the birds of america di john james audubon (Oltre 1.700 risultati)

First octavo edition of Audubon's landmark work; one of the most spectacular collections of ornithological prints ever produced. Royal octavo, 7 volumes bound in full 19th-century morocco by P. Low of Boston with their ticket, gilt titles and ruling to the spine in six compartments within raised gilt bands, gilt ruling to the front and rear panels, gilt turn-ins, marbled endpapers, ribbons bound in. Illustrated with 500 hand-colored lithographed plates after Audubon by W. E. Hitchcock, R. Trembly and others, printed and colored by J. T. Bowen, wood-engraved anatomical diagrams in text. Presentation copy, inscribed by John James Audubon on the on the contents leaf of volume one, "Miss Lydia E. E. Greene with the affectionate good wishes of her friend and servant, John J. Audubon, Boston, June 8, 1844" and additionally on the front free endpaper of Vol. II., "Miss Lydia, E. E. Greene; and may God bless her, with the sincerest wishes ofÂher old friend and servant, John J.ÂAudubon, Boston, June 8, 1844." The recipient, Lydia E. E. Greene became a ProprietorÂofÂthe Boston Athenaeum in 1854.ÂÂAudubon spent only a few months living in Boston from 1832-1833, but the city made an impact on him; his wife Lucy wrote to Âa friend that the city â is a more interesting place than any I have seen in the United States, and where we met with a most cordial welcome and obtained eight subscribers to our work [TheÂBirdsÂofÂAmerica].â ÂAudubonÂexhibited sketchesÂofÂhisÂBirdsÂofÂAmerica at the Boston Athenaeum in August 1832. In very good condition with the plates exceptionally clean. Audubonâ s double-elephant folio editionÂofÂTheÂBirdsÂofÂAmericaÂ(1827-1838) established his reputation as the greatest ornithological artistÂofÂhis time. Though that edition was published in London to ensure the qualityÂofÂthe plates, he employed the Philadelphia firmÂofÂJ. T. Bowen to produce this more commercially viable edition under the close supervisionÂofÂhis sons. The original subscription price was $100, and its commercial success grantedÂAudubonÂfinancial security. To the original plate count included in the double-elephant folio edition, the octavo edition adds 65 new images for a totalÂofÂ500 plates, making it "the most extensive color plate book produced inÂAmerica up to that time" (Reese). "The most splendid book ever produced in relation to America, and certainly one of the finest ornithological works ever printedâ ¦ Audubon insisted on drawing from life, never from stuffed specimens, and was much in advance of his time in portraying the birds (in many cases unrecorded species) in their natural surroundingsâ ¦ The courage and faith of the Audubon family is breathtakingâ ¦ This immense undertaking, this unparalleled achievement, was not the production of a great and long-established publishing house, nor was it backed by a wealthy institution. It was the work of a man of relentless energy, with no private fortuneâ ¦ It is a story without equal in the whole history of publishingâ (Great Books and Book Collectors, 210-13). Nissen IVB 51; Reese 34; Sabin 2364Â.

Hardcover. Condizione: Very good. First. THE MAJ. GEN. A.A. HUMPHREYS COPY. AN EXTRAORDINARY SUBSCRIBER'S SET WITH ALL 100 PART-WRAPPERS BOUND IN. 7 volumes. Voll. I-V: New York: J.J. Audubon and Philadelphia: J.B. Chevalier, 1840-1841-1841-1842-1842; voll. VI-VII: New York and Philadelphia: J.J. Audubon, 1843-1844. First octavo edition. Royal octavo (10" x 6 3/8", 255mm x 162mm). With 500 hand-colored lithographed plates after Audubon by W. E. Hitchcock, R. Trembly et al., printed and colored by J. T Bowen. Bound by Bradstreet's (signed at the upper edge of the verso of the front free end-paper; late XIXc?; re-backed, with the original back-strips laid down) in contemporary half green crushed morocco over marbled boards. On the spine, five raised bands. Title gilt to the second panel, author gilt to the third, number gilt to the fourth and imprint gilt to the tail. Top edge of the text-block gilt. Marbled end-papers to match the boards. Re-backed, with the original back-strips laid down. Scuffed at the extremities, but altogether a solid set. Foxed mildly throughout, though mostly to the text. Damp-staining to the upper fore-corner of II.191-212 (pp. 113-128), not affecting the text. Part 28 rear wrapper (vol. II) with a repaired hole; scattered small splits and repairs to the remaining wrappers. First free end-papers of voll. 1, 2 and 6 detached. Ownership signature of A.A. Humphreys to many of the wrappers (sometimes obliterated). John James Audubon (1785-1851) was a larger-than-life figure; tall, wildly-dressed, bear fat as hair pomade. His project of illustrating the birds of America, which in its original double elephant folio format was issued in parts 1827-1838, electrified British and continental audiences, and it is from them that the subscriptions to sustain that Atlantean effort were drawn. Once his dominance of the field was established, Audubon could turn to the more natural audience for the subject: Americans. This is the only octavo edition Audubon himself issued, and it allowed him to establish his reputation with those who could not afford the folio edition. The octavo edition is, in a sense, the homecoming of the work. Audubon added 65 plates to the double elephant's 435, bringing the number to 500. Audubon's son John Woodhouse reduced the original plates using a camera lucida, separating out multi-species plates and in many cases recomposing the backgrounds. The original division of the Birds project as plates-only, with the Ornithological Biography issued as a quasi-separate work (in order to avoid copyright deposit requirements), has been cured, so to speak; Audubon's Synopsis of the Birds of America (1839) provided the framework for reorganizing and reintegrating text and image. The project was a success, attracting some 700 subscribers willing to pay $100 for the 100 parts (14 each in voll. I-VI, 16 in vol. VII) issued over five years. The present set is in many ways exceptional, not least for the preservation of the 100 parts' wrappers printed on blue, buff and grey paper (i.e., 200: front and back). The wrappers for the text and plates are bound continuously at the rear of their respective volumes. Rare Book Hub records copies with wrappers bound in coming to auction 12 times, usually incomplete. The present copy belonged to Major General Andrew Atkinson Humphreys (1810-1883), who eventually rose to be Chief Engineer of the United States Army; he is listed among the subscribers of Washington, D.C. Humphreys led his brigade at Antietam, Fredericksburg and, catastrophically, at Gettysburg. Acquired at the Sotheby's New York sale of John Golden (22 November 2022, lot 1). Mr. Golden, long a client of Arader's, has through his life worked in the field of printing. His collection, amassed over forty years, contains examples of finely printed works of natural history. Ayer/Zimmer, p. 22; Bennett, p. 5; Church 1352; McGill/Wood p. 208; Nissen, IVB 51; Reese, American Color Plates Books 34; Sabin 2364.

