The auction was a rare chance to own one of the best preserved editions of the 19th century masterpiece, with its 435 handcoloured illustrations, seen as a key volume on us natural history. Get cozy and expand your home library with a large online selection of books at. Culture a rare copy of audubon s birds of america heads to auction to benefit conservation. Iii and millions of other books are available for amazon kindle. Whats the best book or field guide for bird identification. 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. Books by john james audubon author of birds of america.
Audubons birds of america coloring book by john james. See more ideas about audubon birds, john james audubon and birds of america. First published in double elephant size approximately a metre tall in the first half of the nineteenth century, it is famous for. The audubon society baby elephant folio roger tory peterson, virginia marie peterson, john james audubon on. 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. 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. The actual title is the national audubon society baby elephant folio audubons birds of america. Audubon used the finest of specimens and all types of media including oil crayon, pastel watercolors, ink. Audubon prints birds of america havell edition prints. John james audubon s the birds of america was immediately recognized as an extraordinary achievement and perhaps the greatest contribution ever made of art in the service of science.
John james audubon s birds of america is a portal into the natural world. John james audubons most popular book is birds of america. 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. A brief history of audubons birds of america john james audubon 17851851 set out to paint every known to him north american bird in the earlynineteenth century. Born in haiti in 1785, he spent much of his life travelling north america observing, catching and drawing birds and animals in remarkable detail. Jan 09, 2012 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. Enter your mobile number or email address below and well send you a link to download the free kindle app. The book has audubons typical heavy duty vinyl cover, which flexes nicely in the hand, yet is durable enough for years of use. The birds of america absorbed audubon s attention for much of his life and its publication took nearly 12 years to complete. It doesnt say tiny anywhere, only in amazons description. Dec 04, 2019 john james audubons ivorybilled woodpecker from his birds of america book. Let us send you the latest in bird and conservation news. The enormous 4 volume double elephant folio carefully and accurately documents more than 430 species of american birds in lifesize prints, making it an important work of natural history and scientific observation.
Excellent art conservation services are provided for all types of two dimension artwork, include. 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. Original audubon bien edition prints, birds of america. Collecting the birds of america by audubon, john james. Darlington in the midnineteenth century and later donated, as part of his extensive library, to the university of pittsburgh. John james audubon birds of america engagement book calendar 1984 by audubon, john james and a great selection of related books, art and collectibles available now at. John james audubon was a naturalist and painter and is considered one of the greatest bird artists of all time. 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 world. 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. John james audubon 17851851 worked on the monumental birds of america from 18271838, illustrating and editing one of the largest and most expensive bird books in the world. If bound together, the pages would create a book that. Audubon prints, audubon birds, nature prints, bird prints, botanical illustration, illustration art, vintage bird illustration, birds of america, john james audubon love the sweet autumn clematis and the distressed birdhouse. The original watercolors for the birds of america olson, roberta, the newyork historical society, shelley, marjorie on. Dowd, author of a new book, audubons sparrow, tells the audubons story in the time leading up to the publication of birds of america.
For an excellent introduction to the bien edition, please see the book a guide to audubons birds of america by susanne m. He was notable for his extensive studies documenting all types of american birds and for his detailed illustrations that depicted the birds in their natural habitats. Mar, 2001 the book was published in several editions between 1997 and 2000. Birds of america by audubon, first edition, macmillan abebooks passion for books. The birds of america by john james audubon 1977 wild turkey manowar bird crane. Birds of america by audubon, garden city books 1936 ebay. Birds of america was printed between 1827 and 1838, and was filled prints created from handengraved plates based on audubon s original watercolor paintings. 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. Selected birds of america by audubon, john james and a great selection of related books, art and collectibles available now at. Mar 26, 2015 timeless illustrations from birds of america by ornithologist, artist, and naturalist john james audubon. The birds of america, from drawings made in the united states and their territories by audubon, john james 17851851 and a great selection of related books, art and collectibles available now at. Apr 14, 2005 it was said that about 100 copies of each page with bird images were produced, but most of them did not survive.
Worlds most expensive book, birds of america, set to. National audubon society field guide to north american. Audubon birds, audubon prints, washington, birds of america, john james audubon, bird drawings, bird species, birds of prey, wildlife art what others are saying barn swallow, audubon birds, birds of america, john james audubon, library of congress, animal. In addition to the prints, each bird s page also includes a recording of the animals call, plus extensive written texts from the period of the books printing.
Birds of america giant artists colouring books english and german edition by pepin van roojen jun 15, 2016. Audubon prints birds of america original octavos 1st. Chose a few that are appealing and look up four or five f. Birds of america by audubon, first edition, macmillan. Most of the streets in this small town are named after birds that he drew.
