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Black-necked Stilt. John James Լ����Ƶ Birds of America.
 
Anyone can now get a daily look inside of one of the most valuable books in the world. Birds of America, the masterwork of 19th century naturalist John James Լ����Ƶ’s, is on display at the in Philadelphia. Each weekday afternoon at 3:15 p.m., a white-gloved staff member turns one of the enormous 2-by-3-foot pages to reveal another of the 435 spectacular engravings of 449 avian species hand-painted onto handmade paper.
 
For those who can’t stop by the museum, the bird of the day is also , too.
 

American flamingo. for a larger image, and more images from Birds of America.

Last year a first edition Birds of America sold for a whopping , breaking the world record for any book ever sold at auction. There are fewer than 120 known copies of the elephant folio, which Լ����Ƶ spent 11 years creating and completed in 1838. He depicted life-size birds (hence the stooped stance of the flamingo to the right), often in their natural habitat. While he started out killing the birds he drew, Լ����Ƶ came to appreciate the importance of capturing his subjects without shooting them. In later years he to a friend, “Nature must be seen first alive, and well studied before attempts are made at representing it.”
  
Now nearly two centuries later, Լ����Ƶ’s stunning representations still captivate, and the movement he lent his name to continues to help conserve his beloved birds.
 
For more about John James Լ����Ƶ, check out Լ����Ƶ �������������Ա�’s .