Lot 4
  • 4

Audubon, John James; and John Bachman

Estimate
40,000 - 60,000 USD
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Description

  • paper and ink
The Birds of America. New York : J.J. Audubon; Philadelphia: J. B. Chevalier, 1840-1844 — The Quadrupeds of North America. New York: V.G. Audubon, [Vol. 1]: "MDCCCLIVI"; [Vols. 2-3]: 1854-1857



10 volumes, 8vo (Birds: 7 vols., 10 1/4 x 6 1/2 in.; 260 x 159; Quads: 3 vols.,10 1/2 x 7 in.; 267 x 178 mm). Birds: 500 fine handcolored lithographed plates after Audubon by W.E. Hitchcock, R. Trembly, and others, printed and colored by J.T. Bowen, numerous wood-engraved text illustrations of anatomical figures; lacks half-titles, title-pages foxed in vols. 1, 3, 6-7, lists of subscribers only in vols. 1, 2 ,and 5, light toning and text offsetting or minor foxing affecting about 111 plates in vols. 1-4, a few plates in vol. 3 browned or stained, paper adhesion in gutter of blank recto of pl. 241, plates very bright and clean in vols. 5-7, foxing and staining to text. — Quads: 155 handcolored lithographed plates after J.J. Audubon and J.W. Audubon, backgrounds after Victor Audubon, by J.T. Bowen, half-titles, index in vol. 3; half-titles stained and spotted, title-page in vol. 3 foxed, plates very bright and clean. Uniformly bound in green calf, paneled in gilt and black ink with foliate tools, center cartouche on both covers in-filled with a basketweave stamp, the spines in 6 compartments (2 reserved for red morocco lettering pieces) each compartment paneled with a double-fillet, and tooled with a gilt bird emblem (for Birds) and a fox (for Quads); Birds: old scrape on upper cover of vol.. 2 and lower cover scraped with color renewed. Quads: upper joint of vol. 1 and lower joint of vol. 2 rubbed with minor losses, small nick to spine of vol. 3.

Literature

Birds: Ayer/Zimmer 22; Fried, Appendix A; McGill/Wood 208; Reese, American Color Plate Books 34; Sabin 2364. Quads: Nissen ZBI 163; cf.  Reese, American Color Plate Books 38 

Condition

10 volumes, 8vo (Birds: 7 vols., 10 1/4 x 6 1/2 in.; 260 x 159; Quads: 3 vols,.10 1/2 x 7 in.; 267 x 178 mm). Birds: 500 fine handcolored lithographed plates after Audubon by W.E. Hitchcock, R. Trembly, and others, printed and colored by J.T. Bowen, numerous wood-engraved text illustrations of anatomical figures; lacks half-titles, title-pages foxed in vols. 1, 3, 6-7, lists of subscribers only in vols. 1, 2 ,and 5, light toning and text offsetting or minor foxing affecting about 111 plates in vols. 1-4, a few plates in vol. 3 browned or stained, paper adhesion in gutter of blank recto of pl. 241, plates very bright and clean in vols. 5-7, foxing and staining to text. — Quads: 155 handcolored lithographed plates after J.J. Audubon and J.W. Audubon, backgrounds after Victor Audubon, by J.T. Bowen, half-titles, index in vol. 3; half-titles stained and spotted, title-page in vol. 3 foxed, plates very bright and clean. Uniformly bound in green calf, paneled in gilt and black ink with foliate tools, center cartouch on both covers in-filled with a basketweave stamp, the spines in 6 compartments (2 reserved for red morocco lettering pieces) each compartment paneled with a double-fillet, and tooled with a gilt bird emblem (for Birds) and a deer-like animal (for Quads); Birds: old scrape on upper cover of vol.. 2. Quads: upper joint of vol. 1 and lower joint of vol. 2 rubbed, small nick to spine of vol. 3.
In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective qualified opinion.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.

Catalogue Note

First octavo edition of The Birds of America together with the octavo edition of The Quadrupeds of North America. All of the birds from Audubon's original folio aquatints were reproduced by camera lucida for lithography by the artist's son, John Wodehouse Audubon. Seven new species are figured, and seventeen others previously described in the Ornithological Biography but not illustrated are also depicted for the first time. All the plates were systematically rearranged and renumbered to accord with the text.

The octavo edition of the Quadrupeds contains the 150 plates from the folio edition and five of the six plates from the rare 1854 supplement. The misprinted publication date in the first volume might be explained as a second issue of the 1854 edition using the sheets of the 1854 edition and simply adding an "I" before the "L" in "MDCCCLIV." Vol. 2 is from the second edition, and the third volume, dated 1857,  is from the third edition.