Hardcover. Condizione: Good. First octavo edition of John James Audubon's Seminal work. Audubon created 65 new images for the octavo edition of 1827-38; the original configurations were altered so that only on species is depicted per plate. The Octavo edition of Audubon's Birds was probably the greatest commercial success of any color plate book issued in the 19th century America. While Audubon had become internationally famous in the course of producing the double-elephant folio edition of the Birds in London between 1826 and 1839, it was the octavo version, issued at $100, which achieved widespread circulation and brought the work into the homes of many well-to-do Americans. The text is a revision of the ornithological Biography rearranged according to Audubon's "A Synopsis of the Birds of North America" 91839) Ayer/Zimmer p22; Bennett p5; Mcgill/Wood, p208; Nissen IVB 51; Sabin 2364; Stamped with National Character 34Seven Volumes, royal octavo (256 x 163mm). Subscribers' lists present in all volumes. 500 hand- colored lithographed plates after Audubon by W. E. Hitchcock, R. Trembly and others, printed and colored by J. T. Bowen, wood engraved anatomical diagrams in text (without half-titles,toned, some foxing chiefly to tissue guards and text but occasionally to plates, pl254 inverted, pl. 471 and pls. 486-490 bound out of order, with some nearby text pages also mis-ordered. 19th century green half morocco gilt, all edges gilt9rubbed vol I, V and VI with text blocks detaching, text blocks cracked in a few places with some leaves near ends working loose, S. H. Perkins inscribed in all volumes each dated 1885.Sold by Christie's of The private Collection of William S. Reese May 26, 2022.

7 volumes, 8vo (10 x 6 1/2 in.; 25.4 x 16.5 cm). 500 handcolored lithographed plates after Audubon by W. E. Hitchcock, R. Trembly, and others, printed and colored by J. T Bowen, numerous wood-engraved text illustrations (some full-page), half-titles and subscribers' lists, index in vol. 7; light toning to most plates, plate 141 (Ferruginous Mocking-Bird) browned, faint text offsetting to approximately 15 percent of the plates, offsetting from newspaper clipping affecting plate 108 (Bachman's Swamp Warbler) and text in vol. 2, tissue guards foxed throughout and lacking for plates 401-420, occasional foxing to text, chiefly marginal, title-page in vol. 7 browned and lacking half-title. Early full green morocco panelled gilt, spines in 5 compartments with raised ruled bands and lettered gilt, marbled endpapers; spine ends rubbed with nicks to bands and a clean tear to spine along the bottom of vol.2, a few nicks to spine of vol. 3. FIRST OCTAVO EDITION, ONCE OWNED BY ONE OF THE FIRST SUBSCRIBERS TO THE WORK. In a lengthy note on the flyleaf of volume 1, Mary Ann Tripp writes: "These books were presented|to me a New Years gift by my precious husband. I received the first| No. on the first day of the year that they were published, Jan. 1st 1840.|$1 per No. I Mary Ann Tripp | When they were bound, they cost just $100." Her husband, Lemuel C. Tripp, is listed as a subscriber from New Bedford, Massachusetts in volume 1. Tripp was the owner/agent of several whaling ships that plied the Pacific waters from 1829 through 1865. Job C. Tripp wrote of his relation in 1909 that he was "one of our leading citizens, director in the Fairhaven Bank and deacon of the Congregational church, and well to do. He told me that he never gave his note or hired a dollar in his life" ("The Old Men of Fairhaven," in the Old Dartmouth Historical Society Sketches, No.27, Proceedings of the Meeting of the Old Dartmouth Historical Society, Water Street, New Bedford, Massachusetts, 29 December 1909). After completing the double-elephant folio edition at great expense in England, Audubon returned to the United States and used the Philadelphia firm of Bowen to produce a more profitable octavo version under the supervision of his sons. The subscription price was $100, making it an expensive but appealing work for affluent individuals and well-endowed institutions. It enjoyed tremendous commercial success, with the initial offering attracting over 700 subscribers, and firmly established Audubon's reputation as the greatest ornithologist of his time. The octavo edition added 65 new images to the original plate count of the double-elephant folio. REFERENCES: Ayer/Zimmer, p. 22; Bennett, p. 5; McGill/Wood p. 208; Nissen IVB 51; Reese, American Color Plates Books 34; Sabin 2364; cf. Tyler, Audubon's Great National Work PROVENANCE: Mary Ann Tripp (lengthy note on flyleaf of vol. 1); Cornelius D. and Elizabeth C. Ehret of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (loosely inserted Invoice in vol. 1 from the Village Bookshop, Washington Square, New York, dated 20 January 1933 and bookplate in all 7 volumes); Sotheby's New York, Important Americana, 24 January 2014, lot 16 (L64B3D).

Hardcover. Condizione: Fine. 1st Edition. This is the first edition, seven volume set with 500 originally hand-colored lithographs of John James Audubon's Birds of America. It was published from 1840 to 1844 in New York and Philadelphia by E. G. Dorsey and J. B. Chevalier for J. J. Audubon. The work was completed under the direct supervision of J. J. Audubon. The lithography and hand-coloring were completed by J. T. Bowen. The set is bound in early 20th century half brown crushed levant gilt, top edges gilt. Tissue guards, half-titles, and subscriber lists present to each volume.Prints and thus this beautiful complete set in truly wonderful condition of Birds of America are amongst the most sought after and collectible of hand-colored American prints. The first edition was the only one to be completed using strictly hand-coloring.John James Audubon (1785-1851) is perhaps the most famous of early American naturalists. Birds of America is one of the best examples of hand-colored work in America and is highly collectible. --- The set is in overall very good to excellent condition. There may be some light offset or occasional fox marks to a few plates as is typical with Audubon birds. There is some minor scuffing, but the bindings sound. Please review the images carefully for condition and contact us with any further questions on the work. --- Paper Size ~ 6 1/4" by 10".

