johnston, David Kessler, Kurt Kiefer, George Michael, Paul Owen, Stan Perkins, Maurice Rheims, John Smallwood, A.W. Thomas, Earl Wisard and Robert Woolley.

Among my five personal favorites for understanding the auction method of marketing are: Auctions & Auctioneering , Ralph Cassidy Jr., Helpful Hints for Today's Auctioneer , Kurt Kiefer, A History of the Auction , Brian Learmount, Going, Going, Gone! Bellamy Partridge, and Auctions: The Social Construction of Value , by Charles W. Smith.

Books listed by author's name alphabetically:

• Althaus, Barbara, Within the Sound of the Gavel. History of the Auxillary of the Nationa Auctioneers Assn . Overland Park , KS : National Auctioneers Association. 1988. pp. 85.
• Auchincloss, Louis. Tales of Manhattan . Boston : Houghton Mifflin Company. 1967. pp. 304
• Bagan, Joe, Lukas at Auction . Denver , CO : Sachs-Lawlor Company. 1989. pp. 339
• Bailey, Emma. Sold to the Lady in the Green Hat . New York : Dodd, Mead, 1962. 213 pp.
• Bancroft, Frederic. Slave Trading in The Old South . New York : Frederick Unger Publishing Co. 1959. 415 pp.
• Bathurst , H. The Ruinous Tendency of Auctioneering . 1828. 23 pp.
• Beach, Rex, The Auction Block . New York : A. L. Burt Company. 1914. pp. 441.
• Bean, George H. Yankee Auctioneer . Boston : Little, Brown, 1948. 247 pp.
• Berger, Peter L., and Thomas Luckmann. The Social Construction of Reality . Garden City, N.Y.: Doubleday, 1966,
• Behrman, S.N. Duveen . New York : Random House, 1951 302 pp.
• Bell , R.G., Antique Myself . New Zealand : Caxton Press. 1980. 134 pp.
• Berenson, Bernard, Artful Partners . New York : Macmillan Publishing. 1986. 323 pp.
• Bolt, Ronald, The Book of Auctions . London : Ward Price, Ltd. 1970. pp. 45.
• Braybrooke, R. Diary of Samuel Pepys 1660-69 , NY Modern Library1950. 339 pp..
• Breininger, Lester P. Jr., Going, Going Gone An Historical Account of the Public Sales in the Berks County area of Pennsylvania , Myerstown , PA : Ron's Printing Service. 1977. pp. 40
• Brewer, John, and Roy Porter, Consumption and the World of Goods . London & New York : Routledge. 1993.
• Brigstocke, Hugh. William Buchanan and the Nineteenth Century Art Trade . London : Paul Mellon Centre for Studies in British Art. 1982
• Britten, Walter S., “Sold.” Bryan , Texas : Newman Printing, Incorporated. 1988. Pp. 251.
• Brough, James, Auction . New York : The Bobbs-Merrill Company, Inc. 1963. pp. 224.
• Carter, John. The Auction Room , in Milton Grundy, Money at Work. London : Sweet & Maxwell, 1960. Pp. 147-170
• Cassidy, Ralph, Jr., Auctions & Auctioneering . Berkeley and Los Angeles , CA. , University of California press, 1967. 317 pp.
• Castner, Don , Keep Your Drawers Clean . Florida : The Printery. 1992. 187 pp.
• Cave, J. Otway, The Practice of an Auctioneer, Valuer and Estate Agent . London : The Estate Gazette, Ltd. 1946. 386.
• Cave, J. Otway, The Business Transfer Agent & Trade Valuer. London : Sir Isaac Pitman & Sons, Ltd. 183 pp.
• Christies, Reprint: Christie's First Auction 1766. London : 8 King St. 2000. 20 pp.
• Colson, Percy, A Story of Chrisite's . London : Sampson low. 1950. pp. 192.
• Cooper, Jeremy. Under the Hammer . London : Constable. 1977.
• Cumings, M., The Auctioneer's Joke Book . Chicago , IL : M. Cumings. 1918. pp. 296
• Cunningham, Jack and Don Butler, Memories of a Country Auctioneer . Antigonish, Nova Scotia : Casket Printing & Publishing Ltd. 1988. pp. 140.
• DeForrest, Michael, How to Buy at Auction . New York : Simon and Schuster. 1972. Pp. 224.
• Dewees, Richard W., Auction Encyclopedia . Kansas : Missouri Auction School . 1980.
