Christie's is a venerable British auction house that hardly needs an introduction to anyone with even the slightest familiarity with auction houses. Christie's was founded by James Christie in 1766 and has been one of the very most important auction houses since the 18th century. The firm handles all types of items, from paintings to luxury real estate, though works of art are most often featured. However, the firm's history with books is long and extensive.

Today, Christie's maintains a Books and Manuscripts department, with numerous experts and specialists on staff. Among price records set by the firm is $8.8 million for a printed book, a folio edition of John James Audubon's Birds of America sold in 2000. It also set a record for manuscripts, auctioning da Vinci's Codex Hammer for $30.8 million in 1994. Today, Christie's operates auction rooms not only in England but New York, Paris and Rome as well.