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. The second is a reference area, called the audubon book gallery, with books and other detailed information on audubon, gould and other similar artists. While audubon was creating birds of america, he was also working on a companion publication, namely, his ornithological biography. A book that has significant damage is likely not worth much. There are three common values for any audubon print. Excellent art conservation services are provided for all types of two dimension artwork, include.
Customize your audubon print with hundreds of different frames and mats, if desired. First edition of the birds of america by john james audubon, done by the philadelphia firm of j. While there are a handful of books in the world that may be worth more, until 20 birds of america held the record for the most money paid at auction for. Each print was a stone lithographed ink chromolithograph. Original water color paintings by john james audubon. The original handcoloured lithographs in darvills collection are from the first edition of the birds of america by john james audubon the lithographs of this first royal octavo edition were lithographed by the philadelphia firm of j. Often cited as the most expensive book of all time, there are still 120 known intact copies of john james audubons the birds of america which was published between 1827 and 1838. We specialize in offering quality, collector grade prints at a great price combined with the convenience of shopping online. These fine audubon lithographs come from birds of america, the royal octavo edition 18401844. Popular edition of john james audubon s 1785 1851 illustrations of birds of america began painting in 1840. Darlington in the midnineteenth century and later donated, as part of his extensive library, to the university of pittsburgh.
Authenticate audubon originals, is my audubon print an. 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 american, 17851851, the quadrupeds of north america, new york, 1854, 3 vols. April 26, 1785 january 27, 1851 was an american ornithologist, naturalist, and painter.
Plate 285 passenger pigeon, original audubon octavo 1840 first edition. Birds of america by audubon, first edition, macmillan abebooks. The giclee method provides the very best reproductions of original works. These are all authentic first edition prints completed under the direct supervision of john james audubon himself. 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.
Audubon prints birds of america original octavos 1st. 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. Mar, 2001 this book is the complete collection of the gorgeous work of john james audubon, all 435 plates of his original workand no there are no missing or out of order plates, the people who reprinted this book are not complete idiots. Audubon the birds of america hardcover published by crown hardcover, 124 pages authors.
Detailed here is the worlds only direct camera print of the redshouldered hawk. They are exact facsimiles of audubon s original hand colored engravings showcasing his amazing talent and the timeless beauty of his lifes work. This book is the complete collection of the gorgeous work of john james audubon, all 435 plates of his original workand no there are no missing or out of order plates, the people who reprinted this book are not complete idiots. John james audubon is best known for his ornithological magnum opus, the birds of america. Audubon collector a virtual gallery of collectible audubon prints on the internet. But, despite his frequent later residencies in europe promoting and overseeing the production of the birds of america, most of his life was spent in the united states, which he travelled from philadelphia. Shop for audubon art prints from our community of independent artists and iconic brands. Theres a good reason that the book commands such high. Original audubon prints and world class audubon fine art.
Audubon art prints a collectors guide to every edition, university of south carolina press, 2003. While there are a handful of books in the world that may be worth more, until 20 birds of america held the record for the most money paid at auction for any single. The dust jacket is both the most decorative part of a book, and the most delicate. 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 original watercolor paintings by john james audubon for. Collecting the birds of america by audubon, john james. The prints of john james audubon s original 18261838 birds of america double elephant folio def havell edition are perhaps the most popular and certainly most copied bird images ever. A large heavy book, the birds of american, by john james audubon with an introduction and description text by william vogt, published by the macmillan company, 1937 book is packed full of. As early as november of 1826, shortly after lizars had begun the engraving of the birds of america, audubon had written in his journal. Worlds most expensive book, birds of america, set to.
Price guide havell edition audubon print prices, audubon. This is the final octavo edition, issued by lockwood in 18701871 and here bearing the original 1839 audubon statement on the verso of the title pages. Original audubon audobon first edition royal octavo prints. Audubon print prices, audubon price guides, and price guide books. Rare prints editions is a division of that creates high quality giclee reproductions of audubon s work. It was first published as a series in sections between 1827 and 1838, in edinburgh and london. Audubon deliberately grouped the birds in a nontaxonomic order, so each installment included a large bird, medium and small birds. Audubon originally published the book by subscription. Each audubon art print is produced using archival inks, ships within 48 hours, and comes with a 30day money back guarantee.
