Starting Jan. 18, 2013, the Friends of MacArthur Beach State Park in North Palm Beach will display the “Audubon Centennial Edition” of John James Audubon’s “Birds of America,” the double elephant folio.

Zebra Publishing in West Palm Beach has released more than 200 images from the beautiful collection. In association with the National Audubon Society, the limited edition is dedicated to the society's mission of conserving the country's natural ecosystems. The "Audubon Centennial Edition” includes facsimiles of the entire double elephant folio of 435 bird images, as created by Audubon and printed by R. Havell & Son, of London. Fifty images out of the 200 released are reserved for collectors as complete suite of all 435 plate images, titled “Audubon Centennial Edition Suite.” This issuance marks the first time each plate image has been restored to capture its original beauty and the third time in 182 years that a complete facsimile of the Havell Edition has been offered.

In preparing the “Audubon Centennial Edition,” each original Havell-engraved Audubon print was captured as a first-generation plate image using custom digital camera generating a 320-megapixel file. Each plate image then underwent an exceedingly sophisticated restoration process, rendering the finished giclée plate images to the beauty and brilliance when originally hand-painted. The “Audubon Centennial Edition” is embossed with the National Audubon Society Logo, pencil-signed and numbered.

“We are so excited and honored to host this beautiful collection,” said Cheryl Houghtelin, executive director of the Friends of MacArthur Beach State Park. “Proceeds from any prints sold will go toward educating future generations and help carry out the Audubon Society’s mission of conserving our ecosystems.”

All art shows at John D. MacArthur Beach State Park benefit the Natural Science Education Fund, established to ensure the sustainability of the natural-science programs, which positively impact the lives of thousands of children and adults by providing them the opportunity to enjoy and appreciate the natural world.