John Gould’s Bird Books Up For Sale
John Gould was one of the most brilliant ornithologists of the 19th century, and a talented artist to boot. He worked with Charles Darwin, travelled the world to research the beautiful folio works he produced, and set up a publishing company to sell them. A complete set of his bird books, valued at $2.5 million, is now on sale at Shapero Rare Books in London, the first private sale in over a quarter of a century. Pictured are examples of Thaumalea picta: the golden pheasant.
