Bowen in 18401844 size is approximately 6 12 x 10 inches genuine audubon lithograph blue mountain warbler male pl. The birds of america depicts more than one thousand birds which come vividly alive in its 435 pages. On june 14, one of the worlds most expensive books, john james audubons. What happened was that his fame, of course, rests on the birds of america, which was published in england between 1827 and 1838. At the age of six he began with sea shells, and soon graduated to coins, the gateway drug to so many other fields of collecting. Theres no need to look through dozens of photos of birds that dont live in your area. I have a book titled birds of america and below that title is the word audubon, this is on the spine of the book at the bottom of the spine are the numbers 598. Lithograph john james audubon birds art prints for sale ebay. First edition of the birds of america by john james audubon, done by the philadelphia firm of j. Bird books north american birds birds of north america. 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. Any bound set thats remained bound and not overly displayed is more brightly colored than a book thats been broken up and the plates framed. A book is also a considerate option when giving to an acquaintance such as a coworker.
The birds of america is one of the best known natural history books ever produced and also the most valuable. Theres a good reason that the book commands such high. Featured on midwest, mountain plains, new atlantic, northern, pacific northwest and southern regional indie bestseller lists perfect book for the aviary and antiaviary alike a humorous look at 50 common north american dumb birds. Whether you want the cheapest reading copy or a specific collectible edition, with bookfinder, youll find just the right book. Worlds most expensive book, birds of america, set to fetch. The birds of america the cover shows a louisiana heron, egretta tricolor authorjohn james audubon original titlethe birds of america. Audubon bien edition prints this gallery consists of prints from the birds of north america bien edition. 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. Birds of america octavo editions 184071 there were up to eight different octavo editions, each containing 500 different hand colored stone lithographs. Instead, they feed on the remains of dead animals, called carrion. Nov 14, 2011 is this book rare, birds of america published in 1936 answered by a verified antique expert we use cookies to give you the best possible experience on our website.
They are items that provide hours of enjoyment for the recipient. More the amsterdam edition, and the factors that affect the market value. The birds of america used books and rare books from. John james audubon the birds of america 21st century edition. Audubon print prices, audubon price guides, and price. Dover publicationsaudubons birds of america coloring book. This gallery consists of octavo prints from the second through seventh edition of audubons birds of america. 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. Eastern audubon society a portable, comprehensive field guidebrimming with concise descriptions and stunning color photographs, and designed to fit into your back pocketfrom the goto reference source for over 18 million nature lovers. Birds of indiana field guide by stan tekiela, paperback. Great blue heron, american flamingo, and wild turkey are three of the most valuable prints of the birds of america. As the worlds largest independent marketplace for new, used and rare books, you always get the best in service and value when you buy from, and all of your purchases are backed by our return guarantee. Birds new, used and rare books and ephemera at biblio.
And the crazy price tag, according to those experts, has been paid not only because of the books beauty but due to its scientific value. This book covers all the native and vagrant species of birds seen on the north american continent. 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. Wilsons work, completed shortly before his death, was of fundamental importance for the study of birds in north america, representing the first significant. His work would be published on the biggest paper available. Of the 119 copies known to survive, only eleven are held in private collections.
This book contains the complete collection of the 435 illustrations from audubons famous havell edition double elephant folio of birds of america. Winter hawk, from john james audubons the birds of america, up for. Published 18271838, its considered one of the great natural history books in status, size and value. North america is home to a large number of colorful and exotic birds. The field guide to dumb birds of north america bird books. Get cozy and expand your home library with a large online selection of books at. The book called the complete birds of north america, is a book recommended to be part of any birders library. 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. Its value to science and especially to ornithology cannot be. Much of the first half of birds of america is a mary mccarthy uses peter as a naive mouthpiece for a lot of leftist thinking of the 1950s and 60s. Theres a good reason that the book commands such high prices. The book is a sort of shambling explication of ideas supported by not so much a plot as a series of set pieces. A perfect coffee table or bar top conversationstarting book. 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 audubons original text for each bird.
