AUDUBON, John James (1785-1851). -- BACHMAN, John, Rev. (1790-1874). The Quadrupeds of North America. New York: George R. Lockwood, [1870].

3 volumes, royal 8vo (260 x 178 mm). Half-titles, 155 HAND-COLORED LITHOGRAPHED PLATES IN UNUSUALLY FINE CONDITION after J. J. and J. Woodhouse Audubon by J. T. Bowen, with tissue guards. (Some marring at gutter of front flyleaf in vol. I). Original publisher's deluxe dark brown morocco stamped in blind, raised bands, gilt titling and blind stamped devices in compartments, edges gilt, marbled endpapers (a few light touch of rubbing to extremities, else fine).

LATER OCTAVO EDITION OF AUDUBON'S FINAL WORK, containing one hundred and fifty plates from the 1845-48 folio edition of The Viviparous Quadrupeds of America, and five plates from the rare 1854 supplement of that work. The first edition was issued in 1849 as a response to the success of a similar octavo edition of The Birds of America but with the declining health of John J. Audubon, only being able to sketch about half of the animals that were included in the final publication, his son took over and was able to finish the remainder of the drawings with most of the scientific detail included in the text that written by Bachman. The edition was published later than the copyright date of 1849 but before the edition was published with a preface signed by Lockwood as publishers and dated 1870.

A VERY FINE AND BRIGHT SET IN A WELL PRESERVED AND ATTRACTIVE PUBLISHER'S DELUXE BINDING. Bennett, p. 5; Meisel, III: p. 440; Nissen ZBI 162; Reese, Stamped with a National Character 38; Sabin 2368; Wood, p. 208.