This December 7th in London, Sotheby's will auction off a number of rare books from the late Baron Frederick Hesketh's expansive collection, including a rare first edition of Audubon's The Birds of America.  Due to the rarity and size of the book, which Audubon described as a "'double elephant' folio" and measures 90 by 60 cms, coupled with the quality of the hand-colored prints, experts estimate that it will bring in more than $6 million.  This seems a fair if not low-ball estimate considering that a copy of The Birds of America brought in $8.8 million at Christie's in 2000, which set the record for a printed book at auction.  The edition up for auction is No. 11 of 119 remaining copies, and was originally owned by paleontologist Henry Witham, who purchased the book in 1826 after a personal meeting with Audubon. The other highlight from the Baron Hesketh's collection is the Shakespeare First Folio, dating from 1623.  It is the first collection of Shakespeare's work, containing 451 of the original 454 leaves and the full text of 36 plays. The folio is valued at $1.8 million. Also included in the auction will be medeival illuminated manuscripts, work by William Caxton, England's first printer, and 40 letters written by Queen Elizabeth I and her ministers regarding the imprisonment of Mary Queen of Scots.  Sotheby's rare books expert David Goldthorpe says of Baron Hesketh's collection, "Unlike other libraries which specifically focus on, for instance, literature, history, or science, the 50 lots coming from this magnificent collection are an example of what is known as 'high spot collecting'- when a collector seeks out the very best across a range of fields."

Sotheby's to sell rare Audubon 'Birds of America' 1st edition Audubon expected to bring $6M