Pets Hunters

Sotheby's: Audubon sells for record £7.3m

LONDON 7 DECEMBER 2010 --- This evening, one of the most magnificent printed books ever produced, John James Audubon’s Birds of America, sold at Sotheby’s London for £7,321,250/ US$11,542,683, establishing a new world record for any printed book ever sold at auction. A fiery enthusiasm among four collectors bidding on the phones and in the room drove the price rapidly beyond pre-sale expectations (£4-6 million/ US$6.3-9.5 million). The book was bought by London dealer Michael Tollemache, who was bidding in the room and who described the work after the sale as “priceless”.

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LONDON -- Sotheby's is auctioning a rare copy of John James Audubon's "Birds of America," billed as the world's most expensive book - a treasure that could sell for 6 million pounds ($9.5 million).

One of only 100 or so remaining copies of "Birds of America," the tome will be on the block Tuesday in London alongside a first edition of Shakespeare's plays expected to fetch at least 1 million pounds ($1.6 million).

The books come from the estate of the 2nd Baron Hesketh, an aristocratic book collector who died in 1955. Another complete copy of "Birds of America" was sold by Christie's for $8.8 million in 2000, a record for a printed book at auction.

The collection of 435 hand-colored prints is made from engravings of Audubon's illustrations.

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The president-elect's family has only just narrowed down its choice for first dog to either a Portuguese water dog or a Labradoodle.

Massachusetts Sen. Ted Kennedy, in a written statement, said he supports the Portuguese pooches. He already owns two and just brought a third pup into the fold.

"I am proud to endorse the Portuguese water dog as the next First Dog of the United States," Kennedy's statement reads. "They have a can do and hopeful spirit. They are smart. They are resilient. They are determined. They are optimistic. And they are tireless. Sounds like a perfect fit for the Obama Family and the Obama Administration."

Source: WLKY.com

Photo of Ted Kennedy and his Portuguese water dog, Splash(Globe Photo / Chris Hartlove)


Click the play button below to hear Senator Edward M. Kennedy read from a children's book, "My Senator and Me," purportedly written by his dog Splash



Source: Boston.com

A spur-of-the-moment decision to buy a wolf cub changed Mark Rowlands’s life. From that moment on he found human company never quite matched up. The Philosopher and the Wolf: Lessons in Love, Death, and Happiness is the story of the eleven years Brenin and Mark had together.

An excerpt:

"The rule was that Brenin was never, ever, under any circumstances, to be left on his own in the house. Failure to abide by this rule involved dire consequences for the house and its contents; and the fate of the curtains and the air-conditioning pipes was merely a gentle warning of his true capabilities in this regard. These consequences included destruction of all furniture and carpets, with a soiling option also available for the latter. Wolves, I learnt, get bored very, very quickly - about 30 seconds of being left to their own devices is generally long enough. When Brenin got bored he would either chew on things or urinate on them, or chew on things and then urinate on them. Very occasionally, he would even urinate on things and then chew them, but I think that was just because, in all the excitement, he would forget exactly where he was in the order of proceedings."

"Brenin and I were inseparable for 11 years. Homes would change, jobs would change, countries and even continents would change, and my other relationships would come and go - mostly go. But Brenin was always there - at home, at work and at play. He was the first thing I would see in the morning when I woke - largely because he would be the one to wake me, around daybreak with a big wet lick to the face - a looming presence of meaty breath and sandpaper tongue framed by dawn's murky light. And that was on a good day - on bad days he would have caught and killed a bird in the garden and would wake me up by dropping it on my face. (The first rule of living with a wolf: always expect the unexpected.)"

* Dog-ku

Dog-ku: Very Clever Haikus Cleverly Written by Very Clever Dogs, written by Steve D. Marsh is the most charmingly funny book I have read in ages. The haiku are clever and humorous. Many pages contain pictures of some very cute dogs.

I brought the book to work today. My coworkers and I spent way, way too much time reading the poems out loud to each other and laughing at them.

Here are some of our favorites :

Dewey Readmore Books was the resident cat at Spencer Public Library.

He was put in the book return one cold January night in 1988. When the staff found him the next morning, they decided to adopt him. After the library's board of trustees and the city council approved, the kitten was declawed, neutered, and given the proper vaccinations. A contest was held to pick a name, and Dewey Readmore Books was officially added to the staff. The staff cared for Dewey and donated their pop cans to feed the kitty. Patrons and friends from as far away as New York have donated money for Dewey's food.

