Book Auction Brings $4.1 Million

A two-day auction of rare books and manuscripts from the Edward Laurence Doheny Memorial Library of St. John’s Seminary in Camarillo, Calif., brought about $4.1 million, more than twice the pre-sale estimate, Christie’s reported Tuesday.

All 662 lots were sold, said Christie’s spokeswoman Roberta Maneker. Proceeds from the sale will benefit the Roman Catholic seminaries of the Los Angeles Archdiocese.

The sale had been projected to bring up to $1.9 million but some items went for much more than what they were expected to fetch.

For instance, the novel “Pride and Prejudice,” printed in London in 1813, was estimated to go for between $4,000 and $6,000 but instead it brought $49,500.

The books and manuscripts had belonged to the late philanthropist Carrie Estelle Doheny.