Stair Galleries in Hudson, New York is hosting Joan Didion’s estate sale from now until November 15. Included in the sale are all kinds of Didion’s possessions, including her iconic sunglasses, unused notebooks, decorations and artwork, portraits of the author, and more.
Many of the lots are made up of her library, loosely divided by subject, including copies of her own books, books on photography, poetry, politics, and much more.
The most sought-after lot of her library is expected to be this one, her collection of favorite books.
Fellow writers might find inspiration with with her writing desk, expected to sell for $8,000-$12,000, though there are several other of her writing tables valued between $500-$900 as well.
I’m partial to this group of desk articles myself, which includes two photos of Didion along with a folk art typewriter music box.
Today In Books Newsletter
Sign up to Today In Books to receive daily news and miscellany from the world of books.
Thank you for signing up! Keep an eye on your inbox.
By signing up you agree to our terms of use
You can also write with pens and paper that Didion herself used, along with other writing utensils. This was valued between $200-$400, but the bidding is already at $500. You can also bid on several of her electric typewriters.
This lot will be of special interest to library fans: it includes two New York Public Library Literary Lions 1985 glass paperweights and two medallions from the New York Public Library Literary Lions 10th Anniversary.
You can browse all 224 lots at Bidsquare. Currently, the bids begin at $25 for some lots, with the highest bid at $25,000.
You can read more about Joan Didion and the estate sale at the New York Times.
Find more news and stories of interest from the book world in Breaking in Books.
- The Best Horror of the Year: The Winners of the Shirley Jackson Awards
- The Bestselling Books of the Week, According to NYT, USA Today, Publishers Weekly, and Amazon
- Octavia Butler’s Genre-Bending KINDRED Coming to Hulu
- The Bestselling Books of the Week, According to NYT, USA Today, Publishers Weekly, and Amazon
- The Top 10 YA Books of the Year, According to Teenagers
- Here are the Best Books of 2022, According to Barnes and Noble Booksellers
- “Rogue” Employee Replaces Pro-Choice Book Orders with Christian Books
- Barnes & Noble is Offering Buy One, Get One 50% Off on Hundreds of Books
- The 2022 Harvey Awards Announce the Best Comics of the Year
:quality(85):upscale()/2026/11/02/694/n/1922564/7ea620576ae8aefbd71930.32592516_.jpg "The Fashion Collabs Our Editors Are Shopping Right Now, Including Elie Saab x H&M")
