What are some good books from which to source prints and lithographs for framing?

Audubon stuff is nice

Not sure if I totally understand your question. My sense is that a lot of books of the sorts of images that you may be thinking of (hand colored lithographs, gold leaf detailing, etc.) were offerred by subscription in limited editions and wealthy folks would get a new one every x number of months as the author/lithographers produced them and then - after a certain number of years, the book would be complete and each of the new owners could have them bound in whatever lather binding suited their library and their finances.

That being said, it seems like a bit of sacrilege to buy one of these books and cut it up in order to be able to frame a few of the images for home decor. There are dealers who do that, of course (if memory serves, W.Graham Arader may be one, Kenyon Oppenheimer is another).. Some sellers on eBay occasionally offer authentic prints rather than more modern copies.

One thing that might also help in providing any help here would be if you had indicated what sorts of images you were particularly interested in. The field is wide open and can range from Gould's hummingbirds to Redoute's flowers to Elizabeth Blackwell's medicinal plants. And, of course, there are always Audubon's birds.

Finally, bottom line would also be impacted by whether you're primarily interested in collectibel art versus good quality copies that look just fine but are not "the real thing".

check out shorpy.com. some great black and white photographs from 1900-1950 that you can order as prints for framing.

http://www.shorpy.com/animal-photos-and-animal-pictures

-Jeff

You might want to check out at least the two websites for galleries that specialize in this sort of thing
www.audubonart.com
www.aradergalleries.com

That would give you a quick overview of what is out there, some general guidelines about pricing, and a flavor of the work of both big name artists such as Audubon compared to some lesser-known (and lower priced) artists you might like just as well