Following the success of his large folio, Audubon offered his birds in a miniature or Royal Octavo Edition which was lithographed and hand-colored in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania during 1840-44 by J.T. Bowen. These prints are originals, and Audubon issued the prints in a series by species. They were issued in 100 parts of 5, and eventually the customer subscriber bound them into 7 volumes of books. Audubon based these prints on his folio drawings but often varied them due to the smaller images. Each plate contains a single species and in some cases he offered two plates of the same species, usually to show the young and the adult birds, as in the Brown Pelican plates. He also added some new species which had been discovered out West and had not reached him in time to be included in the folio work. These prints represent some of the finest hand-coloring work done in America and they are greatly prized by print collectors. The prints measure about six and one-half by ten inches. The prints offered below are in excellent condition. A ten-day return policy is offered on all sales.

In 1993 a book on the octavo edition titled Audubon's Great National Work, The Royal Octavo Edition of the Birds of America, was authored by Ron Tyler and published by the University of Texas Press. It is a valuable resource for octavo print collectors, but is out of print and very scarce. I have a few copies offered on my book list at the end of the table of contents.

As a note of interest, each print includes a statement of authorship in the lower left-hand corner, i.e., Drawn from Nature by J. J. Audubon, F.R.S.F.L.S. - the initials standing for Fellow, Royal Society; Fellow, Linnean Society. These were the two top natural history societies in England at the time Audubon published his bird folio. The name of J. T. Bowen, the lithographer, is printed in the lower right hand corner of the print. Often the initials of the artist who traced the drawing onto the lithographic stone are placed in the print just below the center of the drawing. Because of the volume of the work, Bowen sent a few of the plates to Endicott, an outstanding lithographer in New York, and Endicott's name appears on those plates.

We are also offering a few of the later plates. While the 1856 edition is the true second edition, the plates of this edition and several others up to 1870 are mostly identical. The "second edition" prints offered in this catalog are from all later editions and are of exceptional color and cleanliness. They have printed colors as well as hand coloring. Priced below the first edition, they represent a fine antique American print and are most collectible. With only a few exceptions, the images are identical to those of the 1840-44 edition and most of the plates are distinguished by a square or vertical background color, and in some cases light background coloring.

