The Audubon Reader
by John James Audubon
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An anthology of nature writings by the great artist and ornithologist features Audubon's writings about the American wilderness and its plant and animal life, accompanied by excerpts from his journals, letters, and published works that include accounts of his river journeys and hunting trips with the Shawnee and Osage Indians.Tags
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Richard Rhodes, author most recently of the excellent biography John James Audubon: The Making of an American, has edited another very useful Audubon volume, the Everyman's Library Audubon Reader. A collection of personal letters, autobiographical writings, and chosen segments of Audubon's extensive ornithological species accounts, this volume offers an open window into the writings of one of America's greatest naturalists through his own words. Rhodes has edited wisely, drawing from a wide range of materials covering the entire scope of Audubon's life and works.
For any Audubon enthusiast or nature-writing fans in general, this book will happily fill a gap on your shelf. Whether read straight through or dabbled at will, I recommend show more Rhodes' effort highly. show less
For any Audubon enthusiast or nature-writing fans in general, this book will happily fill a gap on your shelf. Whether read straight through or dabbled at will, I recommend show more Rhodes' effort highly. show less
Fascinating naturalist and his travels in early America. It is written in a manner that will take you there. A great way to develop an appreciation of Nature.
Grouped by Going West, The American Woodsman, Mr. Audubon Arrives, Underway for Old England, Florrida, Labrador, Hope for Great Things,
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275+ Works 4,530 Members
The American ornithologist John James Audubon was born in 1785 in Haiti. His boyhood was spent in France. At the age of 18, he came to the United States and made his home in Pennsylvania.. As a young man, Audubon enjoyed observing birds. He organized the first bird-banding flights in the United States. In the 1830s, Audubon traveled to Florida and show more spent most of his time in the Florida Keys. Soon he conceived the idea of painting every species of American bird in its native habitat. To accomplish that goal, Audubon spent years traveling through wilderness areas enduring incredible hardships. His drawings and paintings of birds and other animals represent a combination of artistic talent and scientific observation. Unable to provide financially for his family, Audubon went to Great Britain in search of a publisher in 1826. Not only did he succeed in getting his work published there, Audubon also was made a member of the Wernerian Natural History Society and of the Royal Society. The Birds of America, in elephant folio size, was published in parts between 1827 and 1938. The accompanying five-volume text, called Ornithological Biography (1831--39), was prepared largely in Edinburgh, Scotland, in collaboration with William MacGillivray. Returning to the United States in 1836, Audubon dined with President Andrew Jackson and received a warm welcome from Daniel Webster and Washington Irving. While Audubon's drawings of birds and other animals were exceptional as art, they also influenced ornithologists and other zoologists to observe wildlife in natural settings. Audubon died in 1851. Audubon's two sons completed the Viviparous Quadrupeds of North America, which Audubon had begun in collaboration with John Bachman. (Bowker Author Biography) show less
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- Canonical title
- The Audubon Reader
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- 124
- Popularity
- 263,750
- Reviews
- 3
- Rating
- (4.58)
- Languages
- English
- Media
- Paper, Ebook
- ISBNs
- 5
- ASINs
- 1
