Beschreibung:

AUDUBON, John James Ornithological Biography, or an Account of the Habits of the Birds of the United States of America . Edinburgh: Adam Black; London: R. Havell Jun., and Longman, Rees, Brown and Green, and others, 1831-1839.
AUDUBON, John James Ornithological Biography, or an Account of the Habits of the Birds of the United States of America . Edinburgh: Adam Black; London: R. Havell Jun., and Longman, Rees, Brown and Green, and others, 1831-1839. 5 volumes, 8vo (268 x 165 mm). Half-titles, numerous woodcut text illustrations, list of subscribers and index at the end of vol. 5. Publisher's glazed salmon cloth, printed paper spine labels, uncut (sympathetically rebacked to match, most original spine labels preserved, repairs to endleaves); quarter red morocco folding cases. Provenance : Robert Havell Jr. (1793-1898), landscape painter and printer, most notably of Audubon’s Birds of America (presentation inscription from Audubon in vol, 4; ownership inscriptions on titles). A SUPERB ASSOCIATION COPY OF THE FIRST EDITION, INSCRIBED BY AUDUBON TO ROBERT HAVELL JR. on the half-title of volume 4: “To Robt: Havell Esq. / With the Author's sincere / good wishes." "As early as November of 1826, shortly after Lizars had begun the engraving of the Birds of America , Audubon had written in his journal: 'I shall publish the letterpress in a separate book, at the same time with the illustrations, and shall accompany the descriptions of the birds with many anecdotes and accounts of localities connected with the birds themselves, and with my travels in search of them.' Had Audubon included the letterpress with the engravings, he would have been required, under the British Copyright Act of 1709, to deposit a copy of the work in nine libraries in the United Kingdom. Hence his letterpress appeared separately in the five volumes of the Ornithological Biography " (Fries, p. 47). Havell and his father are responsible for the creation of Audubon’s indelible masterpiece, taking over the monumental task of printing Audubon’s life-size renderings after the artist replaced Edinburgh printer W. H. Lizars. His colorists on strike in June 1827, Lizars informed Audubon that work was at a standstill, and Audubon refused to slow down the progress of his great work. He quickly chose Robert Havell Snr. "because of the difficulty of finding colorers made it come too slowly and also because I have it done better and cheaper in London" (quoted by Fries, p. 23). Robert Jnr. had sought a career in the arts, counter to his father’s wishes that he enter the family business. Audubon convinced the younger Havell that his father was too old to execute a project on the scale of The Birds of America , and convinced him to reconcile with his father and join the firm. Robert Sr. consulted his friend Colnaghi, who showed him a proof of remarkable skill. Impressed, Havell asked to be introduced to the engraver. Then," said Colnaghi, "send for your son." "The singular incident of the anonymous engraver's proof brought about a reconciliation between father and son, who then entered upon a sucessful business partnership, henceforth known as Robert Havell and Son" (Fries, p. 25). Havell Sr. printed and colored many of the plates in the double-elephant folio until his death in 1832. Henceforth, Havell Jr. referred to himself as “R. Havell, Esq.”, the styling found on the clipped signatures applied to the title-pages in this copy. The fourth volume was finished in late 1838, as noted in a letter to Bachman, and it is at this time that Audubon most likely inscribed this copy to Havell. While it is certain that Audubon’s genius would have been secured by the evidence of his watercolors alone, it was the Havells who insured its spread throughout the world. Their engravings captured the spirit and energy of Audubon’s lofty goals, their reproductions reprinted to this day. It is their work as much as Audubon’s that defines the great art of The Birds of America . A more important association copy – linking the world’s greatest ornithological artist to the engraver of his masterpiece – can scarcely be imagined. Ayer/Zimmer 20-21; Copenhagen/Anker 18; Ellis/Mengel 96; McGill/Wood, p. 207.