The only reason they should have spent $2.6m at auction is, if there was another bidder taking them that high. Short of someone literally bidding against them

The only reason they should have spent $2.6m at auction is, if there was another bidder taking them that high. Short of someone literally bidding against them with the foreknowledge of their maximum bid, it seems very unlikely that anyone else would have gone close to that number from the $35k expected price. A more sane approach if they realised that someone was bidding the up would be to duck out of that auction and by any of the other copies of the book that exist, likely for faaar less than $2.6m