Audubon: Life and Art in the American Wilderness

The author did alot of research on the subject and it shows in a great book on the life of James Audubon. It is a great story of American life in the early 1800's and Europe. The hardships this family went through to publish one of the worlds greatest books on birds. The love and support that a wife gave her husband and his sons that followed in his footsteps.

For latest on ornithology- see her 8 page article in Apr. 2001 American Heritage Magazine...Shirley visited birds on Midway Island,now a refuge in Pacific. On the Wings of Victory..also memorial to sea battle won by US Navy.

I agree that this book is indeed over-written and reads at time like a class assignment; the author simply ticking off facts without much coherent thesis. However, this recital does bring off a charming story interesting enough to hold the attention of the casual historian with only a passing interest in wildlife. For anyone wishing to immerse themselves in the atmosphere of the American wilderness and the struggles of the early settlers, it is a pleasure. Just skip over the boring bits!

Reading this book is like living along side this great, self-made naturalist during his many ups and downs. Credit the author for taking us through his struggling ``mercantile'' years before he learned of his purpose. We meet the wife, Lucy, in full. We suffer her angst while he's off in Europe making a future. Any bird watcher naturally will be thrilled by the story but so too would any lover of the American dream, which is what Audubon lived. The one drawback was the lack of any of his portfolio drawings. Telling of the creation of Audubon's ``Birds of America'' without showing even a snippet of his magnificant drawings is almost evil. If this book is hard to find, it's well worth the search