An edition of John James Audubon's Birds of America is all set to go up for auction along with William Shakespeare's First Folio and private letters written by Queen Elizabeth I.

James Audubon's Birds of America fetched a world record 8.8 million dollars (5.7m pounds) a decade ago.

The rare and valuable lots are among a collection of books, manuscripts and letters to be sold from the collection of Lord Hesketh, a collector who died 55 years ago,

A well-preserved copy of Audubon's book, which is bound in a huge folio accommodating life-size paintings of American bird life, is valued at between 4 million pounds and 6 million pounds.

Also up for sale are a copy of Shakespeare's First Folio, published in 1623 and worth an estimated 1 million pounds to 1.5 million pounds, and a series of letters written by Elizabeth I to Ralph Sadler, who became jailer to her half-sister, Mary Queen of Scots.

"To have all these items in one sale is remarkable; it's certainly never happened in my time, 15 years, and people who've been here longer can't recall it," the Telegraph quoted David Goldthorpe, of Sotheby's, as telling the Guardian.

The sale, on December 7, is expected to raise a total of 8 million pounds to 10 million pounds. (ANI)