Very rare 1839 1st edition copy of john james audubons, a synopsis of the birds of america. John james audubons paintings and descriptions of the birds of north america remain the gold standard against which all ornithological portraits are judged. Audubons birds, audubons words museum of fine arts, boston. Bound in contemporary red morocco by royal bookbinder john. Make plans to visit the main library and see one of the worlds most priceless books for.
Audubons birds of america coloring book john james. Present my constant regards to docr parkman, stattuck and mr. Audubon was setting out to create a bird collection in print, and as a collector he was a maximalist. Worlds most expensive book, birds of america, set to. Other articles where the birds of america is discussed. Bancroft, and after all this believe me, my dear sir, yours very sincerely, john j.
There is an introduction by worldrenowned bird artist and author david allen sibley, whose the sibley guide to birds is considered by many to be the most. What you see here is exactly what audbuon intended you to see, nothing more, nothing less. Six of the birds painted have become extinct since its publication. This is a complete edition of john james audubons nineteenth century masterpiece, the birds of america. In addition to the stunning colors and detail in audubons work, it is noteworthy also because of its ambitious scope. Collecting the birds of america by audubon, john james. Great things are coming to mass audubons online shop. Because the prints were extremely large and had to be handcolored by a team of. Beginning in about 1820, audubon set out to paint every north american bird in its natural habitat in poses that illustrated the. The lifes work of both a lover and observer of birds and nature. Born in haiti in 1785, he spent much of his life travelling north america observing, catching and drawing birds and animals in remarkable detail.
Audubon was born in april, 1785 on the island of haiti. When he arrived however at the academy of natural sciences in philadelphia, armed with his portfolio, he made the mistake of boasting that he had seen wilsons work and that it. The birds of america by john james audubon, macmillan, 1942. John james audubgon was born april 26, 1785 at aux cayes, the son of a french naval officer.
His writings are now considered a literary treasure. Audubons birds of america coloring book by john james audubon and a great selection of related books, art and collectibles available now at. As author and illustrator of the birds of america, john james audubon 17851851 traveled thousands of miles throughout the united states and canada to seek out and draw north american birds in their natural habitats. These remastered images have had nothing added or taken away they simply show the wonderful work previously hidden under nearly 200 years worth of dirt, discolouration, fading and damage.
Birds of america cleveland museum of natural history. Audubons final list of subscribers to the birds of america comprises. Birds of america by john james audubon sets booksale. He was noted for the way he would wire a dead bird and shape it into a realistic position, and it. Christies auctions first edition of audubons the birds. First published in double elephant size approximately a metre tall in the first half of the nineteenth century, it is famous for. John james audubon was a naturalist and painter and is considered one of the greatest bird artists of all time. Collection of 435 illustrations from the most famous bird book in the world. Sothebys director of books and manuscripts department, said after the. He interspersed these bird biographies with episodes on life in america during this turbulent period. It was printed by macmillan company in 1946 and it is a fifth edition. Audubons birds of america a replica of the complete john james audubons birds of america 18401844 includes the full text, color plates, figures and bird calls table of contents. The birds of america absorbed audubons attention for much of his life and its publication took nearly 12 years to complete.
John james audubon jeanjacques audubon april 26, 1785 january 27, 1851 was a french american ornithologist, naturalist, and painter. John james audubon dreamed of creating lifesized portraits of every species of bird in north america. Lifesized prints from the birds of america paired with audubons words. Written by naturalist john james audubon, the birds of america is one of the most prized and. I checked out this book from my library, hoping it had the full collection of birds from audubons 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. Twothirds of north american bird species are at risk of extinction from climate change.
He was born in haiti, the illegitimate son of a french sea captain and his mistress, then taken to. John james audubons birds of america is a portal into the natural world. Produced in collaboration with the uniquely talented printerartist, robert havell, audubons massive work is as the subtitle of this book says the most famous bird book in the. Let us send you the latest in bird and conservation news. John james audubons the birds of america 18271838 is probably the most famous of all bird books. Considered the artists greatest triumph, the oversized fourvolume set that contains 435 handcolored prints of his watercolor drawings, published at great personal expense between 1827 and 1838, is the kind of rare book owned only by institutions and one percenters. In georgia, the kff is working with the states department of natural resources and. A rare copy of audubons birds of america heads to auction to. Audubon documented americas 1065 birds for his book birds of america. 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. The birds of america from original drawings by john james audubon. It was first published as a series in sections between 1827 and 1838, in edinburgh and london. 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. The four volumes are bound in a systematic arrangement rather than in the usual plate number order that closely follows audubons ordering of birds in his.
