Rare ‘Birds’ at auction

Carolyn Kellogg

Book collectors with fat wallets, take note: A first edition of the rare John James Audubon book "The Birds of America" will be auctioned by Christie's in New York on Jan. 20. When another copy of "The Birds of America" sold for $11.5 million in 2010, it became the world's most expensive book.

"The Birds of America" was published in the early 1800s as a serial, with subscribers getting a handful of plates at a time. It was printed on oversized pages, more than 3 feet tall and 2 feet wide; the original black-and-white engravings were hand-colored. It took a decade to complete the project. There are thought to be only about 120 copies of the book in full, which includes 435 color illustrations.

"The format was chosen not out of any grandiosity but because it was Audubon's remarkable desire — and ability — to produce life-sized engravings of each bird," rare book dealer Rick Gekoski told the Guardian. "Thus the finches and cardinals have plenty of space in which to flit about, while the flamingo and trumpeter swan tilt their necks graciously inward and arrange themselves with some care. The effect of this is just terrific."

Source: LA Times