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UPDATE: THE CONTEST IS NOW CLOSED.

We've teamed up with the The Folio Society to give away one print of the eagle owl from , by Edward Lear. To enter the giveaway, just leave a comment below, and be sure to include a viable email address. (Note: Your comment may take several minutes to appear, and your email won’t show up on the page.) The official rules are below. The contest ends at midnight, Friday, January 18, 2013. In the meantime, renowned naturalist David Attenborough shares the story behind the gorgeous leather-bound book. Good luck!

I first became aware of Edward Lear’s bird plates in 1954. I had recently returned from filming a collecting expedition in Guyana. We brought back hummingbirds, anacondas, caiman and marmosets, but I hankered after pictures of some of the spectacular birds which I had just seen for the first time in the wild. Many of these are depicted in the prints issued by the 19th-century naturalist and publisher John Gould.

Among the first I found was one of a Toco Toucan. It was a particularly dramatic composition, and it was signed very emphatically E. Lear. It was then that I discovered that the poet whose nonsense verses I had loved as a child was also a superbly accomplished ornithological artist. From then on, I kept an eye out for more of the prints that he produced for Gould, and this became a decades-long endeavor to collect them all—a total of 80 lithographed plates, to which was later added an original drawing.

Lear’s bird plates, to my eyes at least, rank among the finest of their kind, and I was pleased to have collected them all into a single volume, separated from works by lesser talents. And to know that they will now be available to a broader audience, published together for the first time, is immensely rewarding. What’s more, the work undertaken by The Folio Society to reproduce not only the prints, but even an original 19th-century binding, has produced an edition worthy of this great artist. Bound in full leather, elaborately gold-blocked, it is a truly remarkable reproduction.

There could hardly be a better celebration of Lear’s 200th anniversary. I am thrilled that what began as a private collection has been reproduced for a wider readership—and in a way that has so authentically captured the beauty of the original.

Birds Drawn for John Gould, by Edward Lear, is limited to just 780 copies, each signed by David Attenborough. Published by The Folio Society (2012), $1595. Place your order . 

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1) Sponsors: ̽����ѡ Magazine, an operating unit of ̽����ѡ, Inc., 225 Varick Street, New York, NY 10014 (“̽����ѡ Magazine” or “̽����ѡ”); and The Folio Society, 4 Eagle Street
London WC1R 4FS (and together with ̽����ѡ and ̽����ѡ Magazine, the “Sponsors”). 

2) No purchase necessary.

3) The “Birds Drawn for John Gould” (“Contest”) is open from 12:00 a.m. Eastern Time (“ET”) on December 28, 2012 through 11:59 p.m. ET on January 18, 2013;

4) Eligible entrants must be at least 18 years old as of December 28, 2012, a resident of the contiguous 48 United States.  Employees, officers, and directors of Sponsors, and each of their respective parents, subsidiaries, and any and all entities directly associated with the Contest, including immediate family members and members of the same household, are not eligible to participate (collectively with Sponsor, the “Contest Entities”). Void where prohibited by law. Contest is governed by U.S. law and subject to all applicable federal, state and local laws and regulations. By entering the Contest, entrants agree to accept and be bound by all the terms of these Official Rules and Regulations (“Official Rules”). 

5) To enter: Leave a comment by completing the “Your name”, “E-mail” and “Comment” fields (the Submission”) on the following article page of ̽����ѡ Magazine’s website: http://www.audubonmagazine.org/articles/birds/win-edward-lear-eagle-owl-print-sumptuous-new-book-birds-drawn-john-gould. The “Homepage” field on such article field is optional and will have no effect on your chances. Email addresses submitted with any Submission must be valid.  Sponsors reserve the right in their sole discretion to disqualify and remove any Submission at any time in the event it is determined Submission is offensive, inappropriate, not in keeping with Sponsor’s image or if it is determined that the entrant has not otherwise complied with any portion of these Official Rules. 

6) Only one entry permitted per person.

7) Odds of winning depend on the number of entries received.

8) One winner will each receive a print of the eagle owl Birds Drawn for John Gould, by Edward Lear, The Folio Society 2012 (Total value of all prizes: $100).

9) The winner will be selected by a random drawing conducted by The Folio Society and notified via email on or before January 31, 2013.  By entering the Contest, entrant acknowledges that ̽����ѡ shall deliver entrant’s name, email and postal address, if any, to the Folio Society, and entrant consents to all actions related thereto. 

10) Sponsors are not responsible for any incorrect or inaccurate entry information, viruses, bugs, malfunctions, or other any other errors, human or otherwise, regardless of the cause (collectively, an “Error”).  In the event of any Error, Sponsors reserve the right, in their sole discretion to discontinue, suspend, cancel, or modify the Contest.   In the event of cancellation, Sponsors reserve the right to judge all eligible, non-suspect entries received prior to the Error requiring such cancellation using the selection procedure outlined above.   Any evidence of false or deceptive acts by an entrant, including, but not limited to, multiple Submissions or Submissions generated by script, macro or other automatic means, or failure to comply with any rules may result in the disqualification of entrant by Sponsor.  No substitution or transfer of prizes or cash redemptions permitted, except at Sponsor’s sole discretion. Sponsor reserves the right to substitute for any reason whatsoever a prize (or portion thereof) of comparable or greater value, at their sole discretion.  Sponsors do not have, nor shall have in the future, any duty or liability, direct or indirect, vicarious, contributory, or otherwise, with respect to the infringement or protection of any copyright in and to entrant’s Submission.  Winners are responsible for the reporting and payment of all taxes as well as any other costs and expenses associated with acceptance and use of their prize not specified herein as being awarded.

11) Contest Entities and their designees have the right, unless prohibited by law, to use entrant’s name, city and state of residence, voice, picture and likeness, without compensation, notification or approval, for the purpose of advertising and publicizing the goods, services and mission of the Contest Entities and all matters related to the Contest, in any manner or medium, now or hereafter known, throughout the world in perpetuity. 

12) Entrants may be required to execute any documents necessary to perfect such rights in the Sponsors.  By entering this Contest and/or accepting the prize, entrant and/or winner agrees to, and hereby does, release the Contest Entities from any and all liability, loss or damage arising from or in connection with participation or attempt to participate in the Contest and/or the awarding, receipt, use or misuse of the prize or participation in any prize related activities, and claims based on publicity rights, defamation or invasion of privacy. The Contest Entities and their parent companies, subsidiaries, affiliates and divisions, and their respective directors, officers, employees, attorneys, representatives and agents make no warranties, and hereby disclaim all warranties, express or implied, concerning any prize furnished or awarded in connection with the Contest, including, but not limited to, any winner’s ability to claim a prize awarded in the Contest for reasons of the prize provider’s bankruptcy, insolvency or failure to continue its business.  WITHOUT LIMITING THE GENERALITY OF THE FOREGOING, SUCH PRIZES ARE PROVIDED “AS IS” WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND, EITHER EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, AND THE CONTEST ENTITIES HEREBY DISCLAIM ALL SUCH WARRANTIES, INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED TO, THE IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE AND/OR NONINFRINGEMENT.

13) You may obtain the name and city of residence of winners by mailing a self-addressed stamped envelope to Lear Giveaway, c/o ̽����ѡ magazine, 225 Varick St, 7th Floor, New York, NY 11215.

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