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I am delighted to welcome you to the very first edition of the Adam's Book Club newsletter.
Our inaugural selection is Invisible Cities by Italo Calvino.
Published in 1972, Invisible Cities is one of the defining works of twentieth-century literature. It consists of a series of imaginary conversations between the explorer Marco Polo and the emperor Kublai Khan. In Calvino’s own words:
‘Invisible Cities does not deal with recognisable cities. These cities are all inventions, and bear women’s names. The book is made up of a number of short chapters, each of which is intended to give rise to a reflection which holds good for all cities or for the city in general.’ ~ Italo Calvino, Columbia: A Journal of Literature and Art, No. 8, 1983
A particularly nice limited edition of the work by The Arion Press recently sold for $6,600. It contains illustrations from one of my favourite artists, Wayne Thiebaud, who, when asked to produce the illustrations for the publication, said to the publisher: ‘Let's make the invisible visible. You'll figure it out…’
I would love to hear your thoughts on the book. If you want to send me your comments then I will include a selection of them in our next newsletter on the 3rd of September.
A great work of literature is a city we can return to throughout our lives, and each time appreciate different sights. My advice is to let this book be whatever it needs to be to you at the time you open it. Visit each city; admire its sights; note the mysterious power that builds in the gaps between. Trust its shape even as it resists your attempts to delineate it. ~ Anthony Doerr, The Timeless Magic of Italo Calvino’s Invisible Cities at 50, Literary Hub, March 20, 2025
Until then, happy reading.
Stephanie
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John ffrench was an instrumental figure in the design industry in Ireland and a distinguished pioneer of Irish studio pottery.
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"I should declare my hand. I have a weakness for pictures that punch above their physical weight, and for artists who have been quietly underrated for too long. This pair is both. They are intimate enough to live with at close quarters and serious enough to repay any amount of looking. If the market has lately shown signs of catching up with eighteenth-century Irish painting and I think it has, these two small panels feel, to me, like exactly the sort of thing that will look obvious in twenty years’ time."
Adam’s is honoured to present works from the collection of Lord Rossmore in the upcoming Country House Collections auction at Howth Castle on 28th April. It is seldom that an influential Irish family collection that has survived through the generations comes to the open market.
Works Sold at Adam’s Now in the Irish National Collection
A great opportunity to purchase both established and lesser-known artist’s work at an accessible price point, the Online Picture Auction is the first of many sales to be hosted at Adam’s in 2026. It is perfect for those looking to start a collection and the discerning collector alike.
Through this article, let our expert Adam Pearson guiding you to the (re)discovery of the once established Irish painter Richard O’Neill.
James Adam & Sons Ltd, Fine Art Auctioneers and Valuers, 26 St. Stephen’s Green, Dublin 2,
D02 X665, Ireland
