Is My 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 the printed price 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 the printed price in.), sold by subscription and completed over five years: volumes I-V imprinted New York: J.J.

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. 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

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 — an unclipped, priced jacket matters. Confirm the points of issue above against your copy, and use the free First Edition Checker to decode the printing. To sell, the author’s collecting guide covers the market. And if you are clearing books in the Albuquerque area, the New Mexico Literacy Project offers free pickup, any condition, and makes sure collectible copies are identified rather than discarded.

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.