Each week we turn one page of the book and display a new bird. On june 14, one of the worlds most expensive books, john james audubons doubleelephant folio of the birds of america, will go to auction in new york city. Portland was the eldest son of prime minister william cavendishbentinck, 3rd duke of portland. This is the best book available for anyone who wishes to see accurate reproductions of audubons greatest work, the double elephant folio edition of birds of america.
A copy of the worlds most expensive book, john james audubons 19thcentury masterpiece birds of america, is set for auction later this month. Audubons warbler, hermit warbler, blackthroated gray warbler. Accompanying is a letter from the manager of the trade department of. When the audubon society launched its redesigned website last month, it included gorgeous highresolution images of the 435 plates from john j. 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. This first edition of birds of america by john james audubon, originally bought by the duke of portland some time after 1828, is expected to become the worlds most expensive book when it.
See more ideas about audubon birds, birds of america and john james audubon. 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. This set is consistently rich and brilliant in its coloring. In 1824, three years after audubon began birds of america in earnest, he was ready to publish. The first edition doubleelephant folio set of audubons birds of america is one of the most important treasures in the museums rare book collection. John james audubon the birds of america 21st century edition. The birds of america by john james audubon alibris. 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. Collecting the birds of america by audubon, john james first. Nearly 200 years later, the audubon prints are coming to life once again, thanks to our vibrant digital library.
The great size and beauty of the wild turkey, its value as a delicate and highly prized article of food render it one of the most interesting of the birds indigenous to the united states of america. Written by naturalist john james audubon, the birds of america is one of the most prized and collected books of all time. The book has been rebacked at some point in the past, but it retains most of its original spine covering. Kennedy from originals by john james aububon 17851851, the most famous american painternaturalist. John james audubon 17851851 was americas preeminent 19thcentury naturalist illustrator. The national audubon society was founded in 1886 by george bird grinnell in. Department of birds at the american museum of natural history in new york. The book gets its title from a birds of america plate of a swamp sparrow that is signed by the engraver in lucys name. The blackbellied darter, from john james audubons 17851851, the birds of america.
To create this hardback edition, the natural history museums own original double elephant size folio was disbound and each of the 435 beautiful handcoloured prints was specially photographed. Sale n10256view print cataloguesothebys is delighted to be offering an early subscribers copy of audubons double elephant. An impassioned lifelong naturalist, ornithologist and painter, audubon insisted each print be lifesized, to give a true impression of each bird. A copy of john james audubons birds of america has became the most. This large hardbound book is filled with beautiful color reproductions of audubons bird paintings. Oct 3, 2015 a personal selection of iconic american natural history prints from the early 19th century. Audubons birds of america coloring book by john james. Reproduced from an archival copy, this handsome boxed set includes a new edition of john james audubons classic work on animals along with twentyfour facsimile prints suitable for framing. John james audubons birds of america holds the record as the worlds most expensive book. In the meantime, you can reach out to the mass audubon shop in lincoln to inquire about any products, including these top picks. Reviewed in the united states on december 29, 2016.
Witherbys fivevolume handbook of british birds 193841 and roger tory petersons field guide to the birds 1947, which gives the field marks of all north american birds found east of. Following the success of his birds of america, john james audubon set. The pictures have been faithfully redrawn by paul e. The original copy owned by meisei university, tokyo, is the source of the 21st century edition. Spine is faded and light wear to cover else very good condition. A replica of the complete john james audubons birds of america 18401844 includes the full text, color plates, figures and bird calls click here to enter. Audubons need for birds to serve as models was constant. In the books enormous pageseach more than three feet highaudubon captured the full range of. The covers of the book have some wear and light soiling with a little bit of corner wear and edge wear. He was notable for his expansive studies to document all types of american birds and for his detailed illustrations that depicted the birds in their natural habitats. 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.
His landmark work, birds of america 1838, consisted of 435 lifesize prints that were published in batches of five over the course of thirteen years. His book of drawings, birds of america was greatly popular, especially in england. The birds of america is one of the best known natural history books ever produced and also the most valuable a complete set sold at auction in december 2010 for gbp7. Was it audubons complicated joke, equating his tall and spirited wife with a bird he described as timid and destitute of song. John james audubons the birds of america was published in four volumes with 435 plates and issued by w. 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. The birds of america by john james audubon in pictures. 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 audubons original, massive doubleelephant folio, the heaviest volume of which weighs 56 pounds. The story behind john james audubons birds of america. Birds of america by john james audubon 1946 hb the birds of america is an intriging book by author, john james audubon. Call of the wild turkey in the early 1800s, john james audubon wrote.
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