In 1827, Lady Isabella Hertford decorated her Chinese Drawing Room at her mansion in Leeds with 28 pictures from John James Audobon's The Birds of America.

The book - of which there are now just 119 copies in existence - had been given to Lady Hertford by her lover the Prince of Wales, who later became King George IV. 

But experts believe that the book could have fetched millions at auction today if it had been kept in tact. 

In 2010, one copy of the book was sold for the record price of £7m at Sotheby's in London. The previous record was £6.9m.

Even by today's standards, the illustrations of birds is remarkable but it was seen as a hugely pioneering publication when it was being released in the 1830s.  

The publication, which depicts 435 hand-coloured lifesize illustrations of birds, was first published as a series in sections after the artist spend more than a decade on the work.

Audobon, born in Haiti and largely self-taught, developed a method of using wires and threads to hold dead birds in lifelike poses while he drew them. 

The largest version of the book was in 'double elephant folio', meaning it measured 39.5inches by 26.5 inches.

Its images now include six extinct birds. Of the copies left, 107 are believed to be in institution collections while the remainder are in private hands. According to the Economist, a list of the top ten most-expensive books would include five copies of The Birds of America. 

The drawing room at Temple Newsam House, along with the rest of the property, will soon be ready for re-opening.

Curator Rachel Conroy said: 'It's such an extraordinary room and it's made all the more special because it's largely been decorated by a former resident of the house. Most of the furniture which is still on display was chosen by Lady Hertford herself.

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