Is My Copy of The Birds of America (octavo edition) a First Edition?

The points of issue

• The sole octavo edition of Birds of America that Audubon himself issued, in 7 volumes, royal octavo (about 10 x 6 in.), sold by subscription and completed over five years: volumes I-V imprinted New York: J.J. Audubon / Philadelphia: J.B. Chevalier, dated 1840, 1841, 1841, 1842, and 1842 respectively, and volumes VI-VII imprinted New York and Philadelphia: J.J. Audubon, dated 1843 and 1844
• Contains 500 hand-colored lithographic plates, 65 more than the double-elephant folio's 435, re-sequenced from the folio's plate order into standard taxonomic order
• Most plates were printed and colored by J.T. Bowen's Philadelphia studio, though plates 136-150 were produced instead by George Endicott of New York
• A complete first-edition set requires all 7 volumes, each with its correct individual imprint date, and all 500 plates present

How to confirm the first-printing statement

Publishers stated first printings differently by era. The decisive tells are a printed “First Edition/First Printing” statement, a number line whose lowest number is 1 (Random House ends at 2), or a dated first printing with no later printings listed. Paste your copyright page into the number-line decoder.

How to verify your copy, step by step

1. Find the copyright page — the verso (back) of the title page.
2. Check for a number line or dated printing — the lowest number present is the printing; a dated first printing with no later printings listed is the tell.
3. Rule out a book-club edition — a blind-stamp on the rear board or a jacket with no printed price marks a book-club copy.
4. Photograph four things — the front cover, spine, title page, and copyright page — the standard record for identification.

The dust jacket

For a collectible first edition the dust jacket matters as much as the book. Confirm the jacket is present and unclipped — the printed price should still be at the corner of the flap (a clipped corner or a price-less flap can indicate a book-club issue). First-state jackets can differ from later ones in the cover art, blurbs, or review quotations; where a specific first-state jacket point is known for this title it is noted above.

Binding & format

Where multiple bindings exist, the hardcover trade issue is usually (but not always) the precedence copy — confirm against the points above. Later printings often show cheaper cloth, thinner boards, or simplified spine stamping. A simultaneous signed or limited issue, when one exists, is a distinct state from the trade first.

Telling it from reprints & book-club editions

A genuine second octavo edition did not appear until 1856, issued by Audubon's son Victor G. Audubon after Audubon's own death in 1851, with further reissues -- including several through the Roe Lockwood & Son firm -- continuing into the 1870s until the original lithographic stones were destroyed in an 1870 fire. The most reliable check across these reprintings is the sky behind each bird: first-edition plates carry no colored background tint, while second and later editions add a stone-printed blue-green (occasionally beige) tint.P-035552

Frequently asked questions

Is my copy of The Birds of America (octavo edition) a first edition?

A first edition of The Birds of America (octavo edition) by John James Audubon (J.J. Audubon) is identified by: The sole octavo edition of Birds of America that Audubon himself issued, in 7 volumes, royal octavo (about 10 x 6 in.), sold by subscription and completed over five years: volumes I-V imprinted New York: J.J. Audubon / Philadelphia: J.B. Chevalier, dated 1840, 1841, 1841, 1842, and 1842 respectively, and volumes VI-VII imprinted New York and Philadelphia: J.J. Audubon, dated 1843 and 1844.

How do I tell the first printing from a later one?

Check the copyright page. A stated first edition, a number line ending in 1, or a dated first printing with no later printings listed is the key.

Is the book-club edition the same as the first?

A genuine second octavo edition did not appear until 1856, issued by Audubon's son Victor G. Audubon after Audubon's own death in 1851, with further reissues -- including several through the Roe Lockwood & Son firm -- continuing into the 1870s until the original lithographic stones were destroyed in an 1870 fire.

I have a first edition of The Birds of America (octavo edition) — what should I do?

First, document the copy: photograph the copyright page (the number line and any edition statement) and the dust-jacket flap. Confirm the points of issue above against your copy, and decode the printing with the free First Edition Checker. Clearing out books? I take them as a free donation and make sure collectible copies are identified, not discarded: free pickup in the Albuquerque metro (scheduled by route), the 24/7 drop box at 5445 Edith Blvd NE, or donor-paid mail-in from anywhere in the US. Questions? Call or text 505-250-3804.

Glossary

First edition

Every copy printed from the first setting of type. Collectors usually want the first edition, first printing (the true first).

First printing / impression

A single press run from that setting. The first printing is the earliest and most desirable; later printings are still the first edition but not the true first.

Number line (printer's key)

A row of numbers on the copyright page (e.g. 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1). The lowest number present is the printing — a line including 1 marks a first printing (Random House deliberately ends at 2).

Points of issue

Specific physical details — a stated edition, a number line, a typo, a jacket state — that identify the true first printing.

Book-club edition (BCE)

A reprint made for a book club. Tells include a blind-stamped dot or square on the rear board and a dust jacket with no printed price. Not the true first.

First thus

The first appearance of a particular version (first paperback, first illustrated, first U.S. printing) — a first of that kind, not the first edition of the work.