Dewey passed away on November 29, 2006 due to complications from a stomach tumor. He had become very frail because of hyperthyroid disease for which he was receiving medication. He died in the arms of the library director, Vicki Myron. He had just celebrated his 19th birthday eleven days before he died.

Vicki Myron, the director of Spencer Public Library, has written a book about the impact Dewey had on her life,

Dewey: The Small-Town Library Cat Who Touched the World

Through her developing relationship with the feline, Myron recounts the economic and social history of Spencer as well as her own success story—despite an alcoholic husband, living on welfare, and health problems ranging from the difficult birth of her daughter, Jodi, to breast cancer.

The title is misleading. Dog Park Wisdom, by Lisa Wogan covers a lot more than just the dog park.

This book is a handy guide for every aspect of dog ownership from picking the right puppy and choosing the right name, all the way to traveling with your dog.

From breaking bad habits to understanding canine emotions, Wogan covers everything from potty training tips to grooming, proper playtime and off-leash etiquette.

There are great anecdotal stories from the author, her friends, family, and sometimes from complete strangers. My favorite among these is why you should wear a belt when visiting the dog park.

Photos by Bev Sparks make Dog Park Wisdom visually a pleasure as well as a fun read.

Lisa Wogan continues to gather tips for dog care and share new tidbits at her blog, www.dogparkwisdom.com.

Bev Sparks photography is used by ad agencies and greeting card companies, appears in magazines and books. See her portfolio at dogphotography.com.

21-year-old American Air Force Private First Class William A. Wynne, stationed in New Guinea during World War II, met and fell in love with with Smoky, a Yorkshire Terrier pup.

The story told in Yorkie Doodle Dandy is the history of their experiences together in war, being smuggled through customs, military discharge, their return to America, Will's wedding, two inter-coastal automobile trips, performing in show business and much more.

Smoky is actually a renowned WWII hero who strung telephone lines through an eight-inch drainage pipe under an airstrip in a combat area - a three day job which was accomplished in two minutes by the seven inch tall, four pound, Smoky.

Stories about Smoky appear in over 50 books and magazine articles Including Volumes I and II of the History of the Fifth Air Force. Smoky was YANK magazine's "Champion Mascot of the SWPA" in 1944.

Yorkie Doodle Dandy is a great cream puff of a book - an excellent way to spend a rainy Sunday afternoon.

A book that should be in the library of every pet owner and pet lover: The Merck/Merial Manual for Pet Health is an outstanding resource. Written by veterinarians and animal health specialists, the book is still aimed at the public at large. It's easy to understand and also easy to find information quickly.

The book covers health issues in common and exotic pets, but there are also some unusual and interesting special subjects. I found the chapter on diseases spread from animals to people (zoonoses) fascinating because I like this sort of off the wall stuff.

Merck/Merial Manual for Pet Health is a book I will keep handy and will refer to often for the well being of my pets.

The World Is Your Litter Box: A How-to Manual for Cats is a very unusual book in that it was written by Quasi, who happens to be a cat. This book is actually an instruction manual for cats who were unfortunate enough to be born without the innate feline abilities possessed by Quasi.

The cats who live in my house, Grace and Bandit, were very interested in the book. Grace, of course, wouldn't read it while I was looking, but she did read it after I was asleep for the night. Grace, the world's most prolific upchucker, learned of a few new places to throw up thanks to Quasi. Bandit thought the book was very flavorful - all four corners now are artfully decorated with fang marks.

Grace and Bandit have a few suggestions in case Quasi is thinking of a sequel. They'd like to teach him the "brush your tail against a candle during a party" trick to liven up social gatherings. Also, to encourage household remodeling and redecorating, there's the "get up into the ceiling and cause the drywall to collapse" trick.

On the whole though, we'd like to congratulate Quasi, and his human co-author, Steve Fisher, on a cute, humorous, and charming book.

Are you a cat person, or would you like to be one? Welcome to the club. Thirty-four percent of American households include at least one cat, which adds up to 90 million pet kitties owned in the U.S. If you're thinking about getting a cat — or want to know more about the one you've got — the new book The Cat Bible: Everything Your Cat Expects You to Know is an excellent place to start. Author Tracie Hotchner is one of the leading experts of the feline world.

TIME's Andrea Sachs (who has two cats herself) interviews Hotchner.