Audubon's Birds of America set for $10m auction at Christie's

One of just 13 privately owned copies of Audubon's The Birds of America is coming to Christie's

A rare opportunity for book and art collectors to own a copy of John James Audubon's The Birds of America presents itself at Christie's next month.

It is among the standout lots of Christie's Americana Week in New York, which begins on January 19 and is set to be a celebration of three centuries of American craftsmanship.

Audubon's book will take to the auction block on the 20^th.

Completed and published over 11 years from 1827 to 1838, it is considered the highest achievement in ornithological art.

The three-foot high pages feature Audubon's stunning life-size illustrations.

This magnificent four volume set of 435 hand-coloured engravings, known as the Duke of Portland Set, is one of only a few known unbound copies in existence, and is one of only 13 editions currently in private hands.

A further 107 copies remain in museums and libraries.

The record for a copy of the book stands at £7.3m ($11.5m) - a world record for a book.

It was achieved at Sotheby's in 2010, suggesting next month's lot should reach the upward end of its $7m to $10m estimate.

Collectors looking to take advantage of the strong rare books market without paying world record prices should consider important autographed works.

Will Birds of America's £7.3m world record price be broken in January?

A superb example is a signed copy of famed photographer Yousuf Karsh's stunning Fifty-Year Retrospective, available for £595 (approx. $980).

Lasting two weeks, Christie's Americana Week will also feature furniture, folk art, decorative arts and silver.

A Sheffield-plated silver wine cooler, given by George Washington to fellow "founding father" Alexander Hamilton in 1797, will be a highlight among the silver sales on January 19.

Estimated at $400,000 to $600,000, the four-bottle wine cooler is an exceptionally well documented historical object, symbolising the famous partnership between Washington and Hamilton in the early days of the republic.

Never before seen by the public, it is being sold by direct descendants of Hamilton.

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