The Quadrupeds of North America

By John James Audubon

New York: V. G. Audubon, 1851; 1852; 1854. Royal Octavo. 155 hand-colored lithographed plates. Period black half morocco and marbled boards, spine with 5 bands and bright gilt titles, marbled endspages, all page edges bright gilt. Tight uncracked hinges, no prior ownership markings. Internally with original tissue guards and ribbon markers. Plates bright and clean — an unusually clean set. Volume III has a different color, although similar patterned, marble cover. This set includes the half title page in Volume III, plus the often missing plates 124 and 151 through 155. A very well preserved set in Near Fine condition inside and out.

— Nissen, ZBI 163; Bennett p.5; Nissen ZBI 162; Sabin 2367.

The product of the famed collaboration between John Aububon and his sons, John Woodhouse and Victor Gifford, and the Lutheran minister John Bachman. They traveled through much newly explored North American territory, illustrating many species that are scarce or endangered today. Beautiful hand-colored stone lithographic plates of hares, squirrels, buffalo, wolves, deer, grizzly bears, etc. Victor G. Audubon published the first three volume royal octavo editions.

With: Extract letter from The Secretary of State, Hon. N.P. Banks including a letter by V.G. Audubon, March 21, 1856.

Volume I: New York: V. G. Audubon, 1852. [viii], 383pp. Index. 50 hand colored stone lithographs.

Volume II: New York: V. G. Audubon, 1851. 334pp., Index, List of Subscribers [1pp]. 50 hand colored stone lithographs.

Volume III: New York: V. G. Audubon, 1854. [v[, 348pp., Index. 55 hand colored stone lithographs.

First royal octavo edition was issued 1849-1854, with title page variants for Volume I including 1849, 1850, and 1851. First issues of Volume II and Volume III were 1851 and 1854 respectively. Dates of other editions are confusing and often overlap with one another. Among the dates suggested in standard references for later editions are the following: 1852-1854, 1854-1855, 1856, and 1860. It is generally agreed that the New York firm of George R. Lockwood published one or more later editions, one being dated 1870 and another in 1871.