FIRST EDITION

1          California Turkey Vulture   $250

2          Red-headed Turkey Vulture  100

3          Black Vulture  100

4          Caracara Eagle (Crested Caracara)  250

5          Harris Buzzard  250

6          Common Buzzard (Swainson's Hawk)    300

8          Harlan's Hawk (Red-tail Hawk)   200

9          Red-shouldered Hawk  900

10        Broad-winged Hawk  300

11        Rough-legged Hawk  100

12 Golden Eagle 650

13        Washington Sea Eagle 350

14 White-Headed or Bald Eagle 900

15       Osprey (Fish Hawk) 1,600

16       Black-shouldered Kite  100

17       Mississippi Kite  `125

19       Iceland Falcon, restoration  375

20 Peregrine Falcon 650

21       Pigeon Falcon  200

22 Sparrow Hawk 750

23      Goshawk  350

24      Cooper's Hawk  350

25      Sharp-shinned Hawk  150

26      Common Harrier  125

28      Snowy Owl  1,800

30      Columbian Day Owl  (Northern Pygmy Owl) 150

31 Burrowing Day Owl 250

32     Tengmalm's Night Owl (Boreal Owl)  150

33      Little Acadian Owl (Northern Saw-wet Owl)  200

34      Barn Owl  850

35      Great Cinerous Owl (Great Gray Owl)  750

36      Barred Owl  750       

38      Short-eared Owl  300

39      Great Horned Owl 1200

40      Little Screech Owl (Eastern Screech Owl)  850

43      Night-hawk  450

44       American Swift  100

46       White-bellied Swallow, foxing  150

47       Cliff Swallow  100

48      Barn Swallow  800

49      Violet-green Swallow  200

50      Bank Swallow (foxing)  75

51       Rough-winged Swallow  100

52       Fork-tailed Flycatcher -  650

54      Arkansas Flycatcher (Western Kingbird)  350

56      Tyrant Flycatcher (Eastern Kingbird)  350

57      Great-crested Flycatcher, stained  75

58       Cooper's Flycatcher  125

59       Say's Flycatcher  125

60       Rocky Mountain Flycatcher (Black Phoebe)  100

61       Short-legged Pewit Flycatcher (Alder Flycatcher)  100

63       Peewee Flycatcher (Eastern Phoebe)  150

64      Wood Peewee  125

65      Traill's Flycatcher  100

66       Least Peewee  100

67       Small-headed Flycatcher (with Virginia Spider-wort)  150

68       American Redstart  400

69       Townsend's Solitaire  125

72       Canada Flycatcher (Canada Warbler)  400

73       Bonaparte's Flycatching Warbler (Canada Warbler)  600

74       Kentucky Flycatching Warbler (magnolia)  350

75       Wilson's Flycatching Warbler  275

76      Yellow-crowned Warbler  (Yellow-rumped with Iris)  300

77       Audubon's Wood Warbler (Yellow-rumped Warbler)  450

78       Black-poll Wood Warbler  350

80       Bay-breasted Wood Warbler  350

82       Pine-creeping Wood Warbler (crease)  200

83       Hemlock Warbler (Blackburnian Warbler)  375

84       Black-throated Green Wood Warbler  375

88       Yellow-poll Wood Warbler  (Yellow Warbler)  250

89       Rathbone's Wood Warbler (Yellow Warbler)  200

90       Yellow Red-poll Wood Warbler (Palm Warbler)  350

93       Hermit Wood Warbler  325

95       Black-throated Blue Wood Warbler  (2)  350

96       Black and Yellow Wood Warbler (Magnolia Warbler)  600

97       Prairie Wood Warbler  200

98       Blue Mountain Warbler (?)  100

99       Connecticut Warbler  350

100     Macgillivray's Ground  Warbler  100

102     Maryland Ground Warbler (Common Yellowthroat)  250

103     Delafield's Ground Warbler (Common Yellowthroat)  150

104     Swainson's Warbler  350

105     Worm-eating Swamp Warbler (with Black Widow Spider)  200

107     Golden-winged Swamp Warbler  200

108     Bachman's Warbler (Extinct)  650

109     Carbonated Swamp Warbler  150

110     Tennessee Swamp Warbler  150

111     Blue-winged Yellow Swamp Warbler (Blue-winged Warbler)  400

112     Orange-crowned Swamp Warbler  100

