American
Cormac McCarthy
1933 — 2023
No. 1 — On the House
A house for first editions, manuscripts, and the documents that outlive their owners.
— or, a brief introduction —Ravelstein catalogues, authenticates, and brokers the sale of literary and historical material. We maintain a public register of every item we have authenticated since 2014.
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Ulysses
James Joyce · Shakespeare and Company · 1922
Lot 0412 · No. 87 of 750
1. Provenance
Every item carries a signed certificate, photographic record, and unbroken chain of custody.
2. The Register
A public, permanent record of authentications, freely searchable by anyone.
3. The Trade
Member, ABAA · ILAB · PBFA. Consultations for institutional collections.
American
Flannery O'Connor
1925 — 1964
Irish
James Joyce
1882 — 1941
American
Thomas Pynchon
1937
British
Virginia Woolf
1882 — 1941
| Date | Item | Author | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 14 Apr 2026 | Ulysses, First Edition, No. 143/750 — Shakespeare and Company, 1922 | james-joyce | £152,400 |
| 02 Apr 2026 | Blood Meridian, First Edition — Signed by Cormac McCarthy | cormac-mccarthy | $58,000 |
authentication
How to Spot a Fake Signature
Practical guidance on detecting forged autographs in rare books — from pressure analysis to ink dating and provenance red flags.
Read the entry →glossary
Signed, Inscribed, Association: What's the Difference?
A clear guide to the three tiers of author-connected copies — from a simple signature to provenance-rich association copies.
Read the entry →collecting
Building a First Edition Collection
Practical guidance for beginning and developing a meaningful collection of literary first editions.
Read the entry →5. The Method
How We Work
Four steps, in order.
Step One
Examination
Physical inspection: collation, paper, binding, points of issue. Photographs taken of every aspect.
Step Two
Provenance
Chain of custody traced. Auction records, prior catalogues, and bookplates checked against the trade.
Step Three
Certificate
Signed certificate issued, recorded to the public Register, paired with high-resolution images.
Step Four
Sale or Return
Brokered to a private buyer, listed in the catalogue, or returned with documentation.