Each book is available as a printed softcover book that ships to anywhere in the world, or as an internet adobe pdf download. Birds of america fluid, cracked, mordant, colloquial. First published in double elephant size approximately a metre tall in the first half of the nineteenth century, it is famous for its stunning lifesize illustrations of birds set within landscaped backgrounds. The bald eagle is the national bird of the united states. Vultures use their broad wings to soar high in the sky, searching for food. The birds of america absorbed audubons attention for much of his life and its publication took nearly 12 years to complete. The california condor is one of north america s most endangered birds. Over the years many authors have written entire books about the birds of america publication. A9 1827 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. The birds of america is a book by naturalist and painter john james audubon, containing illustrations of a wide variety of birds of the. Audubon prints birds of america original havell engravings.
National geographic field guide to the birds of north america. In 1959 readers digest, with the sale of our amazing world of nature, accompanied this book with certain reproductions of the birds of america which the company states were made from photographs of prints that are part of the double elephant folio collection at the new york public library. Guide to collecting john james audubon prints skinner. Whether youre an experienced book collector, or new to collecting books, biblio is your source for not just uncommonly good books but also a wealth of information about collecting antiquarian and rare books, too. The winning bid was a record auction price for a printed book and was placed by londonbased art dealer.
Vultures are large birds that do not hunt for food. By continuing to use this site you consent to the use of cookies on your device as described in our cookie policy unless you have disabled them. Birds pictorial works publication date 18271838 pages435 lc classql674. 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. Guide to collecting john james audubon the value of. Aside from being famous in the rare book world, birds of america has also.
With stan tekielas famous field guide, bird identification is simple and informative. Reproductions of audubons birds of america audubon prints. Audubon originally published the book by subscription. From the birds of america to seabirds, from a field guide to the birds of australia to birds of western canada, we can help you find the birds books you are looking for. For those who have a disdain for birds, or bird lovers with a sense of humor, this snarky, illustrated handbook is equal parts profane, funny. As a result, fewer than 150 sets have survived, and original bien wild turkey chromolithographs cost thousands of dollars. One of the finest ornithological works ever printed audubon, john james. Audubon quadruped octavo prints this gallery consists of octavo prints from audubons quadrupeds of north america. Birds of america is one of the best known natural history books ever produced and also one of the most valuable a complete set sold at auction in december 2010 for. Swarovski birds at swarovski dealer crystal exchange america. Birds of america printable handwriting worksheet jumpstart.
When searching on its important to find copies that match the book in your possession as accurately as possible. Today, the skyhigh prices commanded by folios of birds have less to do. Willow grouse or large ptarmigan now willow ptarmigan. Original audubon havell edition produced 18261837 prints for sale. Other digitized print materials prints by john james audubon. The book is a good size not elephant portfolio sizei wish but large enough for students to. Download pdf field guide to the birds of north america free. Learn about american birds by tracing their names in this printable handwriting worksheet for kids. Heres why the book is worth so much and the littleknown. The book is a good size not elephant portfolio sizei wish but large enough for. Worlds most expensive book, birds of america, set to. By the age of ten, toms dad would drop him off at coin shows within driving range, picking him up. Audubons birds of america coloring book by john james audubon and a great selection of related books, art and collectibles available now at. A rare copy of audubons birds of america heads to auction to.
Oct 01, 2011 birds of america is one of the best known natural history books ever produced and also one of the most valuable a complete set sold at auction in december 2010 for. Certainly the greatest of american bird books, and possibly one of the finest book productions in the world, audubons birds of america owes much to its authors determination to have his work reproduced by the best possible craftsmen, and to his insistence that his drawings be reproduced lifesize, as he had drawn them. A rare opportunity to experience this book up close awaits visitors to chicagos field museum during its exhibition audubons birds of america through january 12, 2020. This book features 112 species of indiana birds, organized by color for ease. They are a onesizefitsall solution to the problem of what to buy for a loved one. Though other naturalists had created books of north americas birds. This web site has in no way been approved by swarovski a. Great field guides and birding books about the birds of north america. It took 12 years, from 1826 to 1838, for robert havell, a 19th century london engraver, working from audubons detailed watercolors, to finish the project, and when it was done, the collection. It includes species from all 50 states, the district of columbia, and all u. The result is variety, surprise, and incredibly, movement. 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 printed work.
