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Identifying Marble by Jacques Dubarry de Lassale, published in English by Editions H. Vial, Dourdain, France and distributed by Hilmarton Manor Press of Calne, Wilts. tel: 01249 760208 fax: 01249 760379 email: mailorder@hilmartonpress.co.uk ISBN 2851010654 £95.00 hb.

UK: A VOLUME containing a dozen reports, tracts and pamphlets relating to the 18th century trial of a local man, Aylsham lawyer Christopher Layer, went to Jarndyce at £400 in this first Aylsham sale of the year.

UK: AFFIRMING its place as the London fair which reaches the parts other fairs do not reach, the winter version of the thrice-yearly Decorative Antiques and Textiles Fair, held in its trademark marquee in Battersea Park, SW11 from January 16 to 21, once again made its distinctive mark among the first fairs of the year.

UK: DECORATIVE pieces stood out at this 1000-lot £104,000 sale of 1000 basically general lots.

Namiki: The Art of Japanese Lacquer Pens by Julia Hutt and Stephen Overbury, published by Pens Unlimited Inc. of Toronto and distributed through The Battersea Pen Home, PO Box 6128, Epping CM18 4GG, www.penhome.com tel: 0870 900 1888; email: info@penhome.com ISBN 0968643507. £120 hb.

UK: THE Travel sale held by Sotheby’s on December 14 included a fine collection of what are known as ‘Lafreri-School’ maps, the product of a remarkable flowering of cartographic arts that took place in Rome and Venice, c.1540-70.

US: THE PIRACY collection mentioned above was not the only sale held by Christie’s East on December 12. Three important Hemingway lots which formed part of a general sale are described below, and in Antiques Trade Gazette No. 1472 I featured works by Ayn Rand, among them two works on Hollywood, published whilst she was still a young woman in Russia, which sold well.