“Cervus Virginianus, Pennant. Common Deer.” (v. 3, no. 28, plate 136) 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.