William Faulkner's novel The Wild Palms intermingles pain and suffering with a parallel set of stories but "never the twain shall meet." The unconventional work contains two stories which alternate through the chapters of the two titled "Wild Palms" and "Old Man". The novel was later published under the title of If I Forget Thee, Jerusalem. Both tales pit loving couples who face substantial obstacles in their pursuit of happiness each presented with moral decisions. First editions number 250 and were published in 1939 by Random House (New York) as signed limited editions without dust jackets. An early copy in good condition has sold at auction for $2250, but is accessible at $800. The first English edition published by Chatto and Windus in 1939 (London) is has sold in the $400 range.
We collected a sample of 23 auction results of Faulkner, William's The Wild Palms from 3 different auction houses. The lowest overall price realized in our sample was $18 and the highest overall price realized was $2280. The overall average price was $847 and the median price realized for the book was $875. There were 8 auctions (40%) with a price realized below the low estimate, 5 auctions (25%) exceeding the high estimates, and 7 auctions (35%) within the range of the low and high estimates. Auctions of interest include: a PBA sale on May 22, 2014 of a 1939 - Random House edition for $2280 that one of 250 copies signed by author; a Swann sale on October 01, 2009 of a 1939 edition for $2280 that first issue; a PBA sale on January 29, 2004 of a 1939 - Random House edition for $2040 that one of 250 copies signed by author;Auction House | Auction Date | Author | Title | City | Publisher | Year | Estimate | Sale Price | Auction Page | Copies For Sale | |
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PBA | October 5, 2017 | Faulkner, William. | The Wild Palms | New York | Random House | 1939 | $300-$500 | $192 | |||
Bonhams | September 25, 2016 | Faulkner, William. | The Wild Palms | New York | Random House | 1939 | - | $18 | |||
Swann | May 18, 2016 | Faulkner, William. | The Wild Palms | New York | Random House | 1939 | $1000-$1500 | $1063 | |||
Swann | May 18, 2016 | Faulkner, William. | The Wild Palms | New York | Random House | 1939 | $800-$1200 | $875 | |||
Swann | November 10, 2015 | Faulkner, William. | The Wild Palms | New York | Random House | 1939 | $600-$900 | $1625 | |||
Swann | November 10, 2015 | Faulkner, William. | The Wild Palms | New York | Random House | 1939 | $1000-$1500 | $688 | |||
PBA | September 11, 2014 | Faulkner, William. | The Wild Palms | New York | Random House | 1939 | $300-$500 | $450 | |||
PBA | May 22, 2014 | Faulkner, William. | The Wild Palms | New York | Random House | 1939 | $2000-$3000 | $2280 | |||
PBA | December 13, 2012 | Faulkner, William. | The Wild Palms | New York | Random House | 1939 | $300-$500 | $180 | |||
PBA | October 11, 2012 | Faulkner, William. | The Wild Palms | New York | Random House | 1939 | $400-$600 | $270 | |||
PBA | August 30, 2012 | Faulkner, William. | The Wild Palms | New York | Random House | 1939 | $500-$800 | $300 | |||
Bonhams | April 16, 2012 | Faulkner, William. | The Wild Palms | New York | Random House | 1939 | - | $625 | |||
PBA | December 1, 2011 | Faulkner, William. | The Wild Palms | New York | Random House | 1939 | $1000-$1500 | $960 | |||
PBA | March 24, 2011 | Faulkner, William. | The Wild Palms | New York | Random House | 1939 | $500-$800 | $360 | |||
Swann | October 1, 2009 | Faulkner, William. | The Wild Palms | New York | 1939 | $1200-$1800 | $2280 | ||||
PBA | June 18, 2009 | Faulkner, William. | The Wild Palms | New York | Random House | 1939 | $200-$300 | $144 | |||
Bonhams | February 17, 2008 | Faulkner, William. | The Wild Palms | London | Chatto and Windus | 1939 | - | $480 | |||
PBA | January 26, 2006 | Faulkner, William. | The Wild Palms | New York | Random House | 1939 | $1000-$1500 | $1080 | |||
Swann | April 14, 2005 | Faulkner, William. | The Wild Palms | New York | 1939 | $700-$1000 | $1093 | ||||
PBA | January 29, 2004 | Faulkner, William. | The Wild Palms | New York | Random House | 1939 | $2000-$3000 | $2040 | |||
PBA | January 29, 2004 | Faulkner, William. | The Wild Palms | New York | Random House | 1939 | $600-$900 | $1080 | |||
Swann | October 24, 2002 | Faulkner, William. | The Wild Palms | New York | 1939 | $300-$400 | $431 | ||||
Swann | October 18, 2001 | Faulkner, William. | The Wild Palms | New York | 1939 | $800-$1200 | $978 |