Amazed by the libraries they encountered there, they shared a dream to return home and start one of their own.
In 1882 they made the dream a reality, creating an iconic Guernsey institution that continues to serve the community today.
The exhibition telling the story of the Guille-Alle´s Library opened last night with artefacts on show including one of the rarest, and most expensive books in the world.
Visitors to the library can learn more about the origin story and view a vast collection of books and items including James Audubon’s The Birds of America – a collection of hand-coloured prints of every species of bird in North America.
The Library’s copy of the book is a ‘Bien Edition’, a special reissue of Audubon’s work produced by his youngest son, some 20–years after the original was published.
Although not as valuable as an original edition, the Bien Edition is even rarer. Less than 100 volumes were printed, and it’s thought that only around 70 survive today – making it the rarest edition of one of the world’s rarest books.
The exhibition opens today and runs until Saturday 21 January.
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