116    Rock Wren  150

117    Great Carolina Wren  900

118    Bewick's Wren  100

120    House Wren  350

122    Parkman's Wren (Marsh Wren)  100

124    Short-billed Marsh Wren (Sedge Wren)  250

125    Crested Titmouse (Tufted Titmouse)  450

126    Black-cap Titmouse (Chickadee)  450

127    Carolina Titmouse  250

128    Hudson Bay Titmouse (Boreal Chickadee)  250

129    Chestnut-backed Titmouse (Chickadee)  125

130    Chestnut-crowned Titmouse (Bushtit)  250

131    Cuvier's Kinglet   200

132    American Golden-crested Kinglet  350

133    Ruby-crowned Kinglet  425

134    American Blue Bird  1,400

135    Western Bluebird  650

136    Arctic Bluebird (Mountain Bluebird)  250

137    American Dipper  125

139    Mountain Mockingbird  100

140    Catbird  400

142    American Robin or Migratory Thrush  1,400

143    Varied Thrush  200

144    Wood Thrush  300

146    Hermit Thrush  125

147    Dwarf Thrush (Hermit Thrush)  200

148    Golden-crowned Wagtail (Ovenbird)  250         

149    Aquatic Wood Wagtail (Northern Waterthrush)  300

150    Pipit or Titlark (Water Pipit)  100

151    Shore Lark (Horned Lark)  150

152    Lapland Lark Bunting (Longspur)  200

153    Painted Lark Bunting (Smith's Longspur)  125

155    Snow Lark Bunting  200

156    Black-throated Bunting (Dickcissel)  200

157    Townsend's Bunting  100

158    Lark Bunting (Lark Sparrow)  75

159    Bay-winged Bunting (Vesper Sparrow)  250

160    Savannah Bunting (Savannah Sparrow)  300

161    Clay-colored Bunting (Brewer's Sparrow)  100

162    Yellow-wing Bunting (Grasshopper Sparrow)  200

165    Chipping Bunting (Chipping Sparrow)  200

167    Common Snow Bird (Dark-eyed Junco)  200

168    Oregon Snow Bird (Dark-eyed Junco)  300

169    Painted Bunting  2,200

171    Lazuli Finch (Bunting)  400

172    Seaside Finch (Seaside Sparrow)  325

173    Macgillivray's Shore Finch (Seaside Sparrow)  175

175    Swamp Sparrow  175

176    Bachman's Pinewood Finch (Bachman's Sparrow)   325

181    American Goldfinch  1800

181 American Goldfinch (MB) 350

182    Black-headed Goldfinch (Black-headed Siskin)  100

185    Stanley Goldfinch (Black-capped Siskin)  100

186    Fox-colored Finch (Sparrow)  200

187    Brown Finch (Fox Sparrow)  50

188    Townsend's Finch (Song Sparrow)  50

189    Song Sparrow  150

190    Martin's Finch  100

192    White-crowned Finch (White-crowned Sparrow)  250

195    Rufus-sided Towhee (Western Towhee)  350

196 Crested Purple Finch 250

197    Crimson-fronted Purple Finch (House Finch)  300

198    Grey-crowned Purple Finch (Gray-crowned Rosy Finch)  200

200    Common Crossbill (Red Crossbill)  250

201 - White-wing Crossbill  350

202    Prairie Lark Finch (Lark Bunting)  100

203    Cardinal Grosbeak  1,800

203    Cardinal Grosbeak  1,200

204    Blue-song Grosbeak  350

205    Rose-breasted Grosbeak  350

206    Black-headed Song Grosbeak  200

207 Evening Grosbeak 250 (MB)

208    Summer Red-bird  575

208 Summer Red-bird 250 (MB)

209    Scarlet Tanager, trimmed  100

209 Scarlet Tanager 200 (MB)

210    Louisiana Tanager (Western Tanager)  425

212    Cowbird  100

213    Saffron-headed Marsh Blackbird (Yellow-headed Blackbird)  150

215    Red and Black-shouldered Marsh Blackbird (Red-winged Blackbird)  150

216 Red-wing Starling 350

218    Bullock's Troopial (Bullock's Oriole)  250

220    Boat-tailed Grackle  350

221    Purple Crow Blackbird (Common Grackle)  450

222    Rusty Crow Blackbird  150

223    Meadowlark (framed) 950

224    Raven  900

225    American Crow  600

226    Fish Crow  250

229    Columbia Magpie or Jay (Magpie Jay)  500

230    Steller's Jay  300

232    Ultramarine Jay (Scrub Jay)  150

