Birds of america is his seminal work, the one against which such contemporary bird artists as roger tory peterson and david sibley are measured. Often cited as the most expensive book of all time, there are still 120 known intact copies of john james audubon s the birds of america which was published between 1827 and 1838. Audubon s birds of america baby elephant folio peterson hardcover book 1981. Audubon print prices, audubon price guides, and price. John james audubon, an early american naturalist and painter, produced one of the greatest works of natural history and art of the nineteenth century, the birds of america. The hardcover book is in very good condition, free from rips, tears, bend, and writing. By restoring habitat from the headwaters of the mississippi to the louisiana delta, audubon is protecting birds yearround. The lifes work of both a lover and observer of birds and nature.
On june 14, one of the worlds most expensive books, john james audubon s doubleelephant folio of the birds of america, will go to auction in new york city. It was first published as a series in sections between 1827 and 1838, in edinburgh and london. Audubons birds of america coloring book by john james. The mississippi flyway is named for the great river underpinning the migration route followed by 60 percent of north america s birds, including the american white pelicans, least terns, and prothonotary warblers. Stolen audubon birds book returned to peabody library. This sparkling tiny folio edition of audubon s birds of america displays all 435 of audubon s handcolored engravings, graced with an illuminating introduction by roger tory peterson that places audubon in his ornithological and art historical context. New listing audubon s birds of america baby elephant folio peterson hardcover book 1981. The publishers of which i am aware include welcome rain, laurel glen, and wordsworth. Audubon s birds of america coloring book by john james audubon and a great selection of related books, art and collectibles available now at. Not all of the specimens illustrated in the work were collected by audubon himself, some were sent to him by john kirk townsend. And audubon s second book, ornithological biography, which was intended to be a companion to the birds of america, would inspire the founding of the national audubon society, one of the world. Audubon s birds of america large book john james audubon 500 plates. Audbon birds of america 1994 deluxe diary by na and a great selection of related books, art and collectibles available now at. Do not confuse this book with other books reproducing audubon s birds of america with the same or similar title.
I checked out this book from my library, hoping it had the full collection of birds from audubon s birds of america, but alas the copy by library had only featured 30 color prints from the original book, with a catalog of the remaining 470 prints printed in blackandwhite thumbnails in the back of the book. As part of my research for the lost bird project, i was graciously given access to the audubon double folio housed in the rare books library at cornell university. The full collection of audubon s bird paintings beautifully reproduced. Get the best deals on audubon birds of america when you shop the largest online selection at. Birds of america by audubon, first edition abebooks. Audubon s warbler, hermit warbler, blackthroated gray warbler. Born in haiti in 1785, he spent much of his life travelling north america observing, catching and drawing birds and animals in remarkable detail. John james audubon was a naturalist and painter and is considered one of the greatest bird artists of all time. John james audubon s birds of america holds the record as the worlds most expensive book. My images of audubon is a very popular cdrom that contains all 500 images of the audubon 1st octavo edition of birds of america, along with audubon s original text for each bird.
The audubon society baby elephant folio of audubon s birds of america. The audubon society baby elephant folio differs in a number of ways besides its dimensions from earlier editions of the birds of america and from john james audubon s original, massive doubleelephant folio, the heaviest volume of which weighs 56 pounds. The book has been hand signed by both authors in red marking pen on the front special edition end page. Do not confuse this book with other books reproducing audubon s birds of america. April 26, 1785 january 27, 1851 was an american ornithologist, naturalist, and painter. A copy of the worlds most expensive book, john james audubon s 19thcentury masterpiece birds of america, is set for auction later this month and is. Audubon s birds of america 1981 the audubon society baby elephant folio book. All audubon s brilliant bird engravings come alive in one complete package.
Including the redwinged blackbird, painted bunting, wood duck, great blue heron, rubythroated hummingbird, purple finch, and blue jay, 46 different species of birds from all parts of the united states are included in this book. In the 19th century it was the usual practice for bird illustrators to work exclusively from preserved specimens, but audubon found this less than ideal. Not all of the specimens illustrated in the work were collected by audubon himself, some were sent to him by john kirk townsend who had collected them. Audubons birds of america 0896592537 by roger tory. John james audubon crossword puzzle use information from the article john james audubon to solve the puzzle. Issued with the full endorsement and cooperation of the.
John james audubon s birds of america is a portal into the natural world. Worlds most expensive book, birds of america, set to. Printed between 1827 and 1838, it contains 435 lifesize watercolors of north american birds havell edition, all reproduced from handengraved plates, and is considered to be the archetype of wildlife illustration. Used good cover shows mild use wear with a few scuffs to sheen has a small amount of foxing on upper edge neat spine sound binding no internal markings or names. The birds of america absorbed audubon s attention for much of his life and its publication took nearly 12 years to complete. While there are a handful of books in the world that may be worth more, until 20 birds of america held the record for the most money paid at auction. The last print featured in the collection was issued in 1838, after which audubon traveled north america several more times to paint the continents wildlife before finally settling in new york city. Audubons birds of america by peterson, roger tory and. John james audubon and the making of the birds of america william souder. As the record of the interior story of the making of this monumental work, his journal of 1826 is one of the richest documents in the history of american culture. The birds of america is a book by naturalist and painter john james audubon, containing illustrations of a wide variety of birds of the united states. It also contains all 155 images of the 1st octavo edition of the quadrupeds of north america, along with audubon and the rev. Rare copy of audubons birds of america for sale science.
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