Audubon & The Birds of America SOLD OUT

This event is sold out - but you can still join the waiting list.

Join us on Wednesday 23 November for this special event all about The Birds of America by John James Audubon. One of the rarest and most beautiful books in the world, it's the star attraction of our ongoing BOUNDLESS CURIOSITY exhibition.

Visiting speaker Mark Glancy curated the recent Audubon’s Birds of America exhibition at the National Museum of Scotland. His talk will explore the creation and production of the double elephant folio editions of The Birds of America, as well as Audubon's legacy as an artist, naturalist and environmentalist.

Book your ticket HERE

The Birds of America

In 1820 American artist John James Audubon made it his mission to paint every species of bird in North America. The result was The Birds of America, the largest and most famous bird book in the world. Audubon's prints are staggering in their beauty, accuracy, and rich detail.

The book's creator is the most famous bird illustrator of his or any time. Audubon was a colourful and contradictory character, whose drive made possible the incredibly ambitious project to publish a book portraying every bird in North America life-size. 

Mark Glancy

Mark Glancy was the Library Services Manager at National Museums Scotland for 13 years until his retirement in May 2022. He is a Fellow of the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland. He was responsible for the museum’s library, rare book collection, and archives. 

Earlier this year Mark curated the very successful exhibition Audubon’s Birds of America at the National Museum of Scotland. The exhibition ran from 12 February to 8 May 2022, and will be touring in 2023.

Photograph by Neil Hanna, by kind permission of National Museums Scotland.