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Bird book collection worth £127k to stay in UK

Dan Wareing
BBC News, Manchester
Manchester Museum A close up of one for illustrations. There are three birds facing one another. Their feathers are a mixture of black, white, and red.Manchester Museum
Henry Eeles Dresser's work has been described as "breathtakingly beautiful"

A collection of illustrated bird books worth £127,000 will now remain in the UK after the government intervened to stop the "national treasure" being sold overseas.

The original set of Henry Eeles Dresser's A History of the Birds of Europe was to be sold to a private collector in the US, until a "government export bar" allowed time for a group led by Manchester Museum to buy it.

The export ban was granted in 2024 after the Arts Council designated the books as national treasures for their "outstanding significance".

Many of the drawings are of birds now believed to be extinct.

Manchester Museum A close up of two birds staring forward. They are birds of prey with black faces, and black and white feathers. Their talons are yellow.Manchester Museum
Manchester Museum said the books "capture the hearts of future ornithologists and conservationists"

Henry Eeles Dresser was born in Yorkshire, in 1838, and from a young age had an interest in birds, bird skins, and their eggs.

Numerous trips to mainland Europe culminated in the nine-volume A History of the Birds of Europe, published between 1871 and 1896.

It is considered his most important work, and contains pictures of birds such as the Slender-billed curlew, which was the first-known bird to have disappeared from mainland Europe, North Africa and West Asia.

Manchester Museum A black and white photo of Henry Eeles Dresser. He has short dark hair and is wearing a cravat and jacket. He is sitting in a chair and is looking off-camera.Manchester Museum
Henry Eeles Dresser published the nine-volume collection between 1871 and 1896

Manchester Museum worked with The John Rylands Library to raise the money needed for the purchase.

Art Fund, and Friends of the Nations' Libraries also contributed funding.

The anthology will be reunited with Dresser's own bird specimens at the museum from Saturday 28 June until Sunday 25 January 2026.

The museum said the books highlights "the vital role historical records play in tracking biodiversity loss over time" and understanding the long-term impact of environmental change.

"Threats to the natural world and biodiversity have never been greater," said Esme Ward, director of Manchester Museum.

Manchester Museum A close up of five taxidermy birds, laying in a row. They each have a piece of card attached detailing which species they are. Manchester Museum
The volumes will be displayed in a gallery alongside Dresser's own bird specimens

Ms Ward added: "While this anthology has historical value, it also speaks to the urgent issues of the present.

"These books are breathtakingly beautiful and, by bringing them together with natural history collections, we believe they will not only provide scientific benefit but also capture the hearts of future ornithologists and conservationists."

The volumes will be made accessible to researchers, students and the wider public at The John Rylands Library after they have been on display at the museum.

"Henry Eeles Dresser was one of the most significant and influential ornithologists of the late 19th and early 20th centuries," said Christopher Pressler, Manchester University librarian and the director of The John Rylands Library.

"He was a producer of beautiful books which combined new scientific information with masterpieces of bird illustration, and a leading figure in scientific society."

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