The Birds of America, from Drawings Made in the United States and Their Territories
- New York: V.G. Audubon, 1856
A handsome set of Audubon's ornithological masterpiece in its original bindings. It is perhaps the most important American color-plate book of the 19th century. The plates, accompanied for the first time in the octavo edition by the text, were reduced and modified from the original Havell engravings for the double-elephant folio. The plates were reduced by camera lucida and some of the backgrounds entirely changed or greatly modified. To the original plate count included in the double-elephant folio edition, the octavo edition adds 65 new images for a total of 500 plates, making it "the most extensive color plate book produced in America up to that time" (Reese). Included for the first time are seven new species and 17 others, previously described in the Ornithological Biography but not illustrated, are also shown for the first time. The original compositions were altered so that only one species is depicted per plate.
Details
Title
The Birds of America, from Drawings Made in the United States and Their Territories
Author
Audubon, John James
Condition
Unknown
Publisher
V.G. Audubon: New York
Date
1856