• Duveen, James Henry. Art Treasures and Intrigue . Garden City, N.Y.: Doubleday, Doran, 1935. 324 pp.
• Fernyhough, Charles, The Auctioneer . London , England : Biddles Ltd., 1999. 344 pp
• Finney, Humphrey S., Fair Exchange, Recollections of a Life with Horses . New York : Charles Scribner's Sons. 1974. pp. 175.
• Frederick , J. H. Agricultural Markets . 1937.
• Gall, Inglis, Cattle Salesmen & Auctioneers' Reckoner. London : Gall & Inglis. Approx. 100 pp.
• Green, Col. J. Riley, Fun and Philosophy . Dallas, TX.: Johnston Printing & Advertising. 1930. pp. 122.
• Hamilton, Charles. Auction Madness , New York : Everest House, 1981. pp. 255.
• Hart, Brad. A Retrospective 50 Years as an Association, 60 Years as an Industry . Frederick , Maryland : National Auto Auction Association. 1998. Pp. 343.
• Harton, Richard, Under the Hammer, The Adventures of an Auctioneer . New York : St. Martin's Press. 1991. pp 269.
• Harton, Richard, Without Reserve , USA : St Martin 's Press, 1994. pp. 282
• Herbert, John, Inside Christies, An Insider's Account of One of the World's Great Auction Houses . New York : St. Martin 's Press. 1990. pp. 407.
• Herrmann, Frank. Sotheby's: Portrait of an Auction House . New York and London : W.W. Norton and Company, 1981. pp.468.
• Herodotus. The Histories of Herodotus . Trans. Henry Cary. New York : D. Appleton and Company, 1899. 568 pp.
• Hildesley, Hugh. The Complete Guide to Buying and Selling at Auction . New York : W. W. Norton. 1997.
• Howell, Donna Wyant, I Was A Slave . Book 6 “Slave Auctions”. Washington D.C. : American Legacy. 1999. 64 pp.
• Hubbard, Bill. Auction – or “Madam You Cannot Possibly Go Wrong on This Bed” Athol, Mass. Miller River Publishing Company. 1989. pp. 139.
• Huisman , Col. W. T., Memories by Col. W. T. Huisman . Parksburg , Iowa . Private printing. C-1981. pp. 468
• Hyman, Tony. The World of Smoking and Tobacco at Auction . Treasure Hunt Publications. 1989. 176 pp.
• Johns, Geoffrey, What Am I Bid . New York : Doubleday & Company, Inc. 1961. pp. 258.
• Johnson, Charles, A Guide to Successful Auctioneering, or How to Become an Auctioneer . Chicago , ILL : M. Cumings. 1903. Pp. 115.
• Johnston, J.P., The Auctioneer's Guide , Chicago , ILL : Thompson & Thomas. 1887. pp. 150.
• Johnston , J.P., How To Hustle , Chicago , ILL : Thompson & Thomas. 1905 pp. 421. Johnston, J.P., Twenty Years of Hus'ling . Chicago , ILL :Thompson & Thomas. 1900. pp. 664
• Jones, F.M. Middlemen in the Domestic Trade of the United States . 1937.
• Ketchum, William C., Jr., Auction! The Guide to Bidding, Buying, Bargaining, Selling, Exhibiting and Making a Profit . New York : Sterling Publishing Company, 1980. 192 pp.
• Kessler, Dave. Across the Antiques Auction Block . New Paris Ohio : Paris Towne Press. 1976. 66 pp.
• Kiefer, Kurt, Helpful Hints for Today's Auctioneer . Fergus Falls , MN : Gavel House Books. 1995. 75 pp.
• Lacey, Robert, Sotheby's Bidding For Class . Great Britain : Little, Brown & Company. 1998. pp. 354
• Leab, Daniel J. and Katherine Kyes. The Auction Companion . New York : Harper & Row. 1981. pp. 490.
• Learmount, Brian. A History of the Auction . Great Britain : Barnard & Learmount. 1985.
• Lentz, Robert. Ultimate Secrets of the Country Auction . Clifton , New Jersey : N.J. Plains Citizen Publishing Co. 1973. 46 pp.
• Lester, J. To Be a Slave . 1968.
• Lightner, O.C. Buying at Auction . Chicago : Hobbies Publishing Co., 1942. pp.146.