"AUDUBON, John James. The Birds of America from Drawings Made in the United States and Their Territories. New York: V. G. Audubon, 1856-57. Seven volumes. Royal octavo, publisher's full brown morocco, elaborately decorated in blind, raised bands, marbled endpapers, all edges gilt. $58,500.Second octavo edition, the first edition with fully colored backgrounds, containing 500 superb hand-colored plates.One of the most spectacular series of ornithological prints ever produced and a landmark attempt to document the birds of North America. Identical to the first octavo edition, printed in 1840-44, except that the prints have tinted lithographic-wash backgrounds. The royal octavo edition, which Audubon referred to as the "petit edition," contained new species of birds and plants not included in the folio edition, with the birds grouped in an orderly scientific manner. "His first objective was to observe birds in their native habitat, to see their behavior, their ways of standing, walking, flying, their feeding and nesting habits, seasonal plumage and all the rest. He traveled up and down the Mississippi and Ohio River areas, and up and down the Atlantic seaboard from Maine to Key West. He spent a winter near Charleston, South Carolina traveled to Labrador, Newfoundland, and Nova Scotia and Texas" (Gifts of Genius, 137). "The Birds of America exemplifies man's ability to accomplish an almost impossible task through sacrifice and persistence. Audubon set out to paint and publish an example of every bird on the North American continent He was the first artist-naturalist to illustrate American birds, life-size, in natural poses; the backgrounds, or habitats, are more natural looking than those of his predecessors" (Handbook of Audubon Prints, 17-18). "The most splendid book ever produced in relation to America, and certainly one of the finest ornithological works ever printed He insisted on drawing from life, never from stuffed specimens, and was much in advance of his time in portraying the birds (in many cases unrecorded species) in their natural surroundings The courage and faith of the Audubon family is breathtaking This immense undertaking, this unparalleled achievement, was not the production of a great and long-established publishing house, nor was it backed by a wealthy institution. It was the work of a man of relentless energy, with no private fortune, who supported himself by hack painting It is a story without equal in the whole history of publishing" (Great Books and Book Collectors, 210-13). Without half titles in last two volumes. Grolier 45. Nissen IVB 52. Anker 19. Sabin 2364. Bookplates, early gift inscriptions.Some foxing to text, as often; plates bright and lovely, with only occasional instances of very faint foxing. A few volumes with expert repairs to text blocks and inner hinges. A beautiful set.".

Hand-colored etching with aquatint and line-engraving by Robert Havell, Jr., after Audubon. Finely framed in bird's-eye maple frame with a museum-quality 8-ply white mat. Sheet: (25 5/8 x 39 1/8 inches). Framed: (35 x 46 5/8 inches). A truly spectacular triple portrait of these beautiful ducks with an important view of early nineteenth-century Baltimore in the background. The three birds gaze warily at the viewer: one male pauses, his neck extended as he takes a drink, the second male paddles slowly in the water to keep his position against the tide with his strong webbed feet, the female looks to find a safe place to enter the relative safety of the water. In the background, the shorefront of Baltimore is crowded with buildings, while numerous sailing vessels sit in the safehaven of Chesapeake Bay. "The range of this celebrated Duck may be considered as limited on the one hand by the mouths of the Mississippi, and on the other by the Hudson or North river. The flight of this species is strong, rapid, at times very elevated, and well sustained. It swims deeply, especially when under apprehension of danger, and this probably the better to enable it to escape by diving, at which it is almost as expert as our sea or diving Ducks. In the back ground is a view of Baltimore, which I have had great pleasure in introducing, on account of the hospitality which I have there experienced, and the generosity of its inhabitants, who, on the occasion of a quantity of my plates having been destroyed by the mob during an outburst of political feeling, indemnified me for the loss." [Audubon] "Traditionally, the canvasback has been regarded by the epicure sportsmen as the aristocrat of waterfowl, whose flesh on the table is second to none. Audubon did not agree with this evaluation, rating several other ducks as superior. The canvasback is a prairie duck in summer, but in winter one of its main resorts is the Chesapeake." [Peterson] Audubon, The Birds of America VI, pp.299-308. Bennett, p.5. Fries, Appendix A. Low, p.159. Nissen IVB, 51. Peterson, Audubon's Birds of America 68. Ripley 13. Sabin 2364. Tyler, Audubon's Great National Work, Appendix I. Wood, p.208. Zimmer, p.22.

Hand-colored etching with aquatint and line-engraving by Robert Havell, Jr., after Audubon. Paper watermarked "J. Whatman. 1837." Sheet: (25 1/2 x 38 1/8 inches). The White Heron from the first edition of Audubon's "The Birds of America." Audubon rightly calls the White Heron "truly elegant." He pictures a male in full breeding plumage in a habitat typical of the marshy Gulf Coast. The Heron emerges from the thick reed beds, stepping carefully between the mud chimneys of the crayfish, neck bent low to investigate a horned toad. Audubon wrote about witnessing the courtship display of this magnificent bird: "I had the pleasure of witnessing this sort of tournament or dress-ball from a place of concealment not more than a hundred yards distant. The males, in strutting round the females, swelled their throats, as Commorants do at times, emitted gurgling sounds, and raised their long plumes almost erect, paced majestically before the fair ones of their choice. These meetings took place about ten o'clock in the morning, or after they had all enjoyed a good breakfast, and continued until nearly three in the afternoon, when they flew off in search of food." [Audubon] The White Heron suffered greatly because of its plumage: "Prior to the nesting season this large, elegant white heron develops a bridal train of long white plumes." [Peterson] The demand for these plumes led it to the brink of extinction, but through the efforts of the National Audubon Society, it has made a spirited come-back, and has returned to all of its previous range. "Today the great egret nests north of the Mississippi Valley to Minnesota. There is a postbreeding dispersal during the summer months to the Great Lakes and southern Canada." [Peterson] Audubon, The Birds of America VI, pp.132-33. Low, A Guide to Audubon's Birds of America, p.195. Peterson, Audubon's Birds of America 34.

Hardcover. Condizione: Very Good. 3rd Edition. The Third Octavo Edition of Audubon's Masterpiece- The Birds of America, from Drawings made in the United States and their Territories. 7 vol., 500 hand-coloured lithograph plates after Audubon by W.E. Hitchock, R. Trembly and others re-issued by J. W. Audubon, tissue guards, wood-engraved anatomical diagrams, occasional light off-setting, plates clean and bright, publisher's original morocco binding, ornately blind-stamped. This third octavo edition differed most notably from the first octavo in the addition of tinted lithographic-wash backgrounds to the plates. 8vo, New York, Roe Lockwood & Son, 1861.

Hand-colored etching with aquatint and line-engraving by Robert Havell, Jr., after a watercolor from nature by Audubon. Sheet: (38 1/8 x 25 inches). The Great Horned Owl from the first edition of Audubon's "The Birds of America." "The flight of the Great Horned Owl is elevated, rapid, and graceful. It sails with apparent ease, and in large circles, in the manner of an eagle, rises and descends without the least difficulty, by merely inclining its wings or its tail, as it passes through the air. Now and then, it glides silently close over the earth, with incomparable velocity, and drops, as if shot dead, on the prey beneath. At other times, it suddenly alights on the top of a fence-stake or a dead stump, shakes its feathers, arranges them, and utters a shriek so horrid that the woods around echo to its dismal sound." - Audubon The nocturnal Great Horned Owl, named after the angular horn-like feather tufts on its head and known for its deep hoot and piercing yellow eyes, can be found year-round throughout the United States and Canada, as well as across Central and South America. The Great Horned Owl can adapt to diverse habitats, making it one of the most common owls in North America, and its diet is equally variable, as they consume a wide variety of prey, from frogs and falcons, to snakes and skunks. Low writes of Audubon's "Great Horned Owl" that the "painting and plate depict a female, upper left, and male, lower right, on dead lichen-covered branches. The male was painted separately, cut out, and pasted on the paper, and then the drawing was completed. 'Henderson, KY. Sept. 31, 1814' is written on the painting. The date may refer to the male." Audubon was born in Les Cayes, Haiti, on April 26, 1785. From 1788 to 1803 he lived in France until he was sent to the United States to manage an estate that his father bought in Valley Forge, Pennsylvania. Audubon returned to France in 1805, but his fascination with the United States had taken root and he returned again in May 1806. He married Lucy Bakewell in 1808 and together they struggled through a difficult financial period that was only resolved through Audubon's unshakable and justified belief in his own abilities, and the publication of his masterpiece The Birds of America, from which the present print comes, in 1827-1838. The Birds of America is the single greatest ornithological work ever produced. It is the realization of Audubon's dream of traveling throughout the United States recording, in their natural size, every native bird then known. The 435 double-elephant-folio plates, printed by the Havells of London, depict some 1,065 different species, the majority drawn from specimens that Audubon himself captured. This print is from the first edition. Low, A Guide to Audubon's Birds of America 64.

