Beschreibung:

John James Audubon (1785-1851) & John Bachman (1790-1874) The Quadrupeds of North America. New York: V.G. Audubon (vol.III: printed by R. Craighead), [1849-] 1854. 3 volumes, large 8° (270 x 177mm). Half-titles. 155 hand-coloured lithographic plates by W.E. Hitchcock and R. Trembly after J.J. and John Wodehouse Audubon. (Some general browning and spotting to text, occasional light spotting to plates, small blank section torn away from upper margin of 36.1 in vol.I.) Contemporary American red hard-grained morocco gilt, covers panelled with fillets, dot and roll-tools with decorative elements composed from various small tools at the centre of each length of panelling, elaborate cornerpieces similarly composed, spines in six compartments with raised bands, lettered in the second and fourth, the others with repeat decoration of a stylised flower-spray tool surrounded by various small tools, gilt turn-ins, gilt edges (joints weak with occasional small splits, corners and extremities scuffed, slight damage to spine of vol.I with resultant partial loss of volume number). Provenance : George Green (inscriptions dated 1869). OCTAVO EDITION OF AUDUBON'S FINAL GREAT WORK, WITH THE PLATES IN FINE CONDITION. The prospectus for this work, as printed on the rear wrappers of the original parts states that the work 'will be a miniature copy of the large edition, with figures and descriptions of the Quadrupeds of the United States, (including Texas, California, and Oregon,) part of Mexico, the British and Russian Possessions and Arctic regions of our continent. Each number will contain five plates, lithographed in a superior style and carefully coloured from the original drawings. The numbers will be delivered to subscribers at intervals of not less than one month, and the work will be completed in thirty numbers'. In the end, the work was completed in 31 parts with the inclusion of reduced versions of all 150 plates from the folio 1845-1848 edition of The Viviparous Quadrupeds of North America in the first 30 parts, and a final 31st part including reductions of five of the six plates from the 1854 supplement to the folio work. The work was the result of Audubon's collaboration with John Bachman, a Lutheran Pastor who had studied quadrupeds from his youth and who was recognised as an authority in the United States. The two began their association when Audubon stayed with Bachman and his family in Charleston for a month in 1831. Audubon knew that Bachman's contribution was critical but had to fight hard to convince his friend to take part. Bachman eventually relented, with the proviso that all profits, and expenses, were to be the Audubons: the work was expected to show a healthy return and he was eager to benefit his sons-in-law Victor and John Woodhouse Audubon The success of the octavo edition of The Birds of America was such that the present edition of the .. Quadrupeds was an obvious commercial next step. By 1849 Audubon was in poor health, his sight was going (he had been unable to complete more than half of the drawings for the earlier folio edition of the ... Quadrupeds ) and his mental condition was weakening, and so the production of the present work was undertaken by his sons. With the publication of the final part in 1854 the quartet of works as envisaged by Audubon was completed. Bennett 5; Nissen ZBI 163. (3)