Birds of America [Anglais] [Relié]

There is nothing in the world of fine books quite like the first discovery of Audubon.

Unlike the drawings and paintings of his contemporaries, which were produced from prepared skins and zoo specimens, Audubon’s paintings are taken directly from his observations in the wild, and the richness and directness come straight from the real world. No wonder that Audubon became known in his lifetime as “The American Woodsman.” These paintings were produced between 1828 and 1837; between 175 and 200 sets of these paintings were produced, and the last complete set to come to auction fetched nearly $3 million. The prints of this edition are almost exactly one-half size of the original life-size paintings.

Originally published at a 30 x 27” trim so that Audubon could paint life-size renditions of the birds, this edition contains 435 full-color reproductions of hand-colored aquatinted plates taken from a rare subscription copy at the Cambridge University Library. The descriptive matter is written by Dr. Colin Harrison, who is the author of the standard reference A Field Guide to Nests, Eggs and Nestlings of North American Birds and was for 26 years a scientific officer of the British Museum of Natural History, and Cyril Walker, a senior scientific officer of the British Museum of Natural History.

JOHN JAMES AUDUBON is undoubtedly one of the greatest nature painters and writers in history. In the 1830's Audubon also wrote his Ornithological Biography which described the habits of the birds he drew. He interspersed these bird biographies with episodes on life in America during this turbulent period. His writings are now considered a literary treasure. After being successful with the birds, as with any great artist, Audubon turned to another subject and undertook to catalog the mammals and other animals of America, which resulted in his magnificent Viviparous Quadrupeds of North America. A man who traveled more than almost any other man of his time, Audubon made a trip to the “western regions” in the 1840's, his last great adventure prior to his death in 1851.