Audubon's Bird Book Won't Sell For Chicken Feed

Published January 20, 2012 at 4:00 AM EST

RENEE MONTAGNE, HOST:

And our last word in business today, comes from John James Audubon.

(SOUNDBITE OF BIRD)

MONTAGNE: That is the call of an American Goldfinch, one of hundreds of birds illustrated for Audubon's great work, "The Birds of America." That four-volume set was sold today for $7.9 million at Christie's Auction House in New York City. Christie's wouldn't name the buyer, saying only that it was a private American collector who bid by phone. The giant pages are filled with life-size images of Carolina parakeets, Great Blue Herons and other bird species. Only 120 complete sets are believed to exist. The last one sold for more than $11 million.

And that's the business news from NPR News. This is MORNING EDITION.

DAVID GREENE, HOST:

I'm David Greene.

MONTAGNE: And I'm Renee Montagne. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.

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