Skip to content

Birds of America
Stock Photo: Cover May Be Different

Birds of America Hardcover - 2011

by John James Audubon


About this book

Written by naturalist John James Audubon, the Birds of America is one of the most prized and collected books of all time. In addition to the stunning colors and detail in Audubon's work, it is noteworthy also because of its ambitious scope: to paint every bird in North America. Six of the birds painted have become extinct since its publication.

From the publisher

John James Audubon is arguably America 's most widely recognized and collected artist. His Birds of America has been reproduced often, beginning with the double elephant folio printed by Havill in England, followed by a much smaller Octavo edition printed in Philadelphia and sold by subscription. After Audubon 's death, his family arranged with the New York printer Julius Bien to produce another elephant folio edition, this time by the new chromolithographic process. It too would be sold by subscription, but the venture, begun in 1858, was brought to an abrupt end by the Civil War. Only 150 plates were produced, and the number remaining today is slight; they are among the rarest and most sought after Audubon prints. Bound in cloth with a full cloth slipcase, this beautifully produced book is the first complete reproduction of Bien chromolithographs and will become the centerpiece of any bird lover 's library.

First Edition Identification

Originally published as a series of 425 loose hand-colored watercolor prints roughly 26 by 39 inches between 1827 and 1838, the Birds of America was collected in a five volume folio edition in 1838 (called the Harvell Edition). Subsequent editions were issued at a more affordable price in multi-volume octavo editions. One hundred twenty copies of the first edition are known to have survived complete, most now residing in institutions and libraries. The most recently sold copy went to an anonymous American collector at auction for $7.9 million in 2012.

Details

  • Title Birds of America
  • Author John James Audubon
  • Binding Hardcover
  • Edition 1st Thus
  • Pages 1
  • Volumes 1
  • Language ENG
  • Publisher Natural History Museum, London
  • Date 2011-10
  • Illustrated Yes
  • ISBN 9780565092733 / 0565092731
  • Weight 10 lbs (4.54 kg)
  • Dimensions 15.7 x 10.5 x 2.5 in (39.88 x 26.67 x 6.35 cm)
  • Library of Congress subjects Birds - North America
  • Library of Congress Catalog Number 2011535484
  • Dewey Decimal Code 598.297
Back to Top

More Copies for Sale

Birds of America
More Photos

Birds of America

by Audubon, John James

  • Used
  • Hardcover
  • first
Condition
Used - Excellent
Edition
1st
Binding
Hardcover
ISBN 13
9780565092733
ISBN 10
0565092731
Quantity Available
1
Seller
Sidmouth, Devon, United Kingdom
Seller rating:
This seller has earned a 5 of 5 Stars rating from Biblio customers.
Item Price
NZ$2,109.18
NZ$19.16 shipping to USA

Show Details

Description:
UK: The Natural History Museum, 2011-01-01. 1st. Hardcover. Excellent/Very good slipcase. 400 x 267 mm. Audubon, John James. NO. Birds of America is one of the best known natural history books ever produced and also one of the most valuable - a complete set sold at auction in December 2010 for £7.3 million, which is a world record. First published in double elephant size (approximately a metre tall) in the first half of the nineteenth century, it is famous for its stunning life-size illustrations of birds set within landscaped backgrounds. The book was issued in parts over eleven years and only around 200 completed sets were ever produced. Less than 120 of these survive today, locked away in museums, galleries and private collections around the world. To create this complete edition of Audubon's masterpiece, each of the 435 beautiful hand-coloured prints was specially photographed from the Natural History Museum's own original edition. The artworks are accompanied by the… Read More
Item Price
NZ$2,109.18
NZ$19.16 shipping to USA