# Is "The Viviparous Quadrupeds of North America" by John James Audubon and John Bachman a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of The Viviparous Quadrupeds of North America by John James Audubon and John Bachman (J.J. Audubon, 1845) is identified by: Imperial folio, issued in parts and bound as three volumes of plates: volume I dated 1845, volume II dated 1846, and volume III dated 1848. A smaller-format octavo edition combining reduced plates with the text, comparable to the octavo Birds of America, was issued from 1849 onward; it is a distinct, later edition and not the imperial folio first.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- Imperial folio, issued in parts and bound as three volumes of plates: volume I dated 1845, volume II dated 1846, and volume III dated 1848
- Contains 150 lithographed plates after Audubon (with substantial contributions by his son John Woodhouse Audubon), drawn on stone and hand-colored by the Philadelphia firm of J. T. Bowen
- The accompanying letterpress text, written chiefly by Rev
- John Bachman, was issued separately in three octavo volumes between 1846 and 1854 and must be collated independently of the plate volumes
- Publisher imprint reads J.J. Audubon
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | John James Audubon and John Bachman |
| Publisher | J.J. Audubon |
| Year | 1845 |
| True first | — |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | Imperial folio, issued in parts and bound as three volumes of plates: volume I dated 1845, volume II dated 1846, and volume III dated 1848 |
| Book-club edition exists? | — |

## Points of issue
Imperial folio, issued in parts and bound as three volumes of plates: volume I dated 1845, volume II dated 1846, and volume III dated 1848. Contains 150 lithographed plates after Audubon (with substantial contributions by his son John Woodhouse Audubon), drawn on stone and hand-colored by the Philadelphia firm of J. T. Bowen. The accompanying letterpress text, written chiefly by Rev. John Bachman, was issued separately in three octavo volumes between 1846 and 1854 and must be collated independently of the plate volumes.

## Is this the true first?
A smaller-format octavo edition combining reduced plates with the text, comparable to the octavo Birds of America, was issued from 1849 onward; it is a distinct, later edition and not the imperial folio first.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *The Viviparous Quadrupeds of North America* by John James Audubon and John Bachman a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/the-viviparous-quadrupeds-of-north-america
CC BY 4.0. Part of the Canonical First-Edition Points of Issue dataset (https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/api/first-edition-titles.json). Last reviewed 2026-07-04.