'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.
This edition has 65 new images, making a total of 500. The original configurations were altered so that there is only one species per plate. The text is a revision of the Ornithological Biography, rearranged according to Audubon's Synopsis of the Birds of North America (1839).
Reissue of the 1973 edition with an update on the status and location of all known sets by Susanne M. Low. 523 pages with 41 pages of illustrations. Cloth bound with a four-color dustjacket. The Double Elephant Folio includes the history and the creation of the Birds of America including subscribers, sets, costs, as well as census and survey of extant sets. Appendices.
Do you know what your John James Audubon bird and mammal prints are worth? Do you even know if they are authentic or cheap reproductions? Noted Audubon expert, Ron Flynn, has researched and compiled this important reference resource for the Audubon collector. Information about each Audubon edition is given in individual chapters, along with detailed Price Guide tables with market values for every print in the following original antique Audubon editions: Havell, Bien, Imperial Folio, Octavo Birds and Octavo Quads, plus the modern Amsterdam, Abbeville, Leipzig and Loates Editions. Realized eBay auction prices are included in the Price Guides for those editions commonly sold on that Internet site. Other chapters deal with: identifying and authenticating prints, buying and selling Audubon prints, and buying and selling on eBay. Mr. Flynn provides a list of his recommended Audubon dealers. Finally, there are chapters covering: matting and framing, print storage and care, and print conservation and restoration.
Completely reorganized and annotated by Roger Tory Peterson, America's best known ornithologist, this spectacular new edition displays all 435 of Audubon's brilliant hand-colored engravings in exquisite reproductions taken from the original plates of the Audubon Society's archival copy of the rare Double Elephant Folio. 482 full-color illustrations. 435 duotones.
Featuring the snowy egret, wild turkey, brown pelican, screech owl, and many others, this new collection gathers 130 select plates from Audubon's octavo edition. Includes an informative introduction to the artist and his work.
Early in the 1800s John James Audubon conceived of the project of painting all the species of birds in North America. He realized his ambition with the publication of Birds of America. This pioneering work has become an undisputed classic. The 150 prints compiled here in Audubon's Masterpieces from the first Royal Octavo edition conclusively establish the breadth and depth of Audubon's Achievement. The son of a French naval officer and a Creole woman, Audubon was born in Haiti in 1785, educated in France and moved to his family's estate near Philadelphia in 1803. It was there that his love of birds and his desire to draw them became the driving force and consuming passion of his life. Audubon devoted his life to the single pursuit of accurately yet artistically capturing the intricate details and individual splendor of the birds of North America. The enduring popularity and relevance of his work attests to his success both as a scientist and an artist. Today, Audubon's name is synonymous with wildlife preservation, and he is recognized as one of the greatest artists of his time. The 150 prints in this book are known as being among the very best examples of Audubon artistry. From the Carolina Parrot, now sadly extinct, to the rare Whooping Crane and the more common blue birds and woodpeckers, Audubon's portrayals are among the finest examples of wildlife art in existence. This exquisite collection of plates represents Audubon's genius at its very height. Audubon's Masterpieces is without a doubt one of the most magnificent collections of bird prints every published.