American Animals is a 2018 crime drama film written and directed by Bart Layton. The film is based on the true story of a library heist that happened at Transylvania University in Lexington, Kentucky in 2004.
Movie summary:
In December 2004, in the midst of final exams, four young men robbed Original Copy of Birds of American in the rare-book room at the library of Transylvania University in Lexington, Ky.
Birds of America: The world’s most expensive book
The Original Edition of ‘Birds of America’ is one of the rarest and most collectable, It was published from 1827 to 1839 in sets of four volumes. More than 160 subscribers paid US$1,000 each (US$20,200 in today’s dollars)
It is known that The Birds of America, published from 1827 to 1839, attracted at least 160 subscribers each paying US$1,000. How many copies were eventually printed is unknown, but it is thought to be no less than 170 and no more than 200.
Of the 200 copies of The Birds of America, only a handful is owned by individuals. The balance that survives is found in museums, libraries and institutions. Of the 119 complete sets accounted for, 13 are owned by individuals and 106 are in institutions.
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