• Livermore, Samuel, A Treatise on the Law of Principal and Agent and of Sales by Auction. Two volumes. Baltimore , MD : Joseph Robinson. 1818. Vol I 472 pp., Vol II, 422 pp.
• Long, J. R., The Auctioneer's Manual . Chicago , IL : M. Cumings. 1918. pp. 48.
• Mankowitz, Wolf. Make Me an Offer . London : Andre Deutsch, 1952. 108 pp.
• Mansbridge, Pamela, Caroline and the Auction Sale Mystery. London : J.M. Dent & Sons Ltd. 1961. 160 pp.
• Marion, John. The Best of Everything . New York : Simon & Schuster. 1989. pp. 242.
• Marillier, H.C. Christies 1766 – 1925 . London : Constable & Company Ltd. 1926. 311 pp.
• Martin, Stephen J., and Thomass E. Battle, III . Sold! The Professional's Guide to Real Estate Auctions . Dearborn , MI : Dearborn Publishing. 1991, pp. 289
• Mercer, George ed. The Auctioneers' Manual . 11 th ed. London : Estates Gazette, 1961. 323 pp.
• Michael, George, Antiquing with George Michael . Brattleboro , VT : Stephen Greene Press. 1967. 136 pp.
• Miller, Stephen and Janet Merwin, The Country Auction Weekend Book . New York : St. Martin's Press. 1982, pp. 175.
• Minshull, Evelyn, The Greedy Auctioneer . Carmel , NY : Guideposts. 2001. 185 pp.
• Monvel, De, M.B, Susanna's Auction . New York : Macmillan Company. 1948. 73 pp.
• Muensterberger, Werner. Collecting: An Unruly Passion: Psychological Perspectives . Princeton , NJ : Princeton University Press. 1993.
• Napley, David. Bateman's Law of Auctions . 11 th ed. London : Estates Gazette, 1954. 593 pp.
• Nokes,F.A.I, W.F. How to Become An Auctioneer and Estate Agent . London : Sir Isaac Pitman & Sons, Ltd. 1935. 178 pp.
• Norton, Thomas E., 100 Years of Collecting in America , The Story of Sotheby Parke Bernet . New York : Harry N. Abrams, Inc. 1984. pp. 240.
• Owens, Paul Llewellyn, The Story of a Community Auctioneer, The Life and Times of Col. Paul L. Owens . Anchorage Alaska : Owens & Associates. 1989. pp. 219.
• Parke, Hiram, Modern Methods in Public Auction . New York , NY 1944. 46 pp.
• Partridge, Bellamy. Going, Going, Gone ! New York : Dutton, 1958. 253 pp.
• Perkins, Stan, Itinerant Auctioneering . Swartz Creek , MI : Broadblade Press. 1983. pp. 349
• Pollard, A.W., Catalogue of English Book Sales 1676-1900 . London : William Clowes & Sons. 1915. 523 pp.
• Rawson, Marion Nicholl, Country Auction . New York : E.P. Dutton & Co., Inc. 1929: pp. 261
• Rickards, Maurice, The Public Notice, An Illustrated History . New York : Clarkson N. Potter, Inc. 1973. pp. 126.
• Reemtsma, Philipp F. Tabago – A Picture Book of Tobacco and the Pleasures of Smoking . Germany . 1960. In commemoration of 50 years of H.F. & Ph. F. Reemtsma Company.
• Rheims , Maurice, The Glorious Obsession . New York : St. Martin 's Press. 1975. pp. 398
• Ritson, Robert, The Auctioneer's Manual . London : The Estates Gazette, Ltd. 1935. 495 pp.
• Roberts, Ralph. Auction Action: A survival Companion for any Auction Goer . Tab Books. 1986.
• Rockmore, Cynthia & Julian. The Country Auction Antiques Book . New York : Hawthorn Books. 1974. 160 pp.
• Rubin, Leona, How To Defend Yourself At Auctions . Richmond , VA : The Westover Publishing Company. 1972. pp. 191.
• Ruhen, Carl, The Auctioneers Lawsons – The First 100 Years . Sydney , Australia : Ayer & James Heritage Books. 1984. pp. 160.
• Rusignola, Joseph R., How To Buy a House at Auction . Maplewood , NJ : East Hunterdon Press Corp. 1980. pp. 192
• Samson, Joan, The Auctioneer . New York : Avon Books. 1975. pp. 301.
• Schneider, Dorothy & Carl. Slavery in America . New York : Checkmark Books. 2001. 458 pp.
