Bonhams Alan Turing Delilah Papers Fetch £381,400 in London Sale
The Facts
Bonhams' Fine Books and Manuscripts sale on 14 November achieved £1,488,000 overall, led by a collection of Alan Turing's autograph material related to the Delilah project. The Turing and Donald Bayley papers, spanning more than 40 pages of working notes and mathematics on portable encryption, sold for £381,400. The 118-lot sale also included a first edition of Robert Boyle's 'The Sceptical Chymist' (£279,800), four rediscovered David Hume letters (£127,400), and a collection of royal correspondence (£57,550). Matthew Haley, Bonhams UK Books & Manuscripts head, described the Turing papers as "exceptionally rare" and noted the significance of Bayley's transcriptions of Turing's lectures, which effectively form a textbook on advanced mathematics for circuit engineers.
The Signal
The auction underscores the enduring value of original scientific manuscripts, particularly those tied to foundational figures like Turing, whose wartime work on speech encryption and theoretical computing remains historically pivotal. For collectors specializing in the history of science and cryptography, this sale represents a rare market appearance of previously unpublished primary source material. The strong prices for both the Turing archive and the Boyle and Hume lots also confirm Bonhams' position as a key venue for rare books and manuscripts, where institutional and private demand for intellectual heritage remains robust.
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- People: Alan Turing, Donald Bayley, Matthew Haley
- Auction Houses: Bonhams
- Locations: London
- Prices: £381,400, £1,488,000, £279,800, £127,400, £57,550, £43,520
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