Original Roald Dahl Sketches Fetch Nearly £24,000 at Auction
A remarkable set of original sketches created by beloved children’s writer Roald Dahl has fetched almost £24,000 at a recent auction in Edinburgh. The unique collection, which includes several black ballpoint pen drawings, was produced by Dahl himself for his popular memoir “Boy”, published in 1984. The sale has captured the imagination of collectors and fans alike, underscoring Dahl’s enduring legacy more than three decades after his death.
The fascinating set of illustrations surfaced in rather unassuming circumstances. Tucked inside an envelope ominously labelled “Dahl’s drawings & odds and sods”, the sketches were part of the personal effects owned by Ian Craig, who served as the art director for publishing house Jonathan Cape. Craig, who passed away in 2023, played an instrumental role in the visual realisation of “Boy”, using Dahl’s initial sketches as reference when producing the final illustrations for the book.
According to auctioneers, the cache of drawings had been kept safely hidden away for decades. They form part of Ian Craig’s production archive, which was included in the wider sale of his estate. On Wednesday, Lyon & Turnbull, an Edinburgh-based auction house, successfully sold the drawings under the hammer for a total of £23,940. The entire lot was secured by a single buyer, who has chosen to remain anonymous, adding an enigmatic twist to the story.
Dominic Somerville-Brown, a specialist in rare books and manuscripts at Lyon & Turnbull, commented on the extraordinary nature of the items: “This archive is unique in the Roald Dahl canon – it’s very rare to find material by his own hand.” He further noted that the impressive final price is a testament to the lasting popularity of Dahl’s stories, which continue to resonate with readers of all ages 35 years after his passing.
Roald Dahl, who died in 1990 at the age of 74, is celebrated worldwide for his distinctive storytelling style and iconic characters. However, “Boy” remains the only work in his prolific five-decade career for which he personally provided illustrations. The memoir details his childhood exploits, including a particularly famous episode where he and his friends placed a dead mouse into a sweet shop’s gobstopper jar to play a prank on the shopkeeper, Mrs Pratchett. Dahl’s own depiction of this scene, which shows a mouse sprawled among the sweets, is among the sketches that have now found a new home.
In addition to the Dahl collection, the auction also featured a significant array of rare manuscripts originating from Kilravock Castle, near Nairn in the Highlands. This portion of the auction included historically important documents such as letters and decrees signed by members of the Scottish royal family, including Mary Queen of Scots and her relatives. In total, the Kilravock Castle manuscripts realised £124,614 and drew strong interest from multiple buyers around the globe.
Notably, one letter penned by Mary Queen of Scots and her then-husband Henry Stewart, Earl of Darnley, sold for £15,120. Another, transferring custodianship of Inverness Castle, achieved £11,340. Moreover, a set of five family letters from Mary of Guise, the Queen’s mother, fetched £6,930.
Cathy Tait, head of books and manuscripts at Lyon & Turnbull, expressed delight with the response, stating, “There was a great deal of interest from a wide range of collectors, both private and institutional.” She went on to emphasise the significance of preserving these “very old and important items”, which provide a window into the historical fabric of Scotland.
The sale of Roald Dahl’s sketches and the rare Scottish manuscripts was a reminder of the power that literature and history continue to hold for collectors and enthusiasts. With prices including the buyer’s premium, this auction has ensured that precious cultural artefacts will be safeguarded for future generations, allowing glimpses into creative and historical worlds that might otherwise have been lost.