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Home » Adopt a Piece of History » “Common American Skunk” from John James Audubon, “The Viviparous Quadrupeds of North America.” 1845-1848.

“Common American Skunk” from John James Audubon, “The Viviparous Quadrupeds of North America.” 1845-1848.

Books, Graphics

$300

Mephitis Americana, Desm. Common American Skunk. (v. 1, no. 9, plate 42) from John James Audubon, The Viviparous Quadrupeds of North America, New York: 1845-1848. 3 vol.s, 150 hand-colored plates.

The Clements Library and Special Collections Library jointly purchased these volumes in 2014. The Quadrupeds are a fitting companion to Audubon’s Birds of America, the first book purchased by the University of Michigan in 1839. These hand-colored lithographs are beautifully detailed and represent some of the finest American printing of the nineteenth century.

View this plate in the Digital Collection.