Beschreibung:

AUDUBON, John James (1785-1851) and Rev. John BACHMAN (1790-1874). The Viviparous Quadrupeds of North America . New York: J.J. Audubon (-V.G. Audubon), 1845-54. "Elephant" broadsheets (708 x 554 mm). 3 lithographic title-pages and 3 leaves of letterpress contents (titles with a few tears at sheet edges, vols. II and III titles lightly soiled). 150 hand-colored lithographic plates after John James and John Woodhouse Audubon the backgrounds after Victor Audubon, by J.T. Bowen (approximately 10 plates apparently cleaned and pressed, plate CXXIX misnumbered CXXIV, light marginal dustsoiling on approximately 20 plates, short marginal tears on approximately 15 plates, VIII lightly evenly browned, XVIII with soft crease in lower right corner, XXVI with some light oxidization on subject, XLIII, LIII, LX and LXII with a few foxmarks within image, XLVI with some tiny pale foxing and a small stain in lower margin, LI with small stain in blank area above subject, LXXVII with soft horizontal crease through image, CIX with a few light scuffs in upper image, CXXV with small light scuff at center of image, CXXVIII plate number lightly inked, occasional pale fingerprints and unobtrusive single marginal foxmarks.) Laid loose in three modern cloth portfolios. FIRST EDITION. A FINE SET WITH BRILLIANT COLORING AND PRESERVED LOOSE AS ISSUED WITH FULL, UNCROPPED SHEETS. At the same time Audubon was producing the commercially-successful octavo edition of his masterpiece, The Birds of America , he and his sons began production of The Viviparous Quadrupeds of North America , an elephant folio of 150 lithographs meant to match the lavishness of the Birds . Unlike the double-elephant folio Birds , the Quadrupeds was produced entirely in the United States, making it the "largest single color plate book to be carried to a successful conclusion during the century [in this country]" (Reese). It took the Audubon family five years to publish the 150 plates and there were at that time three hundred subscribers. The book was the product of Audubon's collaboration with John Bachman, a pastor who had studied quadrupeds since he was a young man and who was recognized as an authority on the subject in the United States. Audubon knew Bachman's contribution was critical, and endeavored to convince his friend to push aside his apprehensions about the project. Audubon, ever the energetic and ferocious creator, even when, as he wrote Bachman, "My Hair are grey and I am growing old," felt that the Quadrupeds could be his last outstanding achievement in natural history. The cautious Bachman felt Audubon was hurrying a project about whose subject he felt "we have much to learn." Bachman finally relented, however, assured that the project would not be hastily produced. Bachman's one condition was that all of the expenses, and the profits, were to be the Audubons, "I am anxious to do something for the benefit of Victor and John [Woodhouse]." Thus engaged, he urged Audubon: "Employ yourself now in drawing every quadruped you can lay your hands upon." During the course of their collaboration, tragedy struck the two men with the deaths of Bachman's daughters Maria and Eliza, who were also the wives of Audubon's sons John Woodhouse and Victor. The loss put a great strain on the relationship, but Audubon tried to heal the wound by dedicating himself with vigor to his Quadrupeds. Audubon had promised Bachman "the very best figures of all our quadrupeds that have ever been thought of or expected," and indeed Bachman was impressed with the results. While the result was not on the scale of the Birds , the Quadrupeds contains the most sumptuous depiction of the mammals of North America produced, and firmly established Audubon as the age's great natural history artist. The work originally appeared in thirty numbers with five plates each, with each number costing ten dollars. The success of the octavo edition of the Birds allowed Audubon enough funds to underwrite the printing of