An independent Audubon Society has decided to de-accession one of the great masterpieces of 19th century natural history book illustration. The Society has a mission: to conserve and restore natural ecosystems, focusing on birds, other wildlife, and their habitats for the benefit of humanity and the earth’s biological diversity. Maintaining rare and valuable books is not necessarily a part of that mission. As a result, the book collecting world has an opportunity to admire and perhaps acquire the complete first edition of Audubon’s Viviparous Quadrupeds of North America.… Read More

BOSTON, Mass. – May 22, 2013 – Skinner, Inc. will host an auction of Fine Books & Manuscripts on June 1st in its Boston gallery. The sale will feature a large group of Audubon imperial folio prints of North American quadrupeds, literary firsts, modern first editions, theological works, presidential documents, and a group of fine maps.

Presidential Documents

The auction opens with three documents signed by John Quincy Adams, including a letter written to the American consul in Russia in 1815 (lot 2, estimated between $3,000 and $5,000) that contains a large section on Robert Fulton’s steamship agreement with the Russians; a legal brief drafted early in Adams’s career (lot 1, $400 to $600); and a signed ship’s passport from 1825 (lot 3, $600 to $800).… Read More