Mark Glancy, an expert in the work of naturalist and painter John James Audubon, paid a special visit to Guernsey to present a talk about one the rarest books in the world, which is housed in the Guille–Allès Library.
Audubon’s Birds of America forms the centrepiece of the ‘Boundless Curiosity’ exhibition, in partnership with BDO Guernsey. Mr Glancy, who was library services manager at National Museums Scotland for 13 years until his retirement earlier this year, previously curated an exhibition on Birds of America in Edinburgh.
It is thought that no more than 120 complete copies of the book exist today, making the presence of this one in Guernsey all the more special.
Ahead of an evening presentation to the public, lead partner of the exhibition BDO Guernsey hosted a private talk with Mr Glancy for its staff to learn about the intricacies needed to produce such a book, as well as Audubon’s fascinating life as a figurehead in wildlife conservation.
Mr Glancy said of his visit: “In the 13 years of my career studying this book, this is the first copy of this particular edition I have seen. It is in remarkable condition, which is even more impressive still, as so few of the bound books remain today. The library’s copy is a ‘Bien Edition’ – a special reissue of Audubon’s work produced by his youngest son, some 20 years after the original was published.”
Mr Glancy said that a Bien Edition is even rarer than the original first editions. Fewer than 100 compilations of the artwork were printed, and it’s thought that less than 50 survive today, marking it as the rarest edition of one of the world’s rarest books.
Only 49 of the original bound copies remain in existence, with two of these owned and stored by the Natural History Museum in London. First editions of Birds of America are valued at a staggering £8-10 million.
“To be able to closely see the detail in the chromolithography, the method used to print the artwork in this particular edition, is a joy to me,” said Mr Glancy. “The Bien Edition was published to help relieve the Audubon family of financial trouble, but it heralded the start of even more. The outbreak of the American Civil War meant the end of production of the edition after only 150 plates had been printed with only 70 subscribers signed up. With this in mind, to have your edition so accessible is really special, and I thank the Guille-Allès Library for hosting me so generously.”
Lead partner of the exhibition BDO Guernsey hosted a private talk with Mr Glancy for its staff to learn about the intricacies needed to produce such a book, as well as Audubon’s fascinating life as a figurehead in wildlife conservation. Mr Glancy also shared his wealth of knowledge to the public in a special evening presentation.
Birds of America and more rare and beautiful artefacts will be exhibited at the Guille-Allès Library as part of ‘Boundless Curiosity’ until January 21st 2023, the exhibition is completely free.