Hand-colored etching with aquatint and line-engraving by Robert Havell, Jr., after Audubon. Paper watermarked "J. Whatman/1837." Sheet: (24 7/8 x 37 1/4 inches). The Green Heron from the first edition of Audubon's "The Birds of America." A finely composed image with a strong upward diagonal movement from the unheeding juvenile bird as it darts its neck out to seize the Luna moth that has momentarily come to rest on the foliage of the marsh plant. Partially concealed under the foliage, an adult bird stalks past more warily. "Pools or bayous, and the margins of the most limpid streams, are alike resorted to by this species for the purpose of procuring food. It is little alarmed by the presence of man, and you may often see it close to houses on the mill-dams, or even raising its brood on the trees of gardens. This is often the case in the suburbs of Charleston, in South Carolina, where I have even seen several nests on the same live oak. The gentleness of this bird is truly remarkable, for it will at times allow you to approach within a few feet paces, looking as unconcernedly upon you as the House Sparrow is wont to do in the streets of London. The Green Herons feed all day long, but, I think, rarely at night. Their food consists of frogs, fishes, snails, tadpoles, water-lizards, crabs, and small quadrupeds, all of which they procure without much exertion. Their gait is light, but firm. During the love-season they exhibit many curious gestures, erecting all the feathers of their neck, swelling their throat, and uttering a rough guttural note like qua, qua, several times repeated by the male as he struts before the female. This note is also usually emitted when they are startled, but when fairly on wing they proceed in silence." [Audubon] "This small dark heron is the most generally distributed member of its family in the United States. At close range it reveals a rich chestnut neck and greenish-yellow or orange legs. In strong light its somewhat iridescent upper-parts may seem more blue than green. Whereas most other herons breed in colonies, the green heron tends to be a loner, usually nesting in the privacy of some thick grove or in an orchard, but there are places, particularly near the coast, where several pairs nest together in loose association." [Peterson] "On the 23d May, 1831, I found two nests of the Green Heron on one of the Florida Keys, close to some of Ardea rufescens and A. coerulea. Now and then a dozen or more of their nests are found on a bunch of vines in the middle of a pond, and placed within two or three feet of the water; while in other cases, they place their tenements on the highest branches of tall cypresses." [Audubon] Audubon, The Birds of America VI, pp.106-107. Low, A Guide to Audubon's Birds of America, pp.170-171. Peterson, Audubon's Birds of America 31.

Bi-folded folio. 4 pp. (9 1/2 x 7 3/4 inches). Integral address panel with St. Augustine postal stamp. "Should I live long enough to deserve her applause I shall die happy." A remarkable signed manuscript letter from John James Audubon, which addresses in detail the publication of his landmark work "The Birds of America." Audubon may have deemed the Florida landscape "poor beyond any idea that can be given in a common letter," but in the present correspondence he also reports his discovery of a new species of Ibis, which he proposes to name Fantatus Fuscus. Additionally, he records "3 diferrent [sic] Species of Heaths," and notes his "curious observation" of warblers, "moving easterwards every warm day and returning every cold one." He also outlines his plans to travel up the St. John River aboard the US Navy schooner, the Spark. Ever focused on the project at hand, Audubon discusses the prospect of government assistance for his work, including the possibility of Congress subscribing for 50 copies of The Birds of America: "What do you think of such a plan and how could it be brought to bear on the hearts of the Backwoodsman or on the Arts of the Metropolitans?" In conveying this possibility to Harlan, Audubon's excitement over the increasing patronage of the United States of the sciences in general, and of himself in particular, is unmistakable: "I am prouder of my country than ever." Audubon's tone in this letter may not be quite as artless as it seems, since in a letter of January 4, 1832, to his wife, he describes his correspondence from Florida with Harlan and others as "Long accounts on my Peregrinations here abouts for Publication - and thou wilt see in the Papers more of my progress than through my letters I dare say." Audubon's expedition to Florida, projected as "my last Journey after Birds in North America," lasted from November 1831 until June 1832. Richard Harlan, a physician and naturalist of Philadelphia, had been a close friend and frequent correspondent of Audubon's since 1824. Harlan was a subscriber to The Birds of America.

Seventh and final edition. Octavo (29 cm); two works in 11 volumes, comprising The Birds of America in 8 volumes and The Quadrupeds of North America in 3 volumes. Collated complete (collation upon request) with 500 tinted and hand-colored lithographic plates of birds and 155 of mammals by W. E. Hitchcock and R. Trembly after Audubon, printed and hand finished by J.T. Bowen. Uniformly bound as issued in black half morocco over green marbled boards, with gilt edging where leather and paper meet. Spines in six compartments, with arabesque lozenges and corners in gilt, along with titles and volume numbers. Top edges gilt. Binding has been reinforced to functional condition, with all joints strengthened with Japanese paper repairs, corners and edges rebuilt where necessary, along with spine ends; some gaps in gilding on spines and labels. Bindings are presentable. Interior remarkably fresh and clean, without spots or blemishes. Paper stock understandably toned slightly, but the extraordinary plates are unmarred. References: Ayer/Zimmer pp.25-26; Nissen IVB 52; Wood p. 209. Shortly after this edition of Audubon's Birds and Quadrupeds was published, the original lithographic stones fell through the floor of the burning building where they were stored and smashed to pieces. This Lockwood edition, therefore, is the last that was printed from the octavo-format stones made using camera lucida technology in the 1840s and 1850s. In many cases, backgrounds showing the appropriate landscape for the illustrated bird or mammal were filled in. (These were planned but with few exceptions missing from the original editions.) A fine set in a working binding. Very good condition in good binding.

