1950s Audubon Birds of America — Complete Portfolio of 50 Color Prints With Roger Tory Peterson Commentaries, Macmillan

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….ONE of the great collectible natural history portfolios of the 20th century — the complete set of 50 full-color Audubon … Read more ….ONE of the great collectible natural history portfolios of the 20th century — the complete set of 50 full-color Audubon Birds of America prints, with commentary by none other than Roger Tory Peterson, published by The Macmillan Company, New York.
Each magnificent 9" × 12" plate reproduces John James Audubon's iconic bird portraits — originally painted between 1827 and 1838 and published in his legendary Double Elephant Folio — here rendered in rich, vivid color and sized beautifully for framing. Visible in this set: the imperious Great Blue Heron, the ethereal Snowy Egret, the theatrical Roseate Spoonbill, the ghostly White Gyrfalcon, and 46 equally splendid companions.
On the reverse of each print, Peterson contributes his authoritative ornithological commentary — notes on the bird's habits, habitat, markings, and natural history — making these prints as informative as they are beautiful.
Condition: Complete set of 50. Some light foxing (age spotting) to a few prints, consistent with their vintage — images remain vivid and striking. Portfolio cover shows honest wear. A set destined for the walls of a gentleman's library, a naturalist's study, or a design-savvy collector's home.
Très chic framed in multiples — imagine a wall of six or eight of these in simple gilt or ebonized frames. A decorator's dream, and a naturalist's treasure.
Details:

Plates: 50 full-color lithographic reproductions
Size: 9" × 12" each
Publisher: The Macmillan Company, New York (c. 1950s–1960s)
Commentary: Roger Tory Peterson (verso of each plate)


Who Was Roger Tory Peterson?
Roger Tory Peterson (1908–1996) was arguably the most influential ornithologist and nature artist of the 20th century. His revolutionary Field Guide to the Birds (1934) — the first of its kind — transformed birdwatching from a gentleman's pastime into a national passion. Peterson's genius lay in making the natural world accessible: his guides sold millions of copies and his artwork was celebrated in museums worldwide. He received the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1980. To have his annotations accompanying Audubon's masterworks is to have two titans of American natural history in conversation — on your walls.

Who Was John James Audubon?
Jean-Jacques Audubon (1785–1851), the Franco-American naturalist and painter, set out on a monumental quest to paint every bird species in North America in its natural habitat and true scale. His Birds of America, with 435 hand-colored aquatint engravings, remains one of the most celebrated illustrated books ever produced — original folios now sell at auction for tens of millions of dollars. These Macmillan prints bring Audubon's genius into your home at a fraction of that price, and with Peterson's scholarship to boot. See less