royal college of physicians and surgeons of glasgow

Rare Audubon Birds of America Volumes Go on Display in Glasgow

Two first-edition volumes of John James Audubon's Birds of America have gone on display at the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Glasgow. The college purchased the volumes in 1838 for £48, equivalent to a skilled labourer's annual wage. With only 120 complete volumes known to exist and one insured for £7.5m in Liverpool, the book is considered the absolute pinnacle of ornithological art, featuring life-size hand-coloured images of more than 200 North American bird species.