Book collection of The Rolling Stones drummer Charlie Watts to be sold at auction
A book collection belonging to Charlie Watts, the former drummer of The Rolling Stones, is to be sold at auction later in 2023.
The vast collection of books is mainly comprised of fictional novels with famous titles such as Arthur Conan Doyle’s The Hound Of The Baskervilles and F Scott Fitzgerald’s 1920s jazz era classic The Great Gatsby among them.
The auction will be held between September 28th-29th following a presentation in Los Angeles, London and New York. The Great Gatsby is considered the most appealing title from the collection. Experts predict the short novel could bring in between £200-300,000.
Paul Sexton, the official author who signed on to write Watts’ biography, discussed the items in press materials. “He took great pleasure in owning these things,” he said. “He valued his time at home, and he would read on the road, so literature was a very important part of his make-up.”
“I don’t think he acquired them because he knew they would become valuable; he just took a huge satisfaction in owning these great works and tracking down, with the help of experts, original first editions.”
Last year, The Rolling Stones revealed that their next album would feature drumming tracks recorded by Watts before his death in 2021. This was followed in spring by the news that Bill Wyman, the classic line-up bassist who left the band over three decades ago, had briefly rejoined to record bass tracks for the album in tribute to the late drummer.
It has been suggested that the new Rolling Stones album will arrive in the summer of 2024. Until then, remember Watts’ drumming prowess in the video below.
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