John James Audubon (American, 1785-1851), The Quadrupeds of North America, New York, V.G. Audubon, 1854[Vol 1 misdated as usual MDCCCLIVI], 3 vols., 8vo. (octavo or 10 3/4 x 7 1/4 inches), second edition, original publisher's embossed brown morocco leather, all edges gilt, with 155 hand-colored lithographs by J.T. Bowen, after Audubon. 

First published as "The Viviparous Quadrupeds of North America" in 30 parts between 1845 and 1848, this was the last major work by artist and naturalist John James Audubon, best known for his ambitious ornithological color-plate book, Birds of America (1827-1838). Audubon began working on Quadrupeds in the late 1830s, and even traveled out west in 1843 to study North American animals in their natural habitats for the project. Because of his failing health Audubon only drew about half of the 155 animals featured in Quadrupeds - the other half were drawn by his son, John Woodhouse Audubon. Other key contributors to the project were Audubon's other son, Victor Gifford Audubon, who provided landscape artwork, printmaker John T. Bowen, who hand-colored the drawings, and naturalist and clergyman John Bachman, who wrote scientific descriptions for the animals. Audubon biographer William Souder called Quadrupeds "an incomplete but beautiful farewell from an American master."

All boards detached but present. All 3 spines are completely missing. All three text blocks are surprisingly tight and do not require sewing, no breaks to the text block, all endpapers are present as are pre-lims, though heavily foxed/soiled. Plates show light to moderate, uniform and spotted, foxing. A complete and relatively easily repairable set of this cornerstone work.