Birds of America
The Library owns one of the few intact copies of John James Audubon’s Birds of America, opens a new window.
Birds of America consists of 435 plates, bound in four volumes. Each plate was hand colored in London under the direction of Audubon and engraver Robert Havell, Jr. At 21.5" x 39.5" and 40 pounds, these are some of the largest and heaviest books in our collection. CHPL's copy was purchased in 1870 from Joseph Longworth (son of Cincinnati millionaire Nicholas Longworth). The book was originally owned by Dr. Thomas Edmonson of Baltimore, Maryland.
New cases to house the set were unveiled on Nov. 16, 2015 in the Joseph S. Stern, Jr. Cincinnati Room at the Main Library. The cases are dedicated to wildlife artist John Ruthven. The four-volume folio set is part of a permanent exhibit that also features a new computer touchscreen which allows visitors to digitally flip through the books and zoom in on the artwork.
View the Books Online
Click the images below to view a book in high resolution through CHPL's Digital Library.
