Bird book sells for $7.5m

A rare first edition of the John James Audubon book The Birds of America, featuring more than 1000 exquisite illustrations by the great naturalist, has sold for $US7.9 million ($7.5 million) at auction in New York.

The sale at Christie’s was within the $US7 million to $US10 million pre-sale estimate and was the third-highest amount paid at auction for a printed book, a spokeswoman said.

In 2010 Sotheby’s sold another first edition of the book for a record $US11.5 million.

The buyer on Friday was identified as an American private collector — via redwolf.newsvine.com