Hardcover. Condizione: Fine. No Jacket. 2nd Edition. Six volumes (1 through 6) of seven. Second octavo edition. Tall octavos. Size of bindings: 6 3/4 in. x 10 1/2 in., illustrated with 420 hand-colored lithographic plates of birds, with colored backgrounds, with tissue guards (420 of 500). Olive green morocco leather (which has faded to brown) spine, sides and corner-pieces, with marbled-paper over boards, and matching marbled endpapers; bound by Ringer for A. C. McClurg & Co., with its stamp on the endpapers; featuring five raised bands on the spine with gilt titling; top-edges gilt. The cover corners show light wear, some scattered spotting to some text pages, some light, age-related tanning to a few of the plate margins. With the bookplates of Cleveland, Ohio-based book collector, William G. Mather (1857-1951) on the front marbled paste-downs. The coloring is quite bright and delicate, and very effective on the pastel colored backgrounds.

Hardcover. Condizione: Very Good. First edition of the separately-issued text for the elephant folio Birds of America. Edinburgh & London: Printed by Neill & Co. (Edinburgh) for Adam & Charles Black (Edinburgh) and R. Havell Jun., and Longman, Rees, Brown and Green (London), and various others, 1831-1834-1835-1838-"1849" [i.e.1839]. 5 volumes, large 8vo. (10 1/2 x 6 1/4 inches). Complete in five volumes. Vol I, Introductory Address and Table of Contents, xxiv, pp,506, index 507-512. Under the Special Patronage of Her Most Excellent Majesty, Queen Adelaide, Prospectus, Contents of Vol I of the Birds of America, Extracts from Reviews, Names of Subscribers. Vol II, 1834, Introduction, Table of Contents, XXXII(with a small hole on page 579, last page of table of contents, before the last paragraph, not affecting text), Subscribers to "The Birds of America", Index, pp.588. Vol III, 1635, Introduction, Table of Contents, XVI, Subscribers, Index, pp.638. Vol IV, 1838, Introduction, Table of Contents, xviii, Subscribers Index, pp.618. Vol V, 1839, Introduction, Table of Contents, List of engravings on Wood, xxxix, Subscribers, Index, pp.664. All Volumes Bound in Attractive Calf, Half Leather, with Marbled Paper Boards, Raised Bands, with Six Compartments, Maroon and Black Spine Labels with Gilt Lettering. Exterior Very Good. Interior has occasional to moderate foxing moreso to end pages of text in each volume, two pages in middle of text in volume I are slightly proud of the text block. Illustrated with engravings throughout. Rather attractive bookplate of previous owner on front pastedown of each volume. A handsome, presentable set.Please note: Oversized books/sets MAY require additional postage then what is quoted for 2.2lb book.

No Binding. Condizione: Fine. 1st Edition. AUDUBON, John James, engraved by Robert Havell (1793-1878) White Crowned Pigeon, Columba Leucocephala (Plate CLXXVII). Hand coloured aquatint, from original Double Elephant Folio Edition of Birds of America. London 1833 42 x 33 in. (106 x 83 cm.) overall.

Hand-colored etching with aquatint and line-engraving by Robert Havell, Jr., after a watercolor from nature by Audubon. Paper watermarked "J. Whatman 1836." Sheet: (39 3/4 x 26 1/8 inches). The controversial Bird of Washington from the first edition of Audubon's "The Birds of America." This is the first plate engraved by Havell, and the first new species described by Audubon in his career. "The Bird of Washington" is based on an Audubon watercolor executed in 1822 in New Orleans, which is now at the New-York Historical Society. Commonly believed to be a majestic but misidentified portrait of a juvenile Bald Eagle, it has now been convincingly argued by Maruna in an article entitled "Substantiating Audubon's Washington Eagle" that the Bird of Washington was indeed a third species of North American eagle, larger than both the Bald and Golden Eagles, that went extinct or was extripated from all but the most remote regions. This is a fine copy of the Havell issue of this magnificent bird portrait. Audubon saw examples of this large species of sea eagle four times according to his writings, and procured the specimen portrayed himself. Understandably enthusiastic about this rare find, and because he was a fervent patriot, he decided to celebrate the United States and George Washington by naming this noble, independent bird in his honor. There were, however, few subsequent, authoritative sightings. As the Bald Eagle became recognized as the national bird, Audubon's Washington Eagle came to be considered a misidentification and a mistake. This view was aided by professional ornithologists at the time who wished to take Audubon down a few pegs, and who, never having seen one, assumed it could not exist. A standard take on this issue is represented by Halley: "Evidence suggests that the Bird of Washington was an elaborate lie that Audubon concocted to convince members of the English nobility who were sympathetic to American affairs, to subscribe to and promote his work. Audubon rode his Bird of Washington to widespread fame and then actively maintained the ruse for more than 20 years, until his death, fuelling decades of confusion among scientists and the general public." That was the prevailing view of commentators until the recent assertion that the Bird of Washington could have been an unnamed species of sea eagle that has since disappeared. Audubon was familiar with Bald Eagles in all their stages of development, and was unlikely to have confused an immature Bald Eagle with this larger, differently colored bird. And he saw several specimens of the Washington Eagle: male; female; and young, including the one portrayed here, who was examined anatomically. His bold assertion deserves more respect than it has received. Audubon's confidence in his Bird of Washington find is demonstrated by the fact that he issued this print as Plate XI, near the beginning of The Birds of America, in just its third issued fascicle, where it would receive its proper admiration or, failing that, much critical attention. Given the slurry of written accounts of sightings, as well as public accusations of fraudulence, this print has the most convoluted history of all of Audubon's works. Therefore, it is one of the most historically intriguing of Audubon's pieces due to the rich interdisciplinary literature concerning the print and the bird's existence. All of which makes this genuinely impressive picture much more desirable. Halley, "Audubon's Bird of Washington: Unravelling the Fraud that Launched The Birds of America," Bioone, 06.22.20. Low, A Guide to Audubon's Birds of America, p.35 (second of two variants). Maruna, "Substantiating Audubon's Washington Eagle," Biofort, 10.14.06. Peterson, Audubon's Birds of America, passim.

