THE QUADRUPEDS OF NORTH AMERICA. Three volume set complete with 155 handcolored lithographed plates.
New York, NY: Published by V.G. Audubon, 1849. First Edition. Hardcover. Octavo (8vo). Very good+ condition. Item #020379
3 volume set. Lacks six of the first eight (iii-viii) pages of text of the first volume, which includes the title page. There are no signs of removal, suggesting the volume was originally bound without these pages. Otherwise complete with all 155 finely hand colored lithographed plates. The plates are by W. E. Hitchcock and R. Trembly after J.J. and J. W. Audubon. 23 of the first 31 plates were printed by Nagel & Weingartner and colored by J. Lawrence; all of the other plates were printed and colored by J. T. Bowen, Philadelphia. Contemporary half maroon leather bindings, and cloth covered boards with minor shelfwear. Spines have five raised bands and the title, volume number and gilt ruling and decoration. Vol I: [published 1849] half-title [ii], 383 pages of text. Vol. II: (published 1851) [ii], 334 pages. Vol. III: (published 1854) 348 pages, followed by [i] page. Minor foxing and browning scattered throughout text. Most of the plates are free of foxing, but a small percentage have minor foxing and/or minor browning and/or minor soiling to some margins. Royal octavo (8vo): book height measures 10 5/8" (269mm). Provenance: Bookplate of A. Sager (Cortland, NY); bookplate of Cora A. Sager (New York) on inside front covers, and No. 101, 102 and 103 in colored pencil on front endpapers. Without the title page of the first volume present, it is only presumed that the first volume is the first octavo edition, however it correlates with the bibliographic details of a first octavo edition, as provided in Nissen 163.
Price: $9,500.00