Rating: 
Summary: ALL THINGS AUDUBON - GUIDANCE FOR THE COLLECTOR
Review: As a collector and publisher of Audubon prints, I am finding Bill Steiner's fresh and realistic approach to Audubon collecting quite refreshing. With the growing interest in collecting all things Audubon, Bill Steiner separates the dream from the fantasy, and those who are now just setting out in the sometimes confusing world of Audubon print collecting would be well-advised to study this book. Steiner's book is a primer for the novice and a most useful handbook for experienced collectors. Those new to collecting Audubon's beautiful images will be given wisdom beyond their years, and will be spared the common and costly initial mistakes newer collectors often make. Often I have seen Audubon reproduction prints that were worth a few dollars at most, auctioned off on eBay for hundreds of dollars. I have also seen prints described as 'first edition octavos' when they were in reality just pages torn from a modern-day book. Steiner will step by step guide you through this area, and show you what is valuable, and what is worthless. Further, his thorough research will help anyone identify the Audubon prints they may already have, as he lists characteristics of all the major editions available today on the market. There is also excellent background information on the original prints themselves, such as how and when they were produced, how to determine their value, and how to care for them. Chapter 7 speaks about buying and selling Audubon prints, such as through eBay, and is filled with practical suggestions that will make this experience productive. Audubon print collectors, or those who just want to purchase one or two prints for their home, will benefit from this instructive publication.
Rating:
Summary: ALL THINGS AUDUBON - GUIDANCE FOR THE COLLECTOR
Review: As a collector and publisher of Audubon prints, I am finding Bill Steiner's fresh and realistic approach to Audubon collecting quite refreshing. With the growing interest in collecting all things Audubon, Bill Steiner separates the dream from the fantasy, and those who are now just setting out in the sometimes confusing world of Audubon print collecting would be well-advised to study this book. Steiner's book is a primer for the novice and a most useful handbook for experienced collectors. Those new to collecting Audubon's beautiful images will be given wisdom beyond their years, and will be spared the common and costly initial mistakes newer collectors often make. Often I have seen Audubon reproduction prints that were worth a few dollars at most, auctioned off on eBay for hundreds of dollars. I have also seen prints described as 'first edition octavos' when they were in reality just pages torn from a modern-day book. Steiner will step by step guide you through this area, and show you what is valuable, and what is worthless. Further, his thorough research will help anyone identify the Audubon prints they may already have, as he lists characteristics of all the major editions available today on the market. There is also excellent background information on the original prints themselves, such as how and when they were produced, how to determine their value, and how to care for them. Chapter 7 speaks about buying and selling Audubon prints, such as through eBay, and is filled with practical suggestions that will make this experience productive. Audubon print collectors, or those who just want to purchase one or two prints for their home, will benefit from this instructive publication.
Rating:
Summary: The perfect launching pad for a jump into Audubon prints
Review: As an art dealer specializing in original Audubon prints, I hear from many people who hope the Carolina Parrot print they found in the attic will turn out to be worth a fortune. Finally, there is a book that will help them...and me! This well-illustrated book is the first to read if you have an interest (old or new) in Audubon prints. The book covers the original prints, the valuable full-sized facsimiles, and the not-so-valuable undersized reproductions. Steiner discusses all the major categories (and editions) of original prints including octavo (small) and folio (large), the birds and animals, the copper-plate etchings and the stone lithographs. He also provides a helpful overview of the vast number of facsimile and reproduction editions in circulation. While not complete, it is remarkably comprehensive and will help answer many an Audubon newcomer's questions. Novice collectors will find everything they need to begin either a serious or casual exploration of Audubon's art--biography, glossary of terms, authentication guidelines (much easier than you may think!), sample prices, information on dealers and guidance on how to buy or sell prints. Seasoned collectors will find previously unpublished information that disproves or amends rules-of thumb that have been gospel for years; they will also find many new sources for prints, books, and educational pursuits. Steiner has strong opinions and personal interests with regard to Audubon, and they are reflected in the text, but he is diligent about labeling them as such, and putting the more esoteric of his interests where they belong--in one of the book's many appendices. Overall, he has done an excellent job pulling together information from disparate sources, making available to collectors for the first time much "dealer lore"--information previously known only by Audubon specialists. This is a quick-reading book, and one that both dealers and collectors will refer to for years to come.
Rating:
Summary: The perfect launching pad for a jump into Audubon prints
Review: As an art dealer specializing in original Audubon prints, I hear from many people who hope the Carolina Parrot print they found in the attic will turn out to be worth a fortune. Finally, there is a book that will help them...and me! This well-illustrated book is the first to read if you have an interest (old or new) in Audubon prints. The book covers the original prints, the valuable full-sized facsimiles, and the not-so-valuable undersized reproductions. Steiner discusses all the major categories (and editions) of original prints including octavo (small) and folio (large), the birds and animals, the copper-plate etchings and the stone lithographs. He also provides a helpful overview of the vast number of facsimile and reproduction editions in circulation. While not complete, it is remarkably comprehensive and will help answer many an Audubon newcomer's questions. Novice collectors will find everything they need to begin either a serious or casual exploration of Audubon's art--biography, glossary of terms, authentication guidelines (much easier than you may think!), sample prices, information on dealers and guidance on how to buy or sell prints. Seasoned collectors will find previously unpublished information that disproves or amends rules-of thumb that have been gospel for years; they will also find many new sources for prints, books, and educational pursuits. Steiner has strong opinions and personal interests with regard to Audubon, and they are reflected in the text, but he is diligent about labeling them as such, and putting the more esoteric of his interests where they belong--in one of the book's many appendices. Overall, he has done an excellent job pulling together information from disparate sources, making available to collectors for the first time much "dealer lore"--information previously known only by Audubon specialists. This is a quick-reading book, and one that both dealers and collectors will refer to for years to come.