Hand-colored etching with aquatint and line-engraving by Robert Havell, Jr., after a watercolor from nature by Audubon. Paper watermarked "J. Whatman 1836." Sheet: (25 7/8 x 39 1/4 inches). The Long-Tailed Duck from the first edition of Audubon's "The Birds of America." A fine image contrasting the indolence of two drakes (one in summer and one in winter plumage) as they bask contentedly on the rocks, with the industry of the female Oldsquaw, diligently scouring the water surface for food, as her three young hurry along beside her, anxious not to stray too far from the protection she affords. One drake goes no further then opening an eye to watch the passing scene, the second raises himself from the basking position, and turns his head for a better view. "Owing to their reiterated cries these birds are named 'Noisy Ducks,' but they have various appellations, among others those of 'Old Wives,' and 'Old Squaws.' Although like all sea-ducks, 'Old Wife' swims deeply, it moves with a grace and celerity, which, if not superior to those of any of its tribe, are at least equal; and when the weather is rough, and the waters agitated, it raises its tail in the same manner as the Ruddy Duck and Pintail. When advancing in smooth water, its speed is such as to cause a considerable swell before it, such as sea-faring persons usually call a 'bone.' Like all others of its tribe, it also prefers swimming against both wind and tide, as then it can sooner take wing if necessary. In calm and pleasant weather it is fond of throwing its body almost over, and of pluming itself in that position." [Audubon] "'Long-tailed Duck,' the name applied in England to this smart looking sea duck, was the name Audubon used. Oldsquaw, the colorful North American name, derived from local lore, refers to the bird's talkative habits. Another phonetically derived name for it was 'south-southerly.' Oldsquaws are circumpolar, ranging throughout the arctic and sub-arctic regions of both the New World and the Old, resorting to tundra ponds to raise their families. In winter, except for the Great Lakes, they seem to prefer the salt water of the Atlantic and Pacific. They are easily recognized, in flight over the sea, by their white bodies and totally dark wings, the only ducks so patterned." [Peterson] Audubon, Birds of America, Vol.VI, p.381. Low, A Guide to Audubon's Birds of America, p.163. Peterson, Audubon's Birds of America, 73.

Print. Hand-colored etching with aquatint and line-engraving by Robert Havell, Jr., after a watercolor from nature by Audubon. On paper watermarked "J. Whatman 1837." Sheet: (25 x 37 5/8 inches). The Cock of the Plains from the first edition of Audubon's "The Birds of America." One of Audubon's great images: the male sage grouse is pictured amid its extraordinary mating dance while a female looks on quietly, apparently uninterested in the highly stylized posturings of her would-be mate. "Although the Cock of the Plains has long been known to exist within the limits of the United States, the rugged and desolate nature of the regions inhabited by it has hitherto limited our knowledge of its habits to the cursory observations made by a few intrepid travelers. Two of these travelers, my friends, Mr. [J. K.] Townsend and Mr. [T.] Nuttall, have favored me with the following particulars: This bird is only found on plains which produce the worm-wood (Artemesia), on which it feeds. It is very unsuspicious, and easily approached, rarely flies unless hard-pressed, runs before you at the distance of a few feet, clucking like a common hen, often runs under the horses of travelers when disturbed, rises very clumsily, but when once started, flies with rapidity to a great distance." [Audubon] "This, the largest grouse of North America, was called the 'pheasant-tailed grouse' or 'cock of the plains' by Audubon, who in his travels on the upper Missouri did not quite reach the western country where it is found. The sage grouse is noted for its extraordinary dance. The dance in an arena amongst the open bush is a communal affair. A number of males, each one well-spaced, dance with their spiky tails spread and their yellow neck sacs inflated. Originally the sage grouse was found in fifteen of the western states, wherever sagebrush flourished. Overgrazing and drought in the 1930s nearly brought the sage grouse to the status of an endangered species. The survivors started to recover by the 1950s, and today the sage brush population has an estimated total population of 1,500,000 birds." [Peterson] Audubon, The Birds of America, Vol. V, pp.106-7. Low, A Guide to Audubon's Birds of America, p.189. Peterson, Audubon's Birds of America 126.

Hardcover. Condizione: Very Good. No Jacket. Large 8vo, contemporary full brown morocco, some minor rubbing, gilt tooled turn-ins. All Edges Gilt. With 500 hand-colored, tinted lithographed plates. This, the ultimate Lockwood edition, its lithograph stones having fallen through the floor of a burning building, entirely breaking upon impact. See Reese, STAMPED WITH A NATIONAL CHARACTER #35. Wood, page 209. Clean and bright. A Very Good set.

Five volumes. A few in-text illustrations. Half title in each volume. Large, thick octavos. Modern buckram, printed paper labels. Bookplate on front pastedowns. Contemporary ownership inscription on titlepage. Some light foxing, primarily to first and last few leaves. Tear in half title of second volume, repaired with tape. Very good. This is Audubon's text, designed to accompany the elephant folio edition of THE BIRDS OF AMERICA, giving sketches of the birds described therein. Of great interest are Audubon's accounts of his travels and adventures in the American hinterland, scattered through the volumes as part of the bird descriptions and as separate anecdotes. Includes accounts of his experiences in the Florida Keys, along the Mississippi, and in Louisiana and Kentucky in the 1820s and '30s. Audubon published the text separately from the double elephant folio plates in order to avoid a stricture of the British Copyright Act of 1709 which would have required him to deposit a set of the plates with each of nine depository libraries in the United Kingdom. The publication date on the titlepage of the fifth volume is incorrectly printed as "1849." One of the classic texts of American natural history and travel. HOWES A389, "aa." MEISEL III, p.406. SABIN 2366. CLARK II:179 (ref). SERVIES 1532, 1677, 1743, 2120, 2302.

No Binding. Condizione: Fine. AUDUBON, JOHN. (1785-1851). Ornithologist, naturalist, and artist. Scarce Autograph Letter Signed, ''John J. Audubon.'' Very full page, quarto. February 4, 1842. To EDWARD HARRIS [(1799 1863) farmer, horse breeder, philanthropist, naturalist, and ornithologist who accompanied Audubon on two of his expeditions to observe the birds and mammals of North America]. Audubon writes: ''My dear Friend, You have not made your appearance in this glorious city, as we all justly anticipated about two weeks ago. However you have not come, and therefore I take the liberty to address you again to ask of you what I am to do with the skins sent for you by young Hoppenthall[?], and that are still unopened and more I wish you to be so good to let me know what the price of under-drawing-tiles is at Philadelphia and where they can be procured etc and what manner it is best for us to have these laid drawing Jobrey[?] who had the management of our Country Seat affairs, says that they can be made here at the ''Salamander'' works! But are little to know the value of these tiles so that we may not pay more than they may be actually worth. Since my last to you I have been both sick and again very busy. I have made a good number of drawings that you have not seen and that I have to show to you. When will you be here? In this Bank-braking time, I have alas no good news to transmit to you, but should like very much to see you and have a good long talk with you. We are all pretty well, and our House in the Country (as we call it) will be finished by the middle of April when we get ready to begin to remove our effects from 86 White Street. I long to show you this Hobby of ours! With kind regards to Doc Spencer and young Wilkes from all here to you, believe me always. Your sincere friend, John J. Audubon''. Just a superb letter, at the height of Audubon s creative period, written to a personage of some importance in the achievement of that notoriety. Combine this with the reference of receiving skins [specimens] along with good insight to the plate production [as the tiles reference is a method of printing on multiple pages to make one large image, via cut and paste], and it would be very hard to find a better Audubon letter. EDWARD HARRIS (1799 1863) was a farmer, horse breeder, philanthropist, naturalist, and ornithologist who accompanied John James Audubon on two of his expeditions to observe the birds and mammals of America; Harris was commemorated by Audubon in the common names of the Harris's hawk, the Harris's sparrow, and the Harris's antelope squirrel.

