Sotheby's to sell rare Audubon 'Birds of America'

[December 07, 2010]  LONDON (AP) -- Sotheby's is auctioning a rare copy of John James Audubon's "Birds of America," billed as the world's most expensive book -- a treasure that could sell for 6 million pounds ($9.5 million).

One of only 100 or so remaining copies of "Birds of America," the tome will be on the block Tuesday in London alongside a first edition of Shakespeare's plays expected to fetch at least 1 million pounds ($1.6 million).

The books come from the estate of the 2nd Baron Hesketh, an aristocratic book collector who died in 1955. Another complete copy of "Birds of America" was sold by Christie's for $8.8 million in 2000, a record for a printed book at auction.

The collection of 435 hand-colored prints is made from engravings of Audubon's illustrations.

[Associated Press]

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