Officially titled The Viviparous Quadrupeds of North America this is the second ground-breaking work by world-renowned artist and naturalist John James Audubon. Following the success of his Birds of America, Audubon documented and depicted 150 four-footed North American mammals, in their natural habitat and in breathtaking colour and detail.
First published in the middle of the nineteenth century, following years of research and field study, The Viviparous Quadrupeds of North America became the outstanding illustrated work on American mammals of its time and is still considered by many to include the finest animal prints published in North America. The book included many frontier animals never depicted before and helped to increase appreciation of American nature around the world.
This edition of Audubon’s classic work has been directly reproduced from an original edition held by the Library of the Natural History Museum, London. All species information has been updated to reflect current common and scientific names and is listed in the back of the book. It includes a foreword by Professor Kristofer Helgen, from the University of Adelaide.
John James Audubon was a naturalist and painter and is considered one of the greatest bird artists of all time. Born in Haiti in 1785, he spent much of his life travelling North America observing, catching and drawing birds and animals in remarkable detail.
Kristofer Helgen is Professor of Biological Sciences at the University of Adelaide. He is also a research associate at American Museum of Natural History and the Natural History Museum, London.