No Binding. Condizione: Fine. 1st Edition. AUDUBON, John James, engraved by Robert Havell (1793-1878) Cat Bird, Turdus Felivox (Plate CXXVIII). Hand coloured aquatint, from original Double Elephant Folio Edition of Birds of America, framed. London 1833 42 x 33 in. (106 x 83 cm.) overall.

Print. Hand-colored etching with aquatint and line-engraving by Robert Havell, Jr., after a watercolor from nature by Audubon. Paper watermarked "J. Whatman 1836." Sheet: (25 x 38 inches). The Harlequin Duck from the first edition of Audubon's "The Birds of America." "I have the pleasure of presenting you with three figures of the Harlequin Duck, one a male in all the perfection of its spring plumage, the bird having attained complete maturity, another male two years old, and an adult female shot in the pairing season. No figures of the adult male or of the female have, I believe, hitherto been published." - Audubon The drawings for "Harlequin Duck" (Histrionicus histrionicus) were done by Audubon and his son, John Woodhouse Audubon, near Eastport, Maine. The two ducks on the right of the image (2. Female, on top, and 3. Young Male, Third Year) were drawn by the younger Audubon and the Old Male on the left was drawn by the elder. The Harlequin Duck is aptly named both because of its multi-colored feathers but also for its surprising and unusual ways, like the clownish and mischievous Harlequin of the Commedia dell' Arte. In fact, the root of its Latin name, "histrio," means "actor." It is the only duck categorized under its genus, and no subspecies are recognized. Its love of the turbulent waters around Maine, Nova Scotia, and Labrador is an example of a characteristic not typical of ducks. They are also found in the northwest and northeast of the United States and occasionally in the Great Lakes, but they also call Greenland, Iceland, and eastern Russia home. Audubon, The Birds of America, Vols. VII and VIII, p.85. Low, A Guide to Audubon's "Birds of America," passim. Peterson, Audubon's Birds of America, passim.

Hardcover. Condizione: Very Good. New York: George R. Lockwood and Son, [1870-1871]. 8 volumes in 4. Octavo (10 1/2 x 7 3/4 , 265mm x 185mm). Bound in later half brown Morocco over cloth covered boards. On the spine, 4 raised bands with gilt lettering and a bird. This is the complete text to the rare final octavo edition of Audubon s Birds of America bound without plates. Extremities and hinges rubbed. Marbled endpapers. Some tanning throughout. Ron Tyler, in Audubon s Great National Work, quotes a letter by the publisher s son, Richard B. Lockwood, noting that some time after 1870 the lithographed octavo plates were destroyed when they fell through the floors in a Philadelphia building. The date of the disaster at the Lockwood firm suggests that this final octavo edition was produced in 1871. John James Audubon (1785-1851) was a French-American artist, naturalist and ornithologist. He pursued extensive studies documenting all types of American birds. His Birds of America is considered one of the finest works of ornithology ever completed. It established him as a great scientist with his careful, detailed research, as well as a talented artist. The octavo Birds of America was originally issued in 100 parts, each containing five plates executed by the Philadelphia lithographer, J.T. Bowen. Changes in subscribers and increased press runs created numerous states of plates as they were reprinted. Ron Tyler lays out the whole story of the book s production, with detailed information about every aspect of the project. He describes the difficulties of book production and marketing that illustrates the world of color printing in mid-19th-century America. Tyler, Audubon's Great National Work, pp. 129, 165 note 10; Nissen IVB 51; Sabin 2364.

4 Volumes. Folio. (14 3/4 x 11 1/4 inches). First edition, first issue. 27 total hand-colored copper engravings by Alexander Lawson after John James Audubon (1), Titian R. Peale (11), and Alexander Rider (15). Vol. I: vi [vii] [1]-105. 112 pp. 9 hand-colored copper engravings. Vol. II: [i-x] [1]-95 [1]. 106 pp. 6 hand-colored copper engravings. Vol. III: [4] [1]-60. 64 pp. 6 hand-colored copper engravings. Vol. IV: [4] [1]-142. 146 pp. 6 hand-colored copper engravings. Contemporary red straight-grain half morocco over red and brown marbled boards with rolled gilt-tooling uniform across set, spine ruled gilt in five compartments with title gilt-lettered in second and volume numbered in fourth, with gilt foliate printer's device in rest. Third volume with all edges sprinkled green First edition, first issue of this landmark American ornithological work authored by Napoleon's nephew, containing the first book appearance of any engraving after John James Audubon and 26 other beautifully hand-colored copper engravings. Bonaparte's important continuation of Wilson's American Ornithology describes sixty birds not in the original work including the Wild Turkey, the Burrowing Owl, and the Zenaida Dove, named after his wife Princess Zénaïde Bonaparte. "A love for the same department of natural science, and a desire to complete the vast enterprise so far advanced by Wilson's labors, has induced us to undertake the present work," Bonaparte writes in the preface, "in order to illustrate what premature death prevented him from accomplishing, as well as the discoveries subsequently made in the feathered tribes of these States." In Frank L. Burns's 1909 article on the completion of American Ornithology, he writes, "The work which had been performed by Wilson's hands alone now gave employment to several individuals. Titian R., the fourth son of Charles Wilson Peale, not only collected many of the birds figured while on the Long expedition, which were credited to Thomas Say, who originally described them in footnotes scattered through the report; or in a subsequent private trip to Florida during the winter and spring of 1825, under the patronage of Bonaparte; but also drew the figures engraved for the first, and two plates for the fourth and last volume. A German emigrant by the name of Alexander Rider, of whom little is known beyond that he was a miniature painter in 1813, and a portrait and historical painter in 1818, was responsible for the remainder of the drawings with the exception of the two figures of plate 4 of Volume I." That exceptional plate, The Great Crow Blackbird, is notable for being the first book appearance of any engraving after John James Audubon. Perhaps the most influential artist involved with the work at that time, however, was Bonaparte's master engraver Alexander Lawson, arguably then the most talented ornithological engraver in America. Three issues of the first edition of Wilson's continuation have been identified. This set is comprised of the rare first issue of Volume I with the Mitchell imprint and containing the first issue of Plate 6 in that volume, with the Latin name given as Pyrrhula Erythrina following Ellis/Mengel. Volumes II-IV are also first issues published first by Carey, Lea and Carey, and then by Carey and Lea, and all were printed by William Brown. Carey and Lea later reissued the first volume, with their own imprint, after purchasing the rights to the publication from Mitchell in 1828. The third issue includes volumes reprinted by T. K. and P. G. Collins - with their imprint replacing that of William Brown - for Carey and Lea with unchanged dates on the titles, but it was actually printed in 1835 after the completion of the final volume. Anker 47. Bennett 16. Burns, "Alexander Wilson" in The Wilson Bulletin, Vol. XXI, No.4 (December, 1909), pp.176-77. Coues 1:609. Ellis/Mengel 312a-b. Nissen IVB 116. Rhoads, "Note on Bonaparte's Continuation of American Ornithology," in The Auk, (April, 1923), p. 341-2. Sabin 6264. Sitwell, Fine Bird Books, p.78. Wood 247. Zimmer p.64.