This large hardbound book is filled with beautiful color reproductions of audubons bird paintings. Larger birds tend to bring higher prices than the smaller songbirds. Stands by itself as one of our funniest, most telling anatomies of human love and vulnerability. 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. National geographic field guide to the birds of north america fifth edition is an awesome workthe most uptodate field guide out therebirders can do no better than to tuck this book in their cars, backpacks, or bike sacks. Mar, 2001 audubon originally published the book by subscription. Prints by john james audubon digitized materials rare. About us 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.
Well known to book collectors and booklovers, our site is an excellent resource for discovering a rough value of an old book. The birds of america, from drawings made in the united states and. The edition of birds of america by julius bien and john woodhouse audubon was discontinued due to the onset of the civil war. Garden city publishing company inc 1936 2nd printing very good some edgewear tand light soil to greeen cloth, photographs and drawings of all kinds of birds. Uncrate a humorous look at 50 common north american birds for bird lovers and haters alike. Each subscriber received five plates at a time as they were printed. The field guide to dumb birds of north america fills the void, packed with snarky illustrations that chastise the flying animals in a funny, profane way. Collecting the birds of america by audubon, john james. 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. In fact, the volumes consist of a large number of works of art. Bird watchingnorth america, field guides birds, books. The birds of american animals natural history museum. 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.
Spine is faded and light wear to cover else very good condition. A copy of the worlds most expensive book, john james audubons 19thcentury masterpiece birds of america, is set for auction later this month and is. The birds of america from drawings made in the united states and their territories. The operator of this web site, crystal exchange america, is not affiliated with, endorsed, or sponsored by swarovski a. 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 unive. In this book, you will find important information explaining. It has the virtues of being nationally comprehensive, easy to follow illustrations, maps, songs, and descriptions are provided on the same two pages, and perhaps best of all, small enough to. Abebooks has been part of the rare book world since going live in 1996. Birds of america, garden city publishing company inc abebooks. By 1805 wilson realized his great plan of depicting and describing north american birds in a large work, resulting in american ornithology, originally published in 180815. With this book, the birds of america, there are so many large images its important theyre not cut down, because some of the birds take up almost the whole page. Look at the pictures and learn what our native feathered friends look like. Birds of america john james audubon bauman rare books.
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. It provides information on all the birds listed on the aba bird list. They use their excellent vision to scan over a big area of ground. Learn about all the commonwealths breeding bird species in the breeding bird atlas 2. Each print is an etching printed in black on white paper and then handcolored by havells sta.
I was not sure what to expect for the price, as its a 500 page book and i. This book contains a complete price guide to the 19711972 amsterdam edition of john james audubons birds of america publication. Discover the birdsand bird behaviorsmost commonly encountered in massachusetts. John james audubon simple english wikipedia, the free. The birds of america by john james audubon, macmillan, 1942. This list of birds of the united states is a comprehensive listing of all the bird species confirmed in the united states as of july, 2019. To accommodate these large illustrations, the birds of america was published as a double elephant folio some 40 inches tall and 28 inches wide, equivalent to 100 by 68 centimeters. Find out how different species in the state are coping with human development and climate change in the latest state of the birds report. Crystal exchange america is an independent company providing a specialist service to collectors of swarovski crystal and swarovski silver crystal. Since 1997, bookfinder has made it easy to find any book at the best price. Its not hard to imagine why a group of teenagers might attempt to steal john james audubons book the birds of america, a true story told in the film american animals. In december 2010, the economist magazine estimated that, adjusted for inflation, five of the ten highest prices ever paid for printed books were paid for copies of birds of america.
The birds of america is one of the best known natural history books ever. The subject matter of an audubon print also helps determine the value. Though other authors were creating big books around this time, most had used. Apr 14, 2001 the golden field guide, birds of north america has been a favorite companion for countless birders since it was first published in the late 1960s. In fine bird books, sacheverell sitwell proclaimed that there is nothing in the world of fine books quite like the first discovery of audubon. Is this book rare, birds of america published in 1936. Audubon prints birds of america havell edition prints.
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