233 Florida Jay 650

234    Canada Jay (Gray Jay) 300

235    Clark's Nutcracker  200

236    Great American Shrike (Northern Shrike)  125

237    Loggerhead Shrike  100

239    Solitary Vireo (Blue-headed Vireo)  125

240    White-eyed Vireo  150

241    Warbling Vireo  225

242    Bartram's Vireo (Red-eyed Vireo)  150

243    Red-eyed Vireo  250

244    Yellow-breasted Chat  900

246    Cedar Bird (Cedar Waxwing),  650

247    White-breasted Nuthatch  650

248    Red-bellied Nuthatch  450

249    Brown-headed Nuthatch  150

250    California Nuthatch (Pygmy Nuthatch)  125

251    Mango Hummingbird (Black-throated)  900

252    Anna's Hummingbird (trimmed)  350

253    Ruby-throated Hummingbird  1400

254    Ruff-necked Hummingbird (Rufus Hummingbird), trimmed  650

255    Belted Kingfisher  1200

257    Pileated Woodpecker  1,800

257 Pileated Woodpecker 850 (MB)

258    Canadian Woodpecker (Hairy Woodpecker)  100

260    Maria's Woodpecker (Hairy Woodpecker)  150

261    Harris' Woodpecker (Hairy Woodpecker)  100

262    Hairy Woodpecker  200

263    Downy Woodpecker  1200

265    Audubon's Woodpecker (Hairy Woodpecker)  200

266    Red-breasted Woodpecker (Red-breasted Sapsucker)  200

267    Yellow-bellied Woodpecker  350

268    Arctic Three-toed Woodpecker (Black-backed Woodpecker) 250

269    Banded Three-toed Woodpecker (Three-toed Woodpecker)  125

273    Golden-winged Woodpecker  450

275    Yellow-billed Cuckoo  300

276    Black-billed Cuckoo  300

277    Mangrove Cuckoo  350

278    Carolina Parrot  850 (MB)

281    Zenaida Dove  350

282    Key West Dove (Key West Quail Dove)  425

283    Ground Dove  400

284    Blue-headed Ground Dove or Pigeon (Quail Dove)  250

290    California Partridge (California Quail)  550

291 Plumed Partridge (Mountain Quail) 550

292    Welcome Partridge (Crested Bobwhite)  100

293    Ruffed Grouse (trimmed) 350

295    Dusky Grouse (Blue Grouse)  250

297    Cock-of-the-Plains (Sage Grouse)  150

298    Sharp-tailed Grouse  250

299    Willow Ptmarigan  350

300    American Ptarmigan (Rock Ptarmigan)  250

301    Rock Ptarmigan  200

302    White-tailed Ptarmigan  300

303    Purple Gallinule  300

304    Common Gallinule  125

306    Sora Rail  150

307    Yellow-breasted Rail (Yellow Rail)  150

308    Least Water Rail (Black Rail)  200

311    Virginian Rail  200

312    Scolopaceous Courlan (Limpkin)  125

314    Whooping Crane (Sandhill Crane)  700

315    Black-bellied Plover  250

316    American Golden Plover  250

318    Rocky Mountain Plover (Mountain Plover)  100

319    Wilson's Plover  150

320    American Ring Plover  200

322    Townsend's Surfbird (Surfbird)  100

323    Turnstone (Ruddy Turnstone)  300

326    Townsend's Oystercatcher (Black Oystercatcher)  125

328    Red-breasted Sandpiper (Red Knot)  150

329    Pectoral Sandpiper  125

330    Purple Sandpiper  200

331    Buff-breasted Sandpiper  150

334    Long-legged Sandpiper (Stilt Sandpiper)  200

335    Schinz's Sandpiper (White-rumped Sandpiper)  200

336    Semi-palmated Sandpiper  300

338    Sanderling Sandpiper  450

339    Red Phalarope  325

341    Wilson's Phalarope  150

343    Solitary Sandpiper  200

344    Yellowshanks Snipe (Lesser Yellowlegs)  450

348    Great Marbled Godwit  150

349    Hudsonian Godwit  150

350    Wilson's Snipe (Common Snipe)  400

351    Red-breasted Snipe (Short-billed Dowitcher)  125

353    American Avocet  250

354    Black--necked Stilt  250

356    Hudsonian Curlew (Whimbrel)  200

357    Esquimaux Curlew (Eskimo Curlew) 150

359    Scarlet Ibis  350

364    Yellow-crowned Night Heron  650

365    American Bittern  150

366    Least Bittern  200

369    Great Blue Heron  2,850

371    Reddish Egret  750

