Nuclear resonance fluorescence in 206207208Pb and 209Bi

208Pb has both neutron and proton closed shells and is known to be as ideal a nucleus in terms of the shell model as exists. Knowledge of those states in 208Pb and neighboring nuclei that can be excited by radiation is of general value in furthering our understanding of nuclear structure. Nuclear resonant photon scattering between 4 MeV and the neutron separation energy for targets of 206207208 and 209Bi was observed with a large Ge(Li) detector. Energies and ground state decay widths were measured for twenty-six newly identified levels. An understanding of some of these levels in terms of a particle-core weak-coupling model is suggested