The book "Birds of America by John James Audubon was put up for auction Sotheby` s «Books, manuscripts and drawings in London and became not only the most expensive at auction, but also the most expensive printed book in the world. For $ 11.5 million "Birds of America buys London dealer Michael Tollemach, who said that the book is priceless."
"Birds of America" is a four-volume format of the giant double-elephant folio, decorated with 435 illustrations, painted by hand. Initially, there were about 170 copies is considered that now remained 122 sets of (3 - in Russia). The author of an impressive publishing - John James Audubon, artist and ornithologist.
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John James Audubon was born in 1785 in Haiti. Several years studying in France, in the workshop of David. In 1803 he moved to his father in Pennsylvania. There several times took up the scam - was chuchelnikom, held a dance class, portraits of five dollars apiece. His next venture was an even greater adventure - he decided to represent all species of birds, known in America, and to publish the drawings in the form of an atlas. Almost five years he worked with his son preparatory work: draw birds in nature, collected pelts and stuffed animals, found a publisher in England. Work on the publication lasted from 1827 until 1838. The drawings of Audubon lithographs were printed, then hand-painted watercolors with 50 helpers. Feature of the publication was not only the highest artistic quality, but also absolute scientific accuracy. The birds are depicted on sheets of large size (97h64 cm) full-size - from tiny to gigantic oatmeal herons, which tightly "packed" in a rectangle of the sheet. Full set of 435 sheets in four folders worth the incredible sum for those times - one thousand dollars.
Since then, no matter how many times "Birds of America" may have appeared at auction, they always put record, surpassing even the First Folio of Shakespeare (published in 1623, considered the primary source text, a significant number of his plays), formerly sold for $ 5.6 million in 1992 year at Christie `s complete set of" Birds of America "was sold for $ 3.7 million in 1998, the cost of publication was determined in a $ 5 million in 2000, Sotheby` s, it took a $ 8.8 million
London bookseller Pom Herrington, owner of Peter Harrington rare book, commented on the AP news agency that the purchase, saying that among the printed books, which might just "break" "Birds of America", he can say except that the Gutenberg Bible, a good copy of which now would cost market $ 30-50 million - only no one is selling.
Tatiana Markina