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    Audubon's Birds
    Audubon's Birds
    Audubon's Birds
    Ebook188 pages1 hour

    Audubon's Birds

    By John James Audubon

    4.5/5

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    About this ebook

    Audubon’s ambitious project to paint all the birds of North America resulted in a work that represents one of the greatest advances in ornithology. Not only did he identify new species, he also depicted birds within their natural habitat and in vivid poses. This impressive collection ranges from the Greater Flamingo and Bald Eagle to the Carolina parakeet. Audubon describes every species in concise texts, drawing attention the peculiarities of each bird.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherParkstone International
    Release dateDec 19, 2023
    ISBN9781781608401
    Audubon's Birds

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    Reviews for Audubon's Birds

    4.5/5

    72 ratings4 reviews

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    • 4/5
      Having finished an autobiography of John J. Audubon not long ago, I thought it was a propitious moment to read through this book. It is a collection of over 200 paintings of birds by Audubon. There is a lengthy introduction by Ludlow Griscom about the state of conservation in America in the 1950s. Also, he wrote a very brief description of each bird and how they were doing at the time of publication.Audubon was able to paint several species before they went extinct. I am happy to say that most of the species mentioned as very rare or endangered in the 1950s have recovered to "Least Concern" status today. I know this because I looked them up as I read the book. However, there are a few species which were common then but are losing ground now, due to human habitations expanding into their territory. Hopefully we can find ways for both species to coexist and thrive.It was a joy to look at these pictures.
    • 5/5
      This large collection of illustrations may seem somewhat subdued in hue when compared to many of today’s illustrations but they are a magnificent representation of North American birds as drawn by Audubon. Be sure to read the introduction by Sheila Buff – it contains much interesting information.
    • 5/5
      I work for the Academy of Natural sciences in Philadelphia, where we turn the page daily on our copy of the Elephant Edition, so this particular version pales, but still a great book for the collection.
    • 4/5
      Collection of original Audubon artwork presented for a new generation, 70 years ago. The introduction gives a short history of bird conservation from Audubon's time until the publishing of this work. It shows that conservation discussions haven't changed much in the last 70+ years. It is enjoyable looking at the great artwork and comparing it to more modern art. I recommend this for anyone interested in art and/or ornithology.

    Book preview

    Audubon's Birds - John James Audubon

    Foreword

    I am well-received everywhere, my works praised and admired, and my poor heart is at last relieved from the great anxiety that has for so many years agitated it, for I now know that I have not worked in vain.

    — John James Audubon, 1826

    Bald Eagle

    Haliaeetus leucocephalus. Plate 11, Falconine Birds

    Biography

    1785:

    John James Audubon is born on the island of Santo Domingo (now Haiti) on 26 April, son of a French sea captain and plantation owner, and his mistress.

    1789:

    Arrives in France where he spends his childhood raised by his stepmother, Mrs Audubon. There, he takes a lively interest in birds, nature and drawing.

    1803:

    Settles in America to escape conscription into the Emperor Napoleon's army.

    1805:

    Returns to France.

    1806:

    Goes back to America to escape the emperor's army again.

    1808:

    Marries Lucy Bakewell.

    1809:

    Birth of his son Victor Gifford, first of his two boys (the second named John Woodhouse).

    1810:

    Receives a visit from Alexander Wilson, one of the first ornithologist painters of America. He realises his drawings are better than Wilson's so he decides to produce a work on all American Birds. Settles with his family in Henderson, Kentucky.

    1820:

    Moves to Cincinnati and follows the Mississippi towards the south to discover the birds of Louisiana (which meant at that time a quarter of the American continent). There he meets the last free Indians.

    1826:

    He sails to Europe to raise money for the printing of his Birds of America and presents his work to the English botanists.

    1826:

    First plate printed.

    1828:

    Presentation of his work to the French botanists, meets Pierre Redouté.

    1829:

    Goes back to America to fulfil his study of birds.

    1831-1839:

    Publication of his Ornithological Biographies in five volumes.

    1832:

    Expedition in the Carolinas and in Florida to observe tropical birds.

    1833:

    Expedition to Labrador, Canada, on the settlements of arctic nesting.

    1837:

    Expedition in Texas.

    1834:

    Starts his exploration of West America.

    1838:

    His 435th and last plate is printed on 20 June.

    1843:

    Last expedition of Audubon to Yellowstone River.

    1845-1848:

    Publication of the Viviparous Quadrupeds of North America.

    1851:

    John James Audubon dies on 27 January.

    1886:

    Founding of the National Audubon Society.

    Preface

    Audubon could have been anything: a great philosopher, a great orator, a great poet, a great statesman, a Jean-Jacques Rousseau, a Montesquieu, a Chateaubriand. However, he was unable to be other than a naturalist, painter, and American ornithologist, a Buffon of the Northern States, but a Buffon of genius, spending his life in virgin forests and writing with the enthusiasm of solitude a few pages of the great animal epic of creation. (Lamartine, Cours familier de littérature, Paris, 1865).

    When John James Audubon decided after his meeting with Alexander Wilson in 1810 to paint and describe all the birds of North America, surely he never imagined that it would entail a lifetime of travels, scientific as well as artistic discoveries, and a pursuit of quality to the final proof of the published prints. That is the personality of this French American ornithologist, unique in his field, who succeeded in describing and illustrating all birds of the North American continent, there where his predecessors were confined to the former French and British colonies to the explored territories.

    Yet, his legacy does not stop there. The originality of his illustrations marks a turning point in the history of representing nature. Audubon’s depictions are life size, thus requiring him to multiply the number of birds appearing on the same plate, or bend the necks

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