A Guide to Audubon's "Birds of America": A Concordance Containing Current Names of the Birds, Plate Names with Descriptions of Plate Variants, A Description of the Bien Edition, and Corresponding Indexes

Low, Susanne M.

ISBN 10: 093922609X / ISBN 13: 9780939226092

Published by William Reese Company and Donald A. Heald, New Haven, Conn, 2002

About this Item

Consider "A Guide to Audubon's Birds of America : A Concordance Containing Current Names of the Birds, Plate Names with Descriptions of Plate Variants, A Description of the Bien Edition, and Corresponding Indexes" to be a reference book for a reference book…or a reference book for a great work of art. John James Audubon is well known for the colorful and accurate prints he made of the birds he found in North America in the early 19th century. They have been reproduced in many media, many times, since they were first conceived. But simply creating pretty pictures was not Audubon s ultimate goal. He announced in 1820 that he planned on painting examples of every bird in the continent. That would serve as a prime reference work for biologists and ornithologists the world over if he pulled it off. Though it s doubtful that he actually did completely pull it off, he was able to create 435 paintings that he turned into glorious prints, despite difficulties in finding financing, gathering subscribers, and even a strike by the colorists for the project. The original edition of "Birds of America" was printed on handmade paper in eight volumes in 1838 and is often called the "Double Elephant Folio" because of its size: the pages are 39.5 inches tall by 28.5 inches wide. Only an estimated 200 complete copies were produced, and only an estimated 120 complete copies are still in existence, though Audubon quickly authorized smaller editions and individual prints. It was so expensive the buyers tended to be royalty and university libraries, who treated it as a precious resource. They still treat it that way: For example, the Liverpool Central Library displays its copy in a glass case in its own room, turning a page on view every week, and has created a digital kiosk so visitors can explore "Birds of America" in as much detail as they wish without actually touching the book itself. This is much the same way that medieval manuscripts are displayed. And the original editions are still very expensive: The few sales that have occurred over the past fifteen years or so have been in the six to eight million dollar range. However, despite the importance of his prints, Audubon did not provide much in the way of text to explain what it was viewers were looking at captions included the bird s common name, Latin name, and whether it was a picture of a male or female (or if it was a picture of a pair, both), and that was about it. More than that, the taxonomy and the names of the birds he painted have changed since he began painting them in the 1820s as the science of ornithology has advanced. "A Guide to Audubon s Birds of America " is not simply a reprint of Audubon s original work, though it does include eight color plates, mostly to illustrate changes Audubon himself made. Instead, it is, as its lengthy subtitle says, a "concordance" to both the original edition and to a later, smaller and less expensive edition. It provides the current names of the birds Audubon illustrated along with the names he provided, notes from his correspondence and journals about the plates and the birds themselves, descriptions of variations in the plates, and so on. It would prove quite helpful to someone looking at an Audubon print and wanting to know more about the bird…and more about the art and the artist. This copy is in flawless condition, both the book and the dust jacket, which is in a protective mylar covering. It is a first edition, first printing. Photos are forthcoming, or available upon request.

Seller Inventory # 591

Bibliographic Details

• Title: A Guide to Audubon's "Birds of America": A Concordance Containing Current Names of the Birds, Plate Names with Descriptions of Plate Variants, A Description of the Bien Edition, and Corresponding Indexes
• Publisher: William Reese Company and Donald A. Heald, New Haven, Conn
• Publication Date: 2002
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 093922609X
• ISBN 13: 9780939226092
• Binding: Hardback
• Edition: First edition.
• Condition: As new
• Dust Jacket Condition: As new
• Seller catalogs:
  • Elegant Editions
  • Science and Medicine
  • Art and Architecture

About this title

Synopsis

First edition. Includes a history of the folios, a concordence containing the current names of the birds, an illustrated plate by plate description with descrptions of plate varients, and a descrption of the Bien edition. An invaluable reference. With the bookplate and pencil signature of Gavin Bridson. viii , 384 pages in addition to eight pages of color plates. cloth, dust jacket. 4to..