Rare Prints Return to New York

For those of you who went to Yale, recall that we passed by a copy of John James Audubon's Birds of America that was on display at the Beinecke Rare Books Library. According to the Times Union, several prints from a copy of that book are being returned to the State Museum. These prints were thought to have been destroyed in the Capitol fire in 1911, but were rescued from a trash heap. This is an interesting example of how documents often have long and complex custodial histories. It is particularly noteworthy because this book was not produced in large numbers and many of the copies were cut up so that each page could be sold individually. Click on the link to read the full article.