Often called "the Bible of Audubon enthusiasts", The Double Elephant Folio has been republished after more than 30 years. This limited edition describes the creation of the Birds of America from 1826-1839, beginning with John James Audubon’s search for an engraver in London and culminating with the completion of the "Great Work." The Double Elephant Folio provides information about original subscribers, the watermarks of the prints, and describes the provenance of all sets known to exist in 1973, including sets that were broken up, destroyed, or disappeared.

New to the 2005 edition is an additional appendix updating the status and location of all known sets of the Birds of America, currently known to exist. The new appendix was researched and written by Susanne M. Low, author of A Guide to Audubon’s Birds of America.

Advance praise for the new edition of The Double Elephant Folio:

"A lively and fascinating source of information on John James Audubon’s efforts to produce the finest work of all time on American birds is now back in print and updated. I found it invaluable." - Richard Rhodes, Pulitzer Prize-winning author of John James Audubon, The Making of an American

"One can only be astounded by the amount of sheer hard work that went into this book. In the days before the internet and email, and before inexpensive long distance, Waldemar Fries wrote letters, kept files, conducted interviews, made notes and traveled the globe for 16 years in an effort to find and describe every intact copy of Audubon's magnificent Birds of America. Fries’ efforts resulted in an invaluable and comprehensive reference on Audubon’s great work." -Bill Steiner, Author of Audubon Art Prints, A Collector’s Guide to Every Edition