• Shubert, Ludwig A., Over the Next Horizon . New York : Shubert. 1984. pp. 85.
• Smallwood, John. An Auctioneer's Lot . West Yorkshire , England : Smith Settle Ltd. 1990. pp. 155.
• Smith, Charles W., Auctions . The Social Construction of Value . Berkeley & Los Angeles, CA.: University of California Press. 1990. pp 225.
• Smith, John George. Organized Produce Markets . London : Longmans, Green and Co., 1922.
• Sotheby & Co. The Ivory Hammer : The year at Sotheby's . New York , Chicago , and San Francisco: Holt, Rinehart and Winston, 1963. 254 pp.
• Spencer, Rupert, Drama at the Sale . Great Britain : Whartons Limited Retford. 1973. pp.201.
• Stadtfeld, Wallace G. Going Bananas, A Comprehensive Study into the Vocal Health of the Auctioneer . KS: National Auctioneers Association Foundation. 2004. 84 pp.
• Stratemeyer, Edward, The Young Auctioneer . Boston , Mass: Lothrop, Lee & Shepard Co. 1903. pp. 310.
• Thomas, Col. A. W., How to Become a Successful Merchandise Auctioneer . Chicago , ILL : M. Cumings. 1916. pp 33.
• Towner, Wesley, The Elegant Auctioneers . New York : Hill & Wang. 1970. pp. 632. Wagenvoord, James. Cashing in on the Auction Boom . New York : Rawson, Wade Publishers, Inc., 1980. pp. 287.
• Ward-Price. The Book of Auctions . London . Ward Price Ltd. 1970. 45 pp.
• Watson, Peter. From Manet to Manhattan . New York : Random House. 1992.
• Watson, Peter. Sotheby's The Inside Story . London : Bloomsbury . 1997. pp. 324.
• Weinberg, Robert. The Devil's Auction . New York : Leisure Books, Devonshire Publishing. 1990. pp. 310.
• Whiffen, R. B., The Chattel Auctioneer's Handbook . London : The Estates Gazette, Ltd. 1937. 349.
• Whiffen, R. B., The Art Collector's and Chattel Auctioneer's Handbook . London : The Estates Gazette. 1947. 528 pp.
• White, Donald J. The New England Fishing Industry. Cambridge , Mass. :Harvard University Press, 1954. 205 pp.
• Wilde. Virginia Rose, I Recall ( Story of Jim Hall the Yankee Auctioneer). Francestown, NH: Marshall Jones Company. 1943. pp. 130.
• Wisard, Earl D., Auction Gems . Dundee , Ohio : Earl Wisard. 1973. Approx 100 pp.
• Wraight, Robert. The Art Game . New York : Simon and Schuster, 1965, 1966. 224 pp.
• Woolley, Robert, Going Once, A Memoir of Art, Society and Charity . New York : Simon & Schuster. 1995. pp. 224.

Pamphlets & Articles

• “Alleged Auction Ring Frauds,” Waste Trade World and Iron & Steel Scrap Review , Sept. 16, 19 50 , P8.
• Ash, Peter. “The First Auctioneer: Origin of Sales by Auction of Real Property,” Estates Gazette (Centenary Supplement), May 3, 19 58 , pp. 33, 35, 37.
• “Auctions by Wire: Nine Large U.S. Cities and Florida Citrus Market Are Linked by Selevision,” Business Week , Jan. 13, 19 45 , p. 85
• Battista, Rocco J. “More about the Auction: The Auctioneer's Place in Retail Selling,” Journal of Retailing , XXVI (Winter, 1950), 162-168.
• Bazerman, Max, and William Samuelson. “The Winner's Curse: An Empirical Investigation,” in Aspiration Levels in Bargaining and Economic Decision Making . Reinhard Teitz, ed. Berlin: Springer-Verlag. 1983. pp.186-200.
• Bodkin, Leonard D. “Auction Sale – without reserve,” Notre Dame Lawyer , XXI (June, 1946) p. 327-332.
• Branch, Roger G., The Structure of the Tobacco Auction: A Sociological Analysis. University of Georgia : Ph.D. dissertation . 1970.
• “Breaking the Ring,” The Economist , Sept. 15, 19 56 , p. 869. Broaddus, Mrs. H. Montague. “How To Behave at an Auction,” American Home , XVIII (Nov., 1937), 38, 110-111.