It was published from 1827 to 1839 in sets of four volumes. The paper size for these prints is approximately 6. This is an original hand colored octavo print published between 18401844 for the original audubon edition of birds of america the octavo prints were all completed under the direct supervision of audubon with the hand coloring completed by j. The art of audubon by john james audubon 1979, hardcover. And audubon s second book, ornithological biography, which was intended to be a companion to the birds of america, would inspire the founding of the national audubon. John james audubon the birds of america 21st century edition. Audubon birds america 1840 first edition original octavo.
Audubon galleries is the worlds leading dealer in art by john james audubon, including editions of his prints in both elephant folio and smaller formats, as well as his books and even original artwork. John james audubon, an early american naturalist and painter, produced one of the greatest works of natural history and art of the nineteenth century, the birds of america. After that, you will find information on how to determine the general market value of your original audubon print. Audubon s birds of america coloring book by john james audubon and a great selection of related books, art and collectibles available now at. Collection of 288 audubon paintings, in color, accompanied by captions by ornothologist ludlow griscom 1890 1959, known as the dean of the birdwatchers. As the record of the interior story of the making of this monumental work, his journal of 1826 is one of the richest documents in the history of american culture. Audubon havell edition price guide 1 the audubon havell edition and price guide john james audubon s original birds of america double elephant folio was easily the finest natural history book ever published. Many of the original sheets contained 2 images, and they were frequently separated into two smaller sheets. J ohn james audubon, whose name is synonymous with american ornithology, was born in les cayes, haiti then saintdomingue in 1785, and lived in france from the ages of five to eighteen. Birds of america by audubon, first edition abebooks.
Worlds most expensive book, birds of america, set to fetch. The third additional gallery consists of original fascicles from the 1ed edition octavo series. 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. Each subscriber received five plates at a time as they were printed. Birds of america havell edition 182638 the 1st original audubon publication. Below, you will find detailed descriptions and illustrations of the original audubon publications. The 19th century masterpiece, replete with count em 435 handcolored illustrations, has long been considered a crucial document about u. For detailed criteria in identifying the original prints from the five different editions, the reader is referred to the excellent book by the noted audubon scholar, bill steiner. Audubon prints birds of america original havell engravings. It also contains all 155 images of the 1st octavo edition of the quadrupeds of north america, along with audubon and the rev. My images of audubon is a very popular cdrom that contains all 500 images of the audubon 1st octavo edition of birds of america, along with audubon s original text for each bird.
John james audubon s birds of america and quadrupeds. The art of audubon presents for the first time all of audubon s 655 magnificent octavo birds and quadrupeds, full size and in fullcolor, in a single volume. Birds of america by john james audubon sets booksale. The lithographs in all of the later editions are identical and of the same value clark and bannon, handbook of audubon prints. Original audubon prints for sale audubon collector. Find original water color paintings by john james audubon. Published between 182738 in an edition of around 200, the birds of america represents the culmination of audubons life work as a naturalistartist, depicting in 435 plates every. Most hard cover books published since the early 20th century were sold with a dust jacket. Guide to collecting john james audubon the value of. Guide to collecting john james audubon the value of audubon.
Audubon studied the habits of the pair of hawks represented here over a period of three years, and this devotion resulted in one of the finest works. Birds of america john james audubon bauman rare books. A few creases to front jacket flap, jacket edges very lightly rubbed, jacket very faintly toned, small piece of tape on rear jacket panel. The result is variety, surprise, and incredibly, movement. It is estimated that between 2025 million copies or reproductions of the original. Learn how to identify antique audubon prints rareprints. 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. Audubon print prices, audubon price guides, and price. The value of original audubon prints is based upon three factors. Collectors circle as birds of america comes to auction. Audubons birds of america illustrations are now online. The gallery presents below a selection of the celebrated american naturalist john james audubon s original 19th century copper plate engravings and lithographs havell and bien edition double elephant folio birds, imperial folio quadrupeds, octavo edition birds and quadrupeds, 20th century audubon havell edition restrikes and fine facsimile prints, 19th century stone.
Acknowledged as one of the most important and beautiful color plate books ever published, john james audubon s the birds of america is also one of the rarest and most collectable. From 1827 to 1838, john james audubon created the 435 lifesized watercolors of north american birds to be included with his book, birds of america. Birds of america bien edition 185860 the original audubon bien edition consisted of 150 different printed images on 105 different sheets measuring about 2612 x 3912. A rare copy of audubons birds of america heads to auction. Over the years many authors have written entire books about the birds of america publication. 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. John james audubon paintings for sale john james audubon.
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