Beschreibung:

AUDUBON, John James and John BACHMAN (1790-1874). The Quadrupeds of North America . New York: V.G. Audubon, 1849-1854.
AUDUBON, John James and John BACHMAN (1790-1874). The Quadrupeds of North America . New York: V.G. Audubon, 1849-1854. 31 original parts, 8° (272 x 185 mm). Vol. 1 title and half-title bound at front of no. 1, vol. 2 title at end of no. 21 and vol. 3 title and half-title at end of no. 31. Indexes in parts 10, 21 and 31. 155 hand-colored lithographed plates by W.E. Hitchcock and R. Trembly after J.J. and John Wodehouse Audubon. (Some light browning or spotting, a few plates loose or disbound). Original printed wrappers (wrapper parts 1, 14, and 16 with light marginal chipping, wrapper parts 21 and 26 with small tears with losses, repaired and affecting border part 26, lacking lower wrapper parts 6 and 9, a few stains or soft creases, rebacked in cloth, the covers for parts 20 and 21 presumably switched); quarter morocco slipcase. FIRST OCTAVO EDITION, IN THE ORIGINAL WRAPPERS. The Quadrupeds was first published in three folio volumes between 1845 and 1848, with 150 colored plates, supplemented in 1854 with an additional volume of text and 6 plates. The first octavo edition, issued in response to the success of a similar edition of The Birds of America , contains all of the original 150 plates, with 5 of the 6 supplemental plates, reduced by means of the camera lucida. It was prepared for the press and published by his sons, John W. and Victor, shortly after Audubon's death in January, 1851. Audubon, himself, because of declining health, was only able to sketch about half of the animals included in the final publication--the remainder being drawn by John W., with most of the scientific details in the text written by Bachman. Initially both the folio and octavo editions were issued in parts. With the publication of the final part in 1854 the quartet of works as envisaged by Audubon was completed. The Prospectus, printed on the back wrappers, states that "The present 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." Bennett, p.5; Nissen ZBI 163; Sabin 2368. A FINE, SCARCE SET IN THE ORIGINAL PARTS .