| Rare Canadian books fetch top prices at auction
A treasure of rare books about early Canada -- including some of the most important works from the age of New France and British North America -- has sold at a U.S. auction for well over $1.5 million Cdn, with several works fetching prices twice as high as expected. Hundreds of volumes from the library of the late American collector Frank Streeter were on the block Monday and Tuesday at Christie's in New York. Streeter's interest in vintage literature about the exploration and mapping of the world meant that much of his collection focused on voyages of discovery to Canada and its early history as a French and then a British colony. The demand for Streeter's books was astounding. One item alone -- a lavishly illustrated 1779 atlas of Nova Scotia, the St. Lawrence River region and the U.S.
Science Scene
NASA astronaut Sunita Williams may have been orbiting over 210 miles above the surface of the Earth on Apr. 16, but she still managed to compete in the annual Boston Marathon - a grueling 26-mile run.
Attached to her treadmill with a harness so she wouldn't float away, Williams began the race along with scores of others on the ground at 10 a.m. Eastern Standard Time. While most competitors ran in the chilly 58-degree Fahrenheit weather, Williams completed her trek in the climate-controlled 78-degree Fahrenheit conditions of the International Space Station.
"Those guys are kicking butt even though it's cold," said Williams when told of the times of her friends and sister, who were also competing in the race.
With energy from pieces of orange tossed her way in the weightlessness of space by her crewmembers, Williams finished with an unofficial time of 4 hours, 23 minutes and 46 seconds.
Boss Mustang Star of Shannons Autumn Auction
A stunning Grabber Blue 1970 Boss Mustang 302 Fastback with all matching numbers is one of the highlights of Shannons Sydney autumn auction on Monday May 7. One of just 737 built with the W-code Drag Pack option, the car has been the subject of a fully documented restoration by its former Californian owner less than two years ago. It is now in immaculate condition both inside and out, having covered only around 400 miles since. In muscle car terms, the Boss models built in 1969-1970 have grown in stature to become some of the most desirable Mustangs of all. The Boss 429 was essentially a big-block dragster while Ford used the Boss 302 to homologate the Mustang for the SCCA's Trans-Am road racing series, where engine capacity was restricted to 5.0 litres.
Tazara barred from re-tendered bids
THE High Court's Land Division has restrained the Tanzania-Zambia Railways Authority (TAZARA), its agents or assignees, from opening the re-tendered bids scheduled for today concerning sale of a semi-developed estate of 6.4 acres valued at over 3bn/-.
Judge Stella Longway gave the order last Friday in favour of Ocean View Apartments Limited (applicant) in respect of the Tazara Estate property No. 3, pending determination of an application for temporary injunction set for hearing on June 11, this year.
A counsel from Law Associates (Advocates), Mr Rosan Mbwambo, for the applicant, filed the application the same day under certificate of urgency. A Tazara (respondent) had set to open the bids today for the estate located near SabaSaba Grounds at Kurasini area.
Russian Art Sales At Christie's Yield Over $19 Million
NEW YORK, April 19 (RIA Novosti) - The sale of Russian art objects at Christie's Wednesday yielded a total of $19.2 million, a spokesperson for the auction house said Thursday. Kate Swan described the auction of Russian paintings and works of art as very successful and said Vasily Vereshchagin's "Solomon's Wall," a painting of Jerusalem's Wailing Wall, was the top seller. Painted in 1885 in Paris and estimated at between $3 million and $5 million, the picture went for $3.6 million to an unnamed Russian collector. The painting was first acquired by a wealthy American businessman and senator, George Hearst. The second most expensive lot was a Faberge dwarf statue, which went for $1.4 million to an anonymous collector. "Grand Canyon, Arizona" (1921) by Nikolai Roerich, most famous for his depictions of the Himalaya Mountains, was estimated at about $400,000 and was also bought by a Russian, as was his "Sanctuaries and Citadels" (1925), depicting a Buddhist monastery in northern India, for about the same price.
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