Books

Vol. VII only. Half morocco over marbled boards. Five raised bands and gilt particulars. Marbled endpapers. Top edge gilt. Complete with 80 hand-colored lithographs with tissue guards. Damage to tail of spine and to bottom of front board (see image), as well as some wear to head of spine. Text block reattached to spine (see image). A clean copy with no previous owners' names or other defacements. 7 x 10.5 in (18 x 27 cm) Plate 421: Frigate Pelican Man of War Bird Plate 422: American White Pelican Plate 423: Brown Pelican Plate 424: Brown Pelican Plate 425: Common Gannet Plate 426: Booby Gannet Plate 427: Tropic Bird Plate 428: Black Skimmer or Shearwater Plate 429: Cayenne Tern Plate 430: Gull-billed Tern, Marsh Tern Plate 431: Sandwich Tern Plate 432: Sooty Tern Plate 433: Common Tern Plate 434: Havells Tern Plate 435: Trudeau's Tern Plate 436: Arctic Tern Plate 437: Roseate Tern Plate 438: Black Tern Plate 439: Least Tern Plate 440: Noddy Tern Plate 441: Fork-tailed Gull Plate 442: Bonapartes Gull Plate 443: Black-headed Gull Plate 444: Kittiwake Gull Plate 445: Ivory Gull Plate 446: Common American GullRing-billed Gull Plate 447: White-winged Silvery Gull Plate 448: Herring or Silvery Gull Plate 449: Glaucus Gull-Burgomaster Plate 450: Great Black-backed Gull Plate 451: Pomerine Jager Plate 452: Richardson Jager Plate 453: Arctic Jager Plate 454: Dusky Albatross Plate 455: Fulmar Petrel Plate 456: Wandering Shearwater Plate 457: Manks Shearwater Plate 458: Dusky Shearwater Plate 459: Leach's Petrel Forked-tailed Petrel Plate 460: Wilson's Petrel Mother Carey's Chicken Plate 461: Least PetrelMother Carey's Chicken Plate 462: Tufted Puffin Plate 463: Large billed Puffin Plate 464: Common or Arctic Puffin Plate 465: Great Auk (Extinct) Plate 466: Razor-billed Auk Plate 467: Curled-crested Phaleris Plate 468: Knobbed-billed Phaleris Plate 469: Little Auk Sea-dove Plate 470: Black-throated Guillemot Plate 471: Horned-billed Guillemot Plate 472: Large-billed Guillemot Plate 473: Foolish Guillemot-Murre Plate 474: Black Guillemot Plate 475: Slender-billed Guillemot Plate 476: Great North Diver or Loon Plate 477: Black-throated Diver Plate 478: Red-throated Diver Plate 479: Crested Grebe Plate 480: Red-necked Grebe Plate 481: Horned Grebe Plate 482: Eared Grebe Plate 483: Pied-billed Dobchick Plate 484: Harris' Finch Plate 485: Bell's Vireo Plate 486: Sprague's Missouri Lark Plate 487: Smith's Lark-Bunting Plate 488: Le Conte's Sharp-tailed Bunting Plate 489: Missouri Meadow Lark Plate 490: Yellow-bellied Flycatcher Plate 491: Least Flycatcher Plate 492: Brewer's Black-bird Plate 493: Shattucks Bunting Plate 494: Missouri Red-moustached Woodpecker Plate 495: Nuttall's Whip-poor-will Plate 496: The Texan Turtle Dove Plate 497: Western Shore Lark Plate 498: Common Scaup Duck Plate 499: Common Troupial Plate 500: Baird's Bunting.

"The Birds of America" is a monumental work by John James Audubon, published as a series between 1827 and 1838. It is one of the most famous and celebrated ornithological works in the world, known for its life-size, hand-colored, engraved plates of birds from the United States. Audubon's work stands out for its combination of artistic beauty and scientific accuracy. The collection features 435 plates, depicting more than 700 bird species, many of which were being documented for the first time. Audubon employed a unique method of mounting dead birds in natural positions on wires as a reference, which helped him create more dynamic illustrations. His attention to detail and commitment to depicting birds in their natural habitats made "The Birds of America" not only a major scientific achievement but also an artistic masterpiece. Audubon's work had a significant impact on ornithology and art in the 19th century, contributing to the burgeoning interest in bird study and conservation in America and Europe. The original editions of "The Birds of America" are among the most sought-after and valuable books in the world, prized by collectors and institutions for their historical and aesthetic value.