Audubon, John James

The birds of America, from drawings made in the United States and their territories. By John James Audubon, F.R.S., &c., &c. Vol. I [-Vol. II, Vol. III, Vol. IV, Vol. V, Vol. VI, Vol. VII, Vol. VIII].

8 volumes bound in 4. New York: Geo. R. Lockwood and Son, [ca. 1870–1871]. Final octavo edition.

Royal octavo in 2s and 4s (10 7/8” x 7 5/8”, 265mm x 187mm):

Vol. I: 3 binder’s blanks, π¹² 1²(+₁1) 2⁴ 3–4² 5⁴ 6–7² 8–18⁴ 19–20² 21–22⁴ 24–29⁴ 30–31² 32⁴ 33² 34–36⁴ +37¹ [$1 signed; ₂29 signed “29 ½”]. 132 leaves, pp. i–v vi–viii ₂i ii–xv [1] (blank) 11 12–246. With 2 engravings integral with the text.
Vol. II: π⁴ 3–7⁴ 8–11² 12–13⁴ 14–15² 16–17⁴ 18–19² 20⁴ 21–22² 23⁴ 24–25² 26⁴ 27–28² 29⁴ 30–31² 32–33⁴ 34², 2 binder’s blanks [$1 signed; 23 signed “22”]. 98 leaves, pp. [2] (title, copyright) v vi–vii [1] (blank) 11 12–199 [1] (blank). With 4 engravings integral to the text.
Vol. III: 2 binder’s blanks, 1⁴ 2² 3–8⁴ 10–11⁴ 12–13² 14⁴ 15–16² 17⁴ 18–19² 20⁴ 21–22² 23–24⁴ 25–26² 27⁴ 28–29² 30–36⁴ 37⁴(–₄37) [$1 signed; –₁33]. 117 leaves, pp. i–v vi–viii 9 10–233 [1] (blank). With 5 engravings integral to the text.
Vol. IV: 1⁴ 2–19⁴ 20–21² 22–34⁴ 35–36² 37–43⁴ +χ¹, binder’s blank [$1 signed]. 157 leaves, pp. i–v vi–viii 9 10–321 [1] (blank). With 19 engravings integral to the text.
Vol. V: 2 binder’s blanks, 1⁴ 2⁴ 3² 4–15⁴ 16–17² 18–26⁴ 27–28² 29–35⁴ 36–37² 38–40⁴ 41–42² 43–47⁴ 48⁴(–₄48) [$1 signed]. 173 leaves, pp. i–v vi–viii 9 10–346. With 12 engravings integral with the text.
Vol. VI: 1⁴ 2–8⁴ 9² 10–27⁴ 28–29² 30–35² 36–37² 38–40⁴ +41¹, 2 binder’s blanks [$1 signed]. 149 leaves, pp. i–v vi–vii [1] (blank) 9 10–298. With 17 engravings integral with the text.
Vol. VII: 2 binder’s blanks, 1⁴ 2–35⁴ 36⁴(–₄36) [$1 signed]. 143 leaves, pp. i–v vi–vii [1] (blank) 9 10–285 [1] (blank). With 11 engravings integral to the text.
Vol. VIII: 1⁴ 2–30⁴ 31⁴(+₅31) 32⁴(–₄32), 3 binder’s blanks [$1 signed]. 128 leaves, pp. i–v vi–viii 9 10–256. With 7 engravings integral with the text.
With 77 engravings in toto.

Bound in half brown morocco over brown buckram. On the spine, 4 raised bands. Title gilt to the second panel, author and number gilt to the fourth. Top edge of the text-block gilt.

Corners and joints lightly rubbed. Sparse soiling, exceptionally clean. Tear to the fore-edge of ₃17 in volume VI. Abrasion to the text block of vol. VIII, affecting pp. 227–254 (not affecting the text). Printed paper labels reading “468” to “471” to the front pastedown of each volume set. The present example is bound without plates.


John James Audubon’s (1785–1851) Birds of America first appeared in its royal octavo format from 1840 to 1842. The original double elephant folios had dazzled subscribers in Europe and America, and the octavo edition added 65 plates to the already staggering oeuvre, bringing the number of birds observed and described to 500. The accompanying text was adapted from Audubon and Scottish ornithologist, William MacGillivray’s Ornithological Biography, which the pair released between 1831 and 1839. The text marries Audubon’s field observations and MacGillivray’s structural anatomical knowledge, which is reference in engravings throughout the eight volumes.

Roe Lockwood & Son published the second folio edition of Audubon's Birds under the supervision of John Woodhouse Audubon, which failed commercially in part due to the outbreak of the Civil War. As a major creditor for the second edition, Lockwood gained publication rights and took ownership of the lithographic stones for Audubon's works, from which this final octavo edition was printed. Popular lore has it that the lithography stones were reduced to rubble in a fire, but a letter by the publisher's son, Richard B. Lockwood, notes that sometime after 1870 the stones were destroyed when they fell through the floors of a Philadelphia building. The date of the disaster at the Lockwood firm suggests that this final octavo edition finished production in 1871, but imprints and colophons vary from example to example.

Of the mysterious publication date, Ayer/Zimmer notes, "the last, or a reprint of the last, complete edition of Audubon's work on the birds of America. It is not dated and does not agree exactly with any recorded edition which I can find, so I am not certain as to its date of issue. Thyere is an edition of 1865 in 8 vols. (said by Coues to be a later edition of J.W. Audubon's reissue of 1861, but in 8 vols. Instead of 7), which I have not seen.”

Ayer/Zimmer pp. 25-26; Nissen IVB 52; Sabin 2364; McGrath 50.

Cataloged by G.R. Murdock

Item #GRM0092

Price: $4,800