Book 7 million

Four volumes of the book "Birds of America" ​​by John James Audubon was bought by the famous London bookseller Michael Tolemachem. Mr. Tolemach describes these books about birds as "priceless." He forked out on the bag at £ 7321250 - surpassed the expected pre-sale estimate, which ranged from 4 to 6 million. Pounds.

Books in which the birds are painted life-size, were part of a literary collection of the late Frederick Fermor-Hesketh, second Baron Hesketh.




The collection, consisting of 50 lots, was sold for 15 million pounds, including the first meeting of 36 of Shakespeare's plays in 1623, for which it was generated $ 1497250. The photo Snowy Owls from the book "Birds of America".



Collection of "Birds of America" ​​was published in four volumes from 1827 to 1838. The book contains 1,000 illustrations and 500 species of birds that Audubon described 12 years. The photo American white pelican.



The huge size of book three on two feet, which Audubon said that for songbirds, it is of course great, but when you have to draw bald eagles, it is just by the way.



There are only 119 copies of the book Audubon, which were published in Haiti, and most of them are now in private collections. Audubon naturalist and artist pursued his victims across America, finding the right bird, he killed her and then drew in his book.



Incredibly colorful and detailed images of birds have been printed and are decorated in a huge, as in those days, the book. Then these books amount to "Origin of Species" by Charles Darwin. In the photo the American flamingo.



Audubon was born in 1785 on the Caribbean island of Haiti, and was the illegitimate son of a French sea captain and his mistress. He survived the revolution, bankruptcy and non-recognition of the public, has not yet gained worldwide fame in the New World, creating your masterpiece on ornithology.



John grew up in France, in 1803 he emigrated to the newly formed United States of America, in the wild heart of the continent - Kentucky. Having no experience of painting, the researcher decided to capture a new home in the colorful birds and - armed with a gun and paints - headed south down the great Mississippi River to begin their work.