by:
Steiner, Bill

Publisher:
University of South Carolina Press
Published:June 2003
ISBN:1570035032
Format:Hardcover
Pages:352

Description: About the Author
BILL STEINER is a field ecologist and expert bird-watcher who has compiled one of the most significant private collections of Audubon prints in the United States. An accomplished entomologist, herpetologist, and horticulturist, he holds degrees from Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond. From 1994 to 1996 Steiner worked with the Atlanta Committee for the Olympic Games as the environmental chief for the 1996 Summer Olympics. Steiner lives in Lithonia, Georgia, a suburb of Atlanta.

Book Description
By far the most comprehensive guide available to the bird and quadruped prints of John James Audubon (1785-1851), Audubon Art Prints offers buyers, sellers, and collectors an easy-to-use, one-volume source of information for these widely sought-after prints. When Bill Steiner first became interested in acquiring original Audubon prints, he was surprised by the dearth of conveniently accessible, accurate information on the subject. In an effort to catalog all things Audubon, he unearthed obscure references, surveyed the contemporary marketplace, and consulted specialists from around the world. The results of his labors, gathered here in this lavishly illustrated volume, provide an invaluable and fascinating encyclopedic reference.

Addressing one of the more complex aspects of print collection, Steiner clarifies the task of distinguishing the octavo prints of the successive editions of Audubon's Birds of America (1840-1871) and Quadrupeds of North America (1849-1870). He describes the publication histories of each edition since the first; offers information about printers, engravers, and subscribers; and provides practical information on price histories, accessibility, and preservation. Steiner also explores the increasingly popular markets for subsidiary prints, posters, and Audubon ephemera.