Unbound. Condizione: Fine. Plate 414 from the first edition of the double elephant folio of Audubon's *Birds of America*. Matted to preserve all margins with image area 13.25" x 20.5", framed to 28.75" x 41". Fine. Image of two Golden Wing Warblers and two Cape May Warblers, convivially perched on the branches of a tree.

Hardcover. First Edition Thus; Collector's Edition. Book condition is Near Fine, bound in full, genuine leather with gilt accents, 22kt gold page edges and a hubbed spine. Smyth sewn, interior vaunts moire end papers, acid-neutral paper (won't yellow or become brittle over time) and silk ribbon page marker. Text is clean and unmarked, still in factory shrink-wrap. This exclusive Deluxe Limited Edition reproduces the complete "Birds of America," the legendary masterpiece in the 1844 octavo edition - all the descriptions, all 500 full-color plates. One of the finest ornithological works ever created. Large 8vo 9" - 10" tall.

Vols 1-3 (of 5), large 8vo. (9 3/4 x 6 inches). Half-titles. Numerous woodcut text illustrations. Prospectus for the Birds of America bound into rear of vol. 1. Bound to style in half calf and period cloth covered boards, spines ruled in blind, black morocco lettering pieces. First edition of the first three volumes of the separately-issued text for the elephant folio Birds of America, complete with the rare Prospectus. The genesis of the present work is interesting: as early as November 1826, Audubon had begun thinking about the text which should accompany his engraved illustrations of birds. He noted in his journal: "I shall publish the letterpress in a separate book, at the same time with the illustrations and shall accompany the descriptions of the birds with many anecdotes and accounts of localities connected with the birds themselves ." (M.R. Audubon Audubon and his journals 1897, vol.I, p.163). Audubon had taken the decision to publish the letterpress separately (and give it free to the subscribers to the plate volumes) because, according to British copyright law, had the letterpress accompanied the engravings, Audubon would have been obliged to deposit a copy of the work in each of the nine copyright libraries in the United Kingdom. This would have placed a strain on the economics of the production of the book. Work on the text did not begin in earnest until the end of 1830, just as Havell was nearing the completion of the engraving of the first 100 drawings. Between 1831 and 1837 Audubon and his family made three trips to America. Audubon was back in London between 1837 and 1839, where he completed the descriptions of the last two volumes of the Ornithological Biography. On 20 November 1838, Audubon wrote to Bachman: "My fourth Vol. is finished and in 10 days I will have 200 copies of it at London where I hope you will be and receive several Copies to take over with you, for yourselves and others as then directed" (quoted by Fries, p. 111). This set with the separately-issued prospectus and list of subscribers for the elephant folio edition, bound into the rear of volume one. Ayer 20; Ellis 96 & 100; Waldemar H. FriesThe Double Elephant Folio The Story of Audubon's Birds of America (Chicago, 1973) pp.20, 21, [etc.]; Yale/Ripley 13; Zimmer 20.

Colour-printed lithograph, on fine hand-made paper. Excellent condition. Image size: 25 x 19 inches. Sheet size: 26 3/4 x 39 7/8 inches (approx). [Pl. 242]. In October 1971, employing the most faithful printing method available, the best materials and the ablest craftsmen of their age, the Amsterdam firm of Theatrum Orbis Terrarum Ltd., in conjunction with the Johnson Reprint Corporation of New York, set out to produce the finest possible limited edition facsimile of the greatest bird book ever printed: the Havell edition of John James Audubon's well-loved "Birds of America". The Curators of the Teyler's Museum in Haarlem, Holland made their copy of the original work available for use as a model. The Museum, founded in 1778, bought their copy through Audubon's son as part of the original subscription in 1839. After long deliberation, the extremely complex but highly accurate process of colour photo-lithography was chosen as the appropriate printing method. The best exponents of this art were the renowned Dutch printing firm of NV Fotolitho Inrichting Drommel at Zandvoort who were willing to undertake the task of printing each plate in up to eight different colours. The original Havell edition was published on hand-made rag paper and the publishers were determined that the paper of their edition should match the original. Unhappy with the commercially available papers, they turned to the traditional paper manufacturers G. Schut & Zonen (founded in 1625), who, using 100% unbleached cotton rags, were able to produce a wove paper of the highest quality, with each sheet bearing a watermark unique to the edition: G. Schut & Zonen [JR monogram] Audubon [OT monogram]. The publishers and their dedicated team completed their task late in 1972 and the results of these labours were affectionately known as the "Amsterdam Audubon." 250 copies were published and sold by subscription, with the plates available bound or unbound. Given all this careful preparation, it is not surprising that the prints have the look and feel of the original Havell edition. John James Audubon was born in Les Cayes, Haiti on 26 April 1785. From 1788 to 1803 he lived in France until he was sent to the United States to manage an estate that his father had bought in Pennsylvania. He returned to France in 1805, but his fascination with the United States had taken root and he returned again in May 1806. He married Lucy Bakewell in 1808 and together they embarked on a difficult period financially that was only to be resolved, through Audubon's unshakable and justified belief in his own abilities, with the publication of his masterpiece in 1827-1838. "The Birds of America" is the single greatest ornithological work ever produced and is the realization of Audubon's dream of traveling throughout the United States recording, natural size, every native bird then known. The 435 double-elephant folio sized plates, printed by the Havells of London, depict some 1,065 different species, the majority drawn from specimens that Audubon himself had captured. The Havell edition was expensive at the time of publication and this has not changed. A complete copy sold for a staggering $11,400,000 in a sale in London in December 2010. Currently, the increasingly rare individual plates from the Havell edition, when they do appear, generally sell for between $5,000 and $350,000 depending on the image. The quality of the Amsterdam Audubon plates is apparent to any discerning collector and it is becoming ever clearer that they offer the most attractive alternative to the Havell edition plates, given the latter's spiraling prices. Cf. Zimmer, p. 22; cf. Bennett, p. 5; cf. Fries, Appendix A; cf. Wood, p. 208; cf. Nissen IVB 51; cf. Sabin 2364; cf. Ripley 13; cf. Tyler, Audubon's Great National Work, 1993, Appendix I.