Rating:
Summary: Attention Audubon Art Collectors
Review: Bill Steiner's new book is a must for collectors of Audubon's bird and animal prints. It contains lots of new information on Audubon's art, and any collector would benefit from having this knowledge either as a current collector or one considering this art field as a terrific collecting area. Steiner's book is filled with his opinions on how and what to collect. While some of his opinions do not coincide with my own, the reader never the less gets a frankness not available in most print shops.He not only lays it all out on how to buy he gives seldom heard advise on print conservation, a subject rarely discussed in the written word. This is the first book written strictly from the Audubon print collectors viewpoint.
Rating:
Summary: Compiled by a field ecologist and veteran bird-watcher
Review: Compiled by field ecologist and veteran bird-watcher Bill Steiner, Audubon Art Prints: A Collector's Guide To Every Edition is a first-rate guide to the many distinctive avian prints and paintings of John James Audubon (1785-1851). The informative and scholarly text definitively recounts what these great works of art have sold for, as well as the stories behind the creation of the individual artworks. A superb resource for collectors and an indispensable addition to academic American Art History reference collections, Audubon Art Prints is a superbly organized and very strongly recommended presentation enhanced with twenty-two color illustrations and fifty-five halftones.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent Resource to Amateur Collectors of Audubon Prints
Review: I got my copy a few months ago from Amazon.Com, and essentially read through it cover-to-cover, so to speak. I am an amateur collector of Audubon prints, and an enthusiast of Audubon's life, and the legacy he left behind for all the Americans. I think Bill Steiner's book is an invaluable resource that fills a major void about Audubon's prints - - It provides information on what to look for in collecting prints, which prints have significant value now and likely to appreciate in future, the technical details of production of Havells, Imperials, Biens, and the Octavos, some details on restoration and conservation, tips on internet-based sales, his own assesment of the Quality of various double-elephant folio prints (including modern day real high-quality reproductions such as the Amsterdams and the Princetons),and the names of several Audubon galleries (I didn't know some of them existed until after reading the book). Last but not the least, I enjoyed Bill's sense of humor (I particularly had a good laugh reading the recount of his experience at Christie's Auction House). I only wish his book were available to me a couple of years ago when I first started collecting the prints ! I recommend this book highly.
Rating:
Summary: Great Read, Great Resource
Review: I just returned from vacation and I spent a good bit of it reading this book. It was fantastic! It will definately be added to the list of the most important books related to the Audubon family and their great body of work. From my standpoint it is the most important because it gives the information collectors (new and old) need to learn and understand all the various editions (valuable to worthless) in one book. I think that it will improve the overall Audubon market. I learned several new things that were really interesting. Finally it got me more excited than ever about this hobby/business that consumes more and more of me each year. Ben Frishman
Rare-Prints.com
Rating:
Summary: Must Read!
Review: I was excited to see new and informative information that is finally available and updated in today's terms. No other book that I have read on Audubon prints has been so detailed and easy to read and follow. As a relative new collector in Audubon's work, I have to say this book gets three thumbs up. Time was taken for the reader to explore nearly any avenue of collecting from surfing the web to well established galleries. Equal time was given to all unlike many books who seems to slant their findings to the bigger clients and money. The information presented was enough as to not leave you hanging and buying more books. However plenty of information was provided if one indeed wanted to shop for other material. The guess work is simply gone and good data puts you in the driver seat. Other sources in the book such as Minniesland and Taylor Clark were more than helpful in providing services and information. This book is well worth the money and I would highly recommend it. I read the book in one day, far from the norm. I would buy another book from this author today if it existed.
Rating:
Summary: Must Read!
Review: I was excited to see new and informative information that is finally available and updated in today's terms. No other book that I have read on Audubon prints has been so detailed and easy to read and follow. As a relative new collector in Audubon's work, I have to say this book gets three thumbs up. Time was taken for the reader to explore nearly any avenue of collecting from surfing the web to well established galleries. Equal time was given to all unlike many books who seems to slant their findings to the bigger clients and money. The information presented was enough as to not leave you hanging and buying more books. However plenty of information was provided if one indeed wanted to shop for other material. The guess work is simply gone and good data puts you in the driver seat. Other sources in the book such as Minniesland and Taylor Clark were more than helpful in providing services and information. This book is well worth the money and I would highly recommend it. I read the book in one day, far from the norm. I would buy another book from this author today if it existed.
|
