Digested week: Sondheim’s old pencils, dogs in prams and Christ on a bike | Emma Brockes

This week, a musical genius's stuff goes on sale for absurd sums and a heatwave hits New York

There is nothing more poignant, or grippingly voyeuristic, than a brass-tacks estate sale after the death of a legend. At Doyle Auctions on the east side of Manhattan this week, the personal effects of Stephen Sondheim, who died in 2021, aged 91, went under the hammer, providing superfans with an opportunity to bid on his gloomy furniture and collection of old crossword puzzles. There hasn't been such excitement in the auction world since Joan Didion's paperclips flew out the door at Stair Galleries two years ago for a cool $1,300.