National Book Auctions' May 15 auction in New York State features a range of items sure to tempt collectors and investors in rare books.

A signed 1960 first edition of the classic Harper Lee work To Kill A Mockingbird is among the leading lots and has a $4,000 high end estimate. Featuring the original dust jacket complete with Grau/McGinley quotes, this specimen is highly collectible.

A similar signed first edition of the novel achieved $6,500 last month with the same auctioneer.

Other important volumes include a first American edition of TS Eliot's Four Quartets and first editions of Pulitzer Prize winners The Able McLaughlins and The Killer Angels.

Harper Lee’s work continues to enthral

Presidential-related items in the sale span American history from George Washington through to Gerald Ford, including the 1788 printing of John Adams' A Defence of the Constitution and original newspapers announcing the burial of Washington and the assassination of Lincoln.

Early ornithological works on offer include several signed by expert Roger Tory Peterson, as well as important printings such as The Birds of California signed by author William Leon Dawson.

Two naval and marine architectural works from the early 19th century by John Knowles and Peter Hedderwick also feature.