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White Ibis. From "The Birds of America" (Amsterdam Edition)

White Ibis. From "The Birds of America" (Amsterdam Edition)

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White Ibis. From "The Birds of America" (Amsterdam Edition)

by AUDUBON, John James (1785-1851)

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About This Item

Amsterdam and New York: Johnson Reprint Corporation and Theatrum Orbis Terrarum, 1971. Colour-printed lithograph, on fine hand-made paper. Excellent condition. Image size: 20 x 24 inches. Sheet size: 26 3/4 x 39 7/8 inches (approx). [Pl. 222]. In October 1971, employing the most faithful printing method available, the best materials and the ablest craftsmen of their age, the Amsterdam firm of Theatrum Orbis Terrarum Ltd., in conjunction with the Johnson Reprint Corporation of New York, set out to produce the finest possible limited edition facsimile of the greatest bird book ever printed: the Havell edition of John James Audubon's well-loved "Birds of America". The Curators of the Teyler's Museum in Haarlem, Holland made their copy of the original work available for use as a model. The Museum, founded in 1778, bought their copy through Audubon's son as part of the original subscription in 1839. After long deliberation, the extremely complex but highly accurate process of colour photo-lithography was chosen as the appropriate printing method. The best exponents of this art were the renowned Dutch printing firm of NV Fotolitho Inrichting Drommel at Zandvoort who were willing to undertake the task of printing each plate in up to eight different colours. The original Havell edition was published on hand-made rag paper and the publishers were determined that the paper of their edition should match the original. Unhappy with the commercially available papers, they turned to the traditional paper manufacturers G. Schut & Zonen (founded in 1625), who, using 100% unbleached cotton rags, were able to produce a wove paper of the highest quality, with each sheet bearing a watermark unique to the edition: G. Schut & Zonen [JR monogram] Audubon [OT monogram]. The publishers and their dedicated team completed their task late in 1972 and the results of these labours were affectionately known as the "Amsterdam Audubon." 250 copies were published and sold by subscription, with the plates available bound or unbound. Given all this careful preparation, it is not surprising that the prints have the look and feel of the original Havell edition. John James Audubon was born in Les Cayes, Haiti on 26 April 1785. From 1788 to 1803 he lived in France until he was sent to the United States to manage an estate that his father had bought in Pennsylvania. He returned to France in 1805, but his fascination with the United States had taken root and he returned again in May 1806. He married Lucy Bakewell in 1808 and together they embarked on a difficult period financially that was only to be resolved, through Audubon's unshakable and justified belief in his own abilities, with the publication of his masterpiece in 1827-1838. "The Birds of America" is the single greatest ornithological work ever produced and is the realization of Audubon's dream of traveling throughout the United States recording, natural size, every native bird then known. The 435 double-elephant folio sized plates, printed by the Havells of London, depict some 1,065 different species, the majority drawn from specimens that Audubon himself had captured. The Havell edition was expensive at the time of publication and this has not changed. A complete copy sold for a staggering $11,400,000 in a sale in London in December 2010. Currently, the increasingly rare individual plates from the Havell edition, when they do appear, generally sell for between $5,000 and $350,000 depending on the image. The quality of the Amsterdam Audubon plates is apparent to any discerning collector and it is becoming ever clearer that they offer the most attractive alternative to the Havell edition plates, given the latter's spiraling prices.

Cf. Zimmer, p. 22; cf. Bennett, p. 5; cf. Fries, Appendix A; cf. Wood, p. 208; cf. Nissen IVB 51; cf. Sabin 2364; cf. Ripley 13; cf. Tyler, Audubon's Great National Work, 1993, Appendix I.

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Details

Seller
Donald Heald Rare Books US (US)
Seller's Inventory #
7576
Title
White Ibis. From "The Birds of America" (Amsterdam Edition)
Author
AUDUBON, John James (1785-1851)
Book Condition
Used
Quantity Available
1
Publisher
Johnson Reprint Corporation and Theatrum Orbis Terrarum
Place of Publication
Amsterdam and New York
Date Published
1971
Bookseller catalogs
Ornithology;

Terms of Sale

Donald Heald Rare Books

All items are guaranteed as described. Any purchase may be returned for a full refund within 10 working days as long as it is returned in the same condition and is packed and shipped correctly.

About the Seller

Donald Heald Rare Books

Seller rating:
This seller has earned a 5 of 5 Stars rating from Biblio customers.
Biblio member since 2006
New York, New York

About Donald Heald Rare Books

Donald Heald Rare Books, Prints, and Maps offers the finest examples of antiquarian books and prints in the areas of botany, ornithology, natural history, Americana and Canadiana, Native American, voyage and travel, maps and atlases, photography, and more. We are open by appointment only.

Glossary

Some terminology that may be used in this description includes:

Reprint
Any printing of a book which follows the original edition. By definition, a reprint is not a first edition.
Facsimile
An exact copy of an original work. In books, it refers to a copy or reproduction, as accurate as possible, of an original...
New
A new book is a book previously not circulated to a buyer. Although a new book is typically free of any faults or defects, "new"...
Folio
A folio usually indicates a large book size of 15" in height or larger when used in the context of a book description. Further,...
G
Good describes the average used and worn book that has all pages or leaves present. Any defects must be noted. (as defined by AB...
Fine
A book in fine condition exhibits no flaws. A fine condition book closely approaches As New condition, but may lack the...
Plate
Full page illustration or photograph. Plates are printed separately from the text of the book, and bound in at production. I.e.,...
Unbound
A book or pamphlet which does not have a covering binding, sometimes by original design, sometimes used to describe a book in...

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