SOTHEBY'S TO SELL RARE AUDUBON 'BIRDS OF AMERICA' BOOK

A RARE COPY OF JOHN JAMES AUDUBON'S 'BIRDS OF AMERICA', BILLED AS THE WORLD'S MOST EXPENSIVE BOOK, IS UP FOR SALE ALONGSIDE A FIRST EDITION OF SHAKESPEARE'S PLAYS AT AN AUCTION TO SET BOOK LOVERS' PULSES RACING, SOTHEBY'S SAID THURSDAY. ONE OF ONLY 100 OR SO REMAINING COPIES OF 'BIRDS OF AMERICA' IS VALUED AT $6.2-9.2 MILLION, WHILE A SHAKESPEARE FIRST FOLIO FROM 1623 IS EXPECTED TO FETCH AT LEAST $1.54 MILLION. SOTHEBY'S BOOKS EXPERT DAVID GOLDTHORPE SAID THE TWO TOMES ARE 'THE TWIN PEAKS OF BOOK COLLECTING', THE BOOKS COME FROM THE ESTATE OF THE 2nd BARON HESKETH, AN ARISTOCRAT BOOK COLLECTOR WHO DIED IN 1955. THE AUCTION HOUSE IS SELLING THEM IN LONDON ON 7.DECEMBER. ANOTHER COMPLETE COPY OF 'BIRDS OF AMERICA' WAS SOLD AT CHRISTIE'S FOR $8.8 MILLION IN 2000, A RECORD FOR A PRINTED BOOK AT AUCTION. IT IS ONE OF THE MOST SIGNIFICANT, AND BEAUTIFUL, PUBLISHED WORKS OF NATURAL HISTORY, AND RARELY COMES UP FOR SALE. ONLY 119 COPIES REMAIN, AND ALL BUT A HANDFUL ARE IN MUSEUMS, LIBRARIES AND UNIVERSITIES. THE COLLECTION OF 435 HAND-COLOURED PRINTS, MADE FROM ENGRAVINGS OF AUDUBON'S ILLUSTRATIONS, MEASURES MORE THAN 3 FEET BY 2 FEET BECAUSE AUDUBON WANTED TO PAINT THE BIRDS LIFE SIZE. A PIONEERING FRENCH-AMERICAN ORNITHOLOGIST AND ENTREPRENEUR WHOSE BUSINESS VENTURES TOOK HIS ACROSS THE EXPANDING UNITED STATES, AUDUBON CAME TO BRITAIN IN 1826 AFTER FAILING TO RAISE MONEY TO PRINT HIS BOOK IN AMERICA. HIS OUTDOORS-MAN IMAGE AND VIVID ILLUSTRATIONS MADE A STRONG IMPRESSION. AUDUBON SOLD THE BOOK ON A SUBSCRIPTION BASIS TO WEALTHY COLLECTORS. THE COPY FOR SALE WAS NO.11, BOUGHT BY PALEONTOLOGIST HENRY WITHAM.