Royal Society of Medicine Treasures to Lead Christie’s Auction

A remarkable collection of 100 books, manuscripts, and photographs from the Royal Society of Medicine (RSM) library will headline Christie’s Valuable Books, Manuscripts and Photographs sale later this year, with an estimated total of £2.17 million to £3.20 million.

The auction, scheduled for December 10, 2025, will directly benefit the RSM, with proceeds funding modernised spaces, enhanced digital platforms, and expanded learning opportunities for the global medical community.

Highlights of Medical History

Leading the sale is William Harvey’s Exercitatio anatomica de motu cordis et sanguinis in animalibus (1628), the first description of blood circulation, estimated at £800,000–£1.2 million.

Equally significant is James Parkinson’s An Essay on the Shaking Palsy (1817), a rare first edition of the work that gave name to Parkinson’s disease, estimated at £50,000–£70,000.

Another exceptional highlight is a group of 18 autograph letters by Edward Jenner, the pioneer of vaccination, valued at £50,000–£70,000.

Among the other notable lots are treasures that span science, medicine, and the arts. John Gould’s The Birds of New Guinea, his final great ornithological project, is estimated at £70,000–£100,000, while Daniel Elliot’s A Monograph of the Phasianidae, considered one of the most splendid illustrated bird books, carries an estimate of £50,000–£70,000.

Also featured is Walter Cromer’s Book of Hours, once owned by Henry VIII’s personal physician, valued between £100,000 and £150,000, and a luminous Book of Hours painted around 1510 by Guillaume II Leroy, an artist celebrated in the French royal courts, also estimated at £100,000–£150,000.

The sale further includes medieval and Renaissance manuscripts from the library of Phyllis Goodhart Gordan (1913–1994), a distinguished scholar of Latin and Greek. Among them are works by Ovid, Cicero, Statius, Plato, and Lucan. The highlight is an illustrated manuscript of Ralph Higden’s Polychronicon, valued at £50,000–£70,000, which once belonged to the Duke of Newcastle’s collection at Clumber Park.

Ahead of the London auction, ten lots—including Harvey’s groundbreaking work—will be exhibited in New York from October 11–15.

Auction Date: December 10, 2025, 12:00 PM (GMT)
Location: Christie’s, London
Beneficiary: The Royal Society of Medicine