Audubon's Birds of America: The Audubon Society Baby Elephant Folio [Hardcover]

John James Audubon (Author), Roger Tory Peterson Institute (Editor)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 30, 2003

Subtitled The Audubon Society baby elephant folio , this spectacular new edition reproduces all 435 of Audubon's hand-colored engravings from the original plates of the Audubon Society's archival copy of the Double elephant folio . Reorganized and annotated by the famed Roger Tory Peterson (who also

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

In the review of the original volume, LJ 's reviewer called this "the finest edition since the original double-elephant folio" and recommended its purchase by "all but the smallest libraries" ( LJ 1/1/82). Since then, no other edition has appeared to alter those judgments. The revisions in this new version are minor: the text has been somewhat rewritten, mainly to reflect recent changes in bird names and classification, and some of the double-page plates of the original have been reduced to one page. At the price, libraries owning the original do not need to acquire this book, but libraries that missed the first edition will wish to consider this one--if budgets permit.
- Paul B. Cors, Univ. of Wyoming Lib., Laramie
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc.

About the Author

Roger Tory Peterson has been regarded as America's most notable ornithologist following the publication of A Field Guide to the Birds in 1934. Like Audubon, Peterson received many honorary degrees and awards, including the Presidential Medal of Honor. Virginia Marie Peterson is a scientist and an expert on the environmental effects of oil spills.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 694 pages
• Publisher: Abbeville Press; Revised Edition edition (July 30, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1558591281
• ISBN-13: 978-1558591288
• Product Dimensions: 15.9 x 12.1 x 3.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 17.9 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #323,197 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

21 of 26 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Beautiful volume of audubon, July 16, 2004

By 

Birder Lover "Steve" "Steve" - See all my reviews

This review is from: Audubon's Birds of America: The Audubon Society Baby Elephant Folio (Hardcover)

If you are a birder and you collect all the great bird books, your collection is not complete until you get this. A beautiful book, contained in a hard case, with excellent printing. A steal at $250 at its original price, now knocked down between $125 to $185. Get this book! A great tribute to Peterson and Audubon.

59 of 79 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Why reorganize a symphony?, November 30, 2004

By 

Don (Michigan) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Audubon's Birds of America: The Audubon Society Baby Elephant Folio (Hardcover)

Let me qualify my remarks by first saying that I have not even seen this version. I have no doubt that the printing is of the highest quality, but I have a serious reservation about the organization of this book. Audubon deliberately mixed his birds in a non-taxonomic order to maintain a freshness and an element of suprise. I recently acquired a large format copy published by Welcome Rain, which follows Audubon's original order. The effect is a delightful romp through nature, full of suprises, drama and movement. He never intended it to be a catalog with all his ducks in a row, it was to be an experience. I have seen an abridged, small format edition of his paintings arranged in the standard, dull taxonomic order of a typical field guide and the effect is nothing like seeing them in the order Audubon intended. Rearranging the plates for convenience of listers diminishes this work, and to a certain extent, is a disservice to the artist. While I am happy to see that his work remains in print and is being reproduced at very high standards, I would hope that it would be viewed as a symphony, not as a random collection of notes needing to be organized alphabetically.

18 of 24 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Spectacular, August 2, 2005

By 

Michael D. Miles "Flowerman" (Westbrook, Maine) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Audubon's Birds of America: The Audubon Society Baby Elephant Folio (Hardcover)

This book is spectacular. The images are breathtaking, and the quality of their presentation is nothing short of superb. Wow!!!