Birds of America (book)
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The Birds of America is the title of a book by naturalist and painter John James Audubon, containing paintings and scientific description of a wide variety of birds of the United States. It was first published as a series of sections between 1827 and 1838.
The work consists of hand-colored, life-size prints made from engraved plates measuring around 39 by 26 inches. The original edition was engraved in aquatint by Robert Havell Sr. and son, Robert Havell Jr.; known as the "Double Elephant folio", it is often regarded as the greatest picture book ever produced. A copy in excellent condition sold at Christie's in March of 2000 for $8,802,500, is still (as of 2007[update]) a world record for any printed book.
All 435 of John James Audubon's known extant watercolors preparatory for Birds of America are housed at the New-York Historical Society in New York City. There are 119 complete copies of the Double Elephant Folio in existence today; less than a dozen of these are in private hands.[1]
[edit] Gallery
[edit] External links
- The Birds of America - High resolution images
- Audubon's Birds of America at the University of Pittsburgh - High resolution images of all 435 double elephant folios
- John James Audubon's Birds of America
[edit] References
- ^ Low, Susanne M. Catalogue of the new Birds of America section of the Audubon Archives. New York: American Museum of Natural History, Dept. of Ornithology, 1993.
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