378    Barnacle Goose  150

379    Brant Goose  150

380    White-fronted Goose (Greater White-fronted Goose)  200

381    Snow Goose  350

383    Trumpeter Swan (young)  (Tundra Swan)  450

384    American Swan  750

385    Mallard    1250

388    Gadwall Duck  250

389    American Widgeon  350

391    Wood Duck  1,800

391 Wood Duck 1,200 (MB)

393    Blue-winged Teal  450

394    Shoveller Duck  550

395    Canvas-back Duck  1,500

397    Scaup Duck (Greater Scaup)  350

398    Ring-necked Duck  350

400    Pied Duck (Labrador Duck - extinct)  300

401    Velvet Duck (White-winged Scoter)  125

402    Black or Surf Duck (Surf Scoter)  125

403    American Scoter Duck (Black Scoter)  100

404    King Duck (King Eider)  350

405    Eider Duck (Common Eider)  450

407    Western Duck (Steller's Eider)  150

408    Buffel-headed Duck  $425

409    Harlequin Duck  350

410    Long-tailed Duck (Oldsquaw)  350

414    White Merganser Smew (Smew)  250

417    Florida Cormorant  350

418    Townsend's Cormorant (Brandt's cormorant)  125

419    Violet-green Cormorant (Pelagis Cormorant)  100

420    Anhinga  550

421    Frigate Pelican (Magnificent Frigatebird)  300

422    American White Pelican  2,750

423    Brown Pelican  2,750

425    Common Gannet (Northern Gannet)  300

426    Booby Gannet (Brown Booby)  325

427    Tropic Bird (White-tailed Tropicbird)  200

428    Black Skimmer or Shearwater  350

429    Cayenne Tern  450 

430    Gull-billed Tern  200

431    Sandwich Tern  400 

433    Common Tern  400

434    Havell's Tern (Forster's Tern)  200

436    Arctic Tern  450

438    Black Tern  200

439    Least Tern  350

440    Noddy Tern  125

441    Fork-tailed Gull (Sabine's Gull)  125

445    Ivory Gull  100

446    Common or Ring-billed Gull  300

447    White-winged Silvery Gull (Iceland Gull)  125

448    Herring Gull  350

450    Great Black-backed Gull  125

451    Pomerine Jager  125

452    Richardson's Jager (Parasitic Jager)  125

453    Arctic Jager (long-tailed Jager)  250

454    Dusky Albatross (Light-mantled Albatross  125

455    Fulmar Petrel (Northern Fulmar)  125

456    Wandering Shearwater (Greater Shearwater)  125

457    Manks Shearwater (Manx Shearwater)  100

458    Dusky Shearwater (Audubon's Shearwater)  125

459    Leach's or Fork-tail Petrel (Leach's Storm Petrel)  100

460    Wilson's Petrel (Wilson's Storm Petrel)  100

461    Least Petrel - Mother Carey's Chicken  125

463 Long-billed Puffin 400

464 Common Puffin 1,200

466    Razor-billed Auk (Razorbill)  150

467    Curled-crested Phaleris (Crested Auklet)  150

468    Knobbed-billed Phaleris (Least Auklet)  150

469    Little Auk or Sea Dove (Dovekie)  150

470    Black-throated Guillemot (Ancient Murrelet)  125

471    Horned-billed Guillemot (Rhinoceros Auklet)  125

472    Long-billed Guillemot (Thick-billed Murre)  125

473    Foolish Guillemot-Murre (Common Murre)  150

474    Black Guillemot  125

475    Slender-billed Guillemot (Marbled Murrelet)  125

477    Black-throated Diver (Arctic Loon)  350

479    Crested Grebe  200

480    Red-necked Grebe  250

481    Horned Grebe  200

482    Eared Grebe  75

483    Pied-billed Dobchick  200

484    Harris' Finch (Harris' Sparrow) 150

486    Sprague's Missouri Lark (Sprague's Pipit)  150

487    Smith's Lark Bunting (Smith's Longspur)  150

488    LeConti's Sharp Tail Bunting (LeConte's Sparrow)  400

491    Least Flycatcher  450

492    Brewer's Blackbird  150

493    Shattuck's Bunting (Clay-colored Sparrow) 100

494    Missouri Red-moustached Woodpecker (Northern Flicker)  150

495    Nuttall's Whip-poor-will (Common Poorwill)  150

498    Common Scaup Duck (Greater Scaup)  300

499    Common Troupial 850