That's classified: Arranging plumage

My business partner, an avid follower of all things elegant, informed me that Sotheby's is auctioning off the world's most expensive book later this year. So, I ran a little search and discovered that not only is an extremely rare copy of John James Audubon's "Birds of America" up for bid, but so is another little volume of Shakespeare's plays... first edition. An exciting day (December 7th, incidentally) for book collectors-well, for the extremely rich book collectors, anyway. (Had my last scheme worked out, I may have been able to classify myself with those collectors. Alas, I must resign myself to the avid spectators category.)

Of course, it is very unlikely that I will ever come within spitting distance of so rare a book (the reference to "spitting" alone is likely to get me banned from all rare book exhibitions), but I can claim a little piece of that greatness by creating my own record for said folio.

Title: The birds of America /

Author(s): Audubon, John James, 1785-1851.

Publication: London, Pub. by the author, 1827-38

Description: Audubon described this book as a "double elephant folio." (I.e. It's huge.)

Copy/Holding Information

Call Number: QL674 .A9 1827

Copies: If you have more than one, you are entirely too wealthy.

Cost: If you lose this, you might as well throw in the shirt off your back. (The last copy was sold by Christie's for 8.8 million.)

Related works:

There aren't any.

Related links:

Sotheby's