• Cherington, Paul T. “Auctions,” Encyclopedia of the Social Sciences , II (1930), 309-310.
• Clark, Carl M., and Wilmer Browning. Organization of the Looseleaf Tobacco Auction Market. Kentucky Agricultural Experiment Station, University of Kentucky . Bulletin 599. June, 1953. 94 pp.
• Clark, Robert E., On the Block: An Ethnographny of Auctions. University of Montana : PH.D. dissertation . 1973.
• Clark, Robert E. and Larry J. Halford. “Going…going…gone: preliminary observations on ‘deals' at auctions.” Urban Life . 1978 p. 7.
• Converse, P.D. “Tobacco Auctions Evaluated,” Journal of Business of the University of Chicago , XVI (July, 1943), p. 147-159.
• The Dutch Auction System of Marketing Fruit & Vegetables: A Lesson for English Growers ? London : Agricultural Co-operative Association, ca. 1950. 15 pp.
• Gall, Peter. “Eager House Hunters Snap Up New Homes at ‘Distress' Sales,” Wall Street Journal , May 10, 19 65 , pp. 1, 14.
• Granger, E. M., Jr. “The Auction Business . . . As I Have Lived It,” Hoard's Dairyman , Dec. 10, 19 57 , p. 1188.
• Gray, Susan, “Power in the Auction Setting.” C.U.N.Y.: Ph.D. dissertation . 1976.
• Hansen, R. G., “Empirical Testing of Auction Theory,” American Economic Review 75. May 1985: pp. 156-159
• Hook, Ralph C., Jr. “The Role of Auctions in Merchandising,” Implement & Tractor , Oct. 23, 19 54 , pp. 26-28.
• Hyam, Leslie A. “Manners and Morals of the Auction Room,” Atlantic Monthly (March, 1962), pp. 117-118.
• Keilholz, F.J. “Why You Can't Understand Auctioneers,” Saturday Evening Post , March 18, 1950, p. 17.
• May, Roger B. “Going, Going, Gone! More Americans Sell Real Estate at Auction”, Wall Street Journal , Sept. 7, 19 65 , pp. 1, 15.
• McAfee, R. Preston and John McMillan. “Auctions and Bidding,” The Journal of Economic Literature XXV. June 1987.
• McLean, Louis. “Auction Anecdotes,” Oklahoma Bas Association Journal , XXVI (April 30, 1955), p. 683-686.
• Milgrom, P. and R. J. Weber. “A theory of Auctions and Competitive Bidding,” Econometrica 50. Sept. 1982. pp. 1089-1122.
• “Million in Mink Sold at Auction,” New York Times (Western ed.), May 25, 19 63 , Sec. L, p. 9.
• Olmsted, A. D. “What Will You Give Me?: Buying and Selling at Public Auction,” A paper given at the Qualitative Research Conference , May 13 – 16, 1986 : University of Waterloo .
• “The Ring and the Book,” The Economist , Aug. 11, 19 56 , pp. 467-468.
• “Sale by Auction with a Reserved Price and Reservation of Right To Bid,” Solicitor's Journal , LXXXII (July 2, 1938), p. 539.
• Sosnick, Stephen H. “Bidding Strategy at Ordinary Auctions,” Journal of Farm Economics , XLV (Feb., 1963), pp. 163-182.
• Taylor, Frederic. “Auto Auctions,” Wall Street Journal , Aug. 7, 19 63 , pp. 1, 11.
• “Telephone Egg Auction,” Poultry Processing and Marketing, LXVIII (Feb., 1962), p. 104.
• Thomas, J. A. C. “The Auction Sale in Roman Law,” Juridical Review , Pt. I, II.
• Turner, Ronny E. and Kenneth Stewart. “The Negotiation of Role Conflict: A Study of Sales Behavior at the Auction,” Rocky Mountain Social Science Journal 11. 1974: pp. 85-96.
• Unkovic, Nicholas. “The Three Types of Auction Sales,” Dickinson Law Review , XXXIV (June, 1930), pp. 233-243.
• Uzanne, Octave. “The Hotel Drouot and Auction Rooms in Paris before and after the
• French Revolution,” The Connoisseur , III (Auct., 1902), pp. 235-242.
• Westerfield, Ray Bert. “Early History of American Auctions: A Chapter in Commercial History,” Transactions of the Connecticut Academy of Arts and Sciences, XXIII (May, 1920), pp. 159-210.