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The judges copy of Lady Chatterly’s Lover used in the celebrated literary trial in 1960 comes up at Sotheby’s in London on October 30.   It is regarded as the most celebrated obscenity trial in British literary history, during which D.H. Lawrence’s infamous novel, Lady Chatterley’s Lover, came under the spotlight.The court case heralded the transformation of the 1960s and helped to bring to birth a more liberal and permissive Britain. The trial resulted in the sale of two million books.

The judge’s copy, annotated for him by his wife, and housed for purposes of discretion in a damask bag with ribbon tie, is far from the only copy of the book to have been read with particular attention to the sex scenes, but as a document of the event, it is arguably the most important copy to have survived to this day.  The book comes to auction 25 years after it was acquired by Christopher Cone as a present for his partner, the late Stanley J. Seeger. The annotated novel, together with its silk covering and hand-written list inserted within, is now estimated at £10,000-15,000.

A Private View: Property from the Country Home of Christopher Cone and Stanley J. Seeger is encyclopaedic in content, with objects ranging in date from the 5^th century A.D. to the second half of the 20^th century. Creators as diverse as Fabergé and Picasso are set to jostle with items which carry exceptional provenances, from Edward, Prince of Wales and Lord Byron to Marilyn Monroe. Defined by its modesty, not only through the large number of small-scale objects, but also by the unassuming way in which it was assembled, the collection is marked by Seeger and Cone’s inquisitive spirit. With estimates starting at £100 and climbing to £40,000, the sale is expected to bring in the region of £1 million.