The portraits, when bound, became some of the biggest books ever madeand to read them, his. 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. The book has audubon s typical heavy duty vinyl cover, which flexes nicely in the hand, yet is durable enough for years of use. The book has audubon s typical heavy duty vinyl cover, which flexes nicely in. John james audubons birds of america is a portal into the natural world. Excellent art conservation services are provided for all types of two dimension artwork, include works on paper, canvas, and fine photography. Oct 22, 2019 birds of america was printed between 1827 and 1838, and was filled prints created from handengraved plates based on audubons original watercolor paintings. Written by naturalist john james audubon, the birds of america is one of the most prized and collected books of all time. Find audubon near you visit your local audubon center, join a chapter, or help save birds with your state program. This is the best book available for anyone who wishes to see accurate reproductions of audubon s greatest work, the double elephant folio edition of birds of america.
The bird names accompanying the present reproductions are those adopted in the checklist of the american ornithologists union. All 435 illustrations from john j audubons birds of. Birds of america by audubon, john james and a great selection of related books, art and collectibles available now at. Worlds most expensive book, birds of america, set to fetch. As early as november of 1826, shortly after lizars had begun the engraving of the birds of america, audubon had written in his journal. We are an art gallery with over 50 years of experience focusing on the artwork of john james audubon, john gould, pierrejoseph redoute and other natural history artists. John james audubon has 175 books on goodreads with 1946 ratings. Audubon needed every inch of space he could gethe planned to print fullcolor, lifesize representations of every bird in north america. 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. Birds of america by audubon, first edition, macmillan abebooks. John james audubon, unknown introduction edition language. Audubon s original plates, numbered to correspond to the pages of the book, have been reproduced in color on the covers. The birds of america absorbed audubons attention for much of his life and its publication took nearly 12 years to complete. The birds of america by john james audubon alibris.
Apr 01, 2009 the best bird identification book is often a matter of choice, so different people will give you different answers. Among the most significant american books of the 19th century, audubons the birds of america is extraordinary in several ways. The publishers of which i am aware include welcome rain, laurel glen, and wordsworth. John james audubon s most popular book is birds of america. Dec 15, 2017 john james audubon dreamed of creating lifesized portraits of every species of bird in north america. 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. Birds of america by john james audubon, hardcover barnes. Each week we turn one page of the book and display a new bird.
He wandered the woods and rivers of the wild frontiers of north america shooting, studying, posing, and painting every species of bird he could find, and many years later, the resulting books were to change the worlds of ornithology and naturalhistory art forever. 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. The 19th century masterpiece, replete with count em 435 handcolored illustrations, has long been considered a crucial document about u. The bien edition prints are more scarce to find than the havell edition prints.
An early subscribers copy of john james audubon s double elephant folio incomparably the most important and most beautiful colorplate book ever published. Audubon the birds of america hardcover published by crown hardcover, 124 pages authors. You may want to start by browsing field guides at a library or bookstore to get a sense of which one works the best for you. If you follow them, you will not only have a great deal of coloring pleasure, but you will also learn how to identify many important birds. Audubon prints birds of america joel oppenheimer, inc. Do not confuse this book with other books reproducing audubon s birds of america with the same or similar title. This book is not a coffee table book, it isnt for scholars, it isnt so big it wont fit into a bookcase, it sits nicely in the palm of your hand, actually covering just the palm of your hand, and it is beautiful. With audubon, i can go to the perching birds, and look for the yellow grouping until i find my bird. Watch a behindthescenes look at one of the public library of cincinnati and hamilton countys rarest books, the famed birds of america by naturalist john james audubon.
In addition to the stunning colors and detail in audubon s work, it is noteworthy also because of its ambitious scope. Audubon s childhood fascination with drawing birds became his obsession. National audubon society field guide to north american birds. Audubon, pennsylvania, also has the audubon bird sanctuary. Make plans to visit the main library and see one of the worlds most priceless books for. The twist is that its written largely in lucys voice, through imagined diary entries, letters, and poems deeply informed by historical research. He eventually stopped at 435 paintings after he exhausted his personal resources. Original audubon havell edition produced 18261837 prints for sale.
John james audubon dreamed of creating lifesized portraits of every species of bird in north america. The birds of america by john james audubon and a great selection of related books, art and collectibles available now at. Dec 12, 2009 1986 arc identifier 55178 local identifier 306aam22. A rare copy of audubons birds of america heads to auction. 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. While audubon was creating birds of america, he was also working on a companion publication, namely, his ornithological biography. Jun 12, 2018 culture a rare copy of audubons birds of america heads to auction to benefit conservation. It was first published as a series in sections between 1827 and 1838, in edinburgh and london. Birds of america by audubon, garden city books 1936. All 435 illustrations from john j audubons birds of america. Birds of america by john james audubon, first edition abebooks. John james audubon april 26, 1785 january 27, 1851, born jeanjacques audubon, was an american ornithologist, naturalist, and painter. Was it audubons complicated joke, equating his tall and spirited wife with a bird he described as timid and destitute of song.