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A collection of scarce Irish and general medical books, duplicates from the library of the Royal College of Physicians of Ireland, will feature at Fonsie Mealy’s sale at Clyde Court Hotel in Dublin on December 9.  This annual specialist sale of Rare Books, Manuscripts, Literature and Maps will feature coloured plate books, modern first editions and general Irish literature titles. Medical matters covered include the spread of scarletina in Cork in the 17th and 18th century, matters relating to childbirth and cures for bites from mad dogs.  There are First World War recruitment posters, scarce first editions including a first English edition of Ulysses by Joyce, bindings illustrated by Aubrey Beardsley and Faust illustrated by Harry Clarke, and hundreds of lots of general and specialist interest.

Rules for the Governors, Officers and Servants at Mercers Hospital.  UPDATE: THIS MADE 1,550 AT HAMMER

A method of curing the madness caused by the bite of a mad dog.

From Bono to Dylan, Marilyn Monroe to The Terminator, Christie’s Pop Culture auction at South Kensington, London on December 16 has it covered. The sale celebrates some of the greatest names in 20th century cinema and the music legends of today. It features hand written lyrics, costumes, film scripts and instruments including a custom prototype Gretsch Irish Falcon electric guitar made for Bono and signed by all four members of U2.  Bono commissioned Gretsch to build ten of these guitars for  U2’s 2001 elevation tour.   There is an elaborate harem costume worn by Marilyn Monroe in a photo shoot with Richard Avedon in which she portrayed  legendary screen seductresses Lillian Russell, Jean Harlow,  Marlene Dietrich, Clara Bow and Theda Bara. It featured in Life Magazine on December 22, 1958.  The catalogue for the sale is online. Here is a small selection:

U2/Bono – A circa 2002 custom prototype Gretsch Irish Falcon hollow body electric guitar (£120,000-180,000). Courtesy Christie’s Images Ltd., 2014

Terminator 2: Judgement Day, 1991/Arnold Schwarzenegger (£18,000-25,000). Courtesy Christie’s Images Ltd., 2014

An elaborate harem costume worn by Marilyn Monroe as Theda Bara in her role as Cleopatra (£300,000-500,000). Courtesy Christie’s Images Ltd., 2014

Bob Dylan
Untitled (Sara), 1968 (£50,000-70,000).  Courtesy Christie’s Images Ltd., 2014

The Nobel Medal © Christie’s Images Limited 2014  UPDATE: IT SOLD FOR $4.75 MILLION

Dr. Watson – Image courtesy Science Source.

The 1962 Nobel Prize gold medal awarded to Dr. James D. Watson for his 1953 discovery with Dr. Francis Crick and Maurice Wilkins, of the structure of DNA will be offered by Christie’s in New York on December 4.  Dr. Watson is one of the world’s greatest living scientists.  The discovery of the double helix gave birth to the new science of molecular biology and revolutionized modern medicine. A Nobel Prize medal has never before been offered for sale by a living recipient. A portion of the proceeds will be donated by Dr. Watson to continue his philanthropic legacy of supporting scientific research, academic institutions, and other charitable causes. It is estimated at $2.5 to $3.5 million.

Dr. Watson wrote the first textbook of the new science, the influential Molecular Biology of the Gene in 1965.  This was followed in 1968 by his memoir of the discovery The Double Helix, one of the best selling popular science books of all time.  In April 2013 Christie’s sold Dr. Crick’s Secret of Life letter, in which he explained the structure of DNA to his son a few weeks before their discovery was published. It made $6,059,750, more than three times the estimate, and it holds the record for a letter sold at auction.

UPDATE:  It was bought by Russia’s richest man, mining, steel and telecoms magnate Alisher Usmanov, who plans to return it to Dr. Watson.