I Bid You Farewell : The Life of an Auctioneer

I Bid You Farewell captures the drama, wit and wisdom of a lifetime in the antiques trade. Set against the backdrop of Suffolk’s market towns and quiet villages, Lanham charts an era of remarkable change in Britain’s auction houses, from the austere post-war years through the booming era of the 1980s. This is the story of a young auctioneer, starting at seventeen in a cattle market, qualifying and then buying a rundown rural auction business. Readers will discover how, from a standing start, with no telephone in his hired hall, Lanham achieved over a hundred world-wide record prices of fine art at auction. He explains the complex psychology of dealers and collectors and reveals the stories behind these extraordinary prices. Being on his own, using his personal observation, he was able to speedily change course to rapidly unfolding new markets caused firstly by Harold Wilson devaluing the pound and then Margaret Thatcher selling off ‘the family silver’. It is a true insight into the secrets of the auctioneer’s mind. Written as an amusing whole-life adventure of numerous stories, it shares much knowledge, wisdom and humour. Rich in character and incident, with an insider’s eye for detail and a storyteller’s gift for bringing the past to life, Lanham shares the secrets of the trade while documenting a vanishing world of traditional market towns and autonomous local businesses. I Bid You Farewell is not just the story of one man’s career – it’s a love letter to the art of the auction and a valuable historical document of Britain’s antiques trade during a period of unprecedented change.