NEW YORK.- On October 5, 2007 Sotheby’s will have the privilege of offering for sale The Brooks McCormick Collection of Ornithology. Comprising both books and prints focused the history of ornithology, the collection boasts works by legendary names such as John James Audubon, Mark Catesby, François Levaillant, F. N. Martinet and Charles Darwin, among others. The collection was assembled over several decades by the late Chicago businessman and renowned philanthropist, Brooks McCormick. Known for his commitment to conservation in particular, the proceeds from the sale of his collection will benefit The International Crane Foundation, of which Mr. McCormick was an avid supporter, and which is dedicated to sustaining the natural habitats of all crane species around the globe. Prior to the auction in October, highlights from the collection will be on view at Sotheby’s Chicago from September 20-21, 2007 in New York from September 29-October 4, 2007. The entire offering of 99 lots is highlighted by Marc Catesby's superb “Natural History of Carolina, Florida and the Bahama Islands,” London, 1731-1743, which is estimated to sell for $400/600,000.

The Collector - Brooks McCormick (1917-2006) was the grand-nephew of Cyrus McCormick (1809–1884), the inventor of the first commercially successful reaper and founder of the International Harvester Company. While he was the last member of his family to play an active role in International Harvester, he was best known, despite his efforts to keep his name in the background, for his philanthropy, especially his support of conservation. In 1972, he founded The Conservation Foundation, which has preserved more than a thousand acres in the counties surrounding Chicago. He also arranged that after his death, his beloved 620-acre St. James Farm near Warrenville would be sold to the Forest Preserve, ensuring that it would remain open space.

In the 1980s, McCormick - who with his late wife Hope Baldwin McCormick had long supported many of Chicago’s cultural institutions, including the Art Institute of Chicago - began to collect books and prints about the history of ornithology. It was at about the same time, that McCormick also began to support, in his usual quiet way, the International Crane Foundation, which was founded in 1973 by George Archibald and Ron Sauey in Baraboo, Wisconsin. It is entirely in keeping with Brooks McCormick’s love of nature and his commitment to conservation that his collection of bird books and prints has been given to the International Crane Foundation.

The Collection - Among the highlights of the McCormick Collection is a magnificent copy of Mark Catesby’s Natural History of Carolina, Florida, and the Bahama Islands (1731–47, est. $400/600,000), the foundation work of American ornithology. Also featured is a group of nearly ninety hand-colored aquatints from John James Audubon’s monumental double-elephant folio The Birds of America (1827–38), which is often referred to as the greatest picture book ever produced. Among them is Wild Turkey, Male (Plate I), a hand-colored engraving with etching and aquatint by W.H. Lizars with aquatint added later by R. Havell (c. 1825, est. $50/70,000). Additionally, the sale will feature Hooping Crane (Plate CCLXI), a hand-colored engraving with etching and aquatint by R. Havell (1835, est. $30/40,000)); and Purple Heron (Plate CCLVI), a bright, fresh impression of a hand-colored engraving, with etching and aquatint by R. Havell (1835, est. $30/50,000).

McCormick did not limit his collection to birds of North America, however; among other prizes from his shelves are a magnificent set of François Levaillant’s spectacular studies of exotic birds, Histoire naturelle des oiseaux de paradis et des rolliers (1801–06) and Histoire naturelle des Promerops et des Guepiers (1807, est. $150/250,000); as well as the Comte de Buffon’s encyclopedic Histoire naturelle des oiseaux (1770–86, est. $60/80,000), illustrated with 973 fine hand-colored etched plates by F. N. Martinet. Nor was McCormick’s interest limited to color-plate books. His library also boasts a superb copy of the first edition of Charles Darwin’s On the Origin of Species (1859, est. $60/80,000), in which the author makes frequent and skillful reference to birds in support of his thesis.

About the International Crane Foundation - The International Crane Foundation (ICF) works worldwide to conserve cranes and the wetland and grassland ecosystems on which they depend. ICF is dedicated to providing experience, knowledge, and inspiration to involve people in resolving threats to these ecosystems. ICF differs from most nature centers and conservation facilities in that its activities single out a very specific subject - cranes- rather than treating the natural history and general ecology of a region. But the focus on cranes is not limiting; instead it provides ICF an opportunity to address a series of issues not tied to a particular place: endangered species management, wetland ecology, habitat restoration, and the critical need for international cooperation.