John James Audubon

The celebrated and highly valued natural history classic, now fully reproduced for the 1st time with an introduction by world-renowned ornithologist David Allen Sibley Featuring 435 stunning images of Audubon's original watercolors, this is the perfect addition to any bird lover's library First published in installments between 1827 and 1838, John James Audubon's treasured collection of life-sized watercolors of North American birds is the standard against which all wildlife illustration is measured. With fewer than 120 surviving copies in museums and private collections, this volume was created in conjunction with the Natural History Museum in London which disbound 1 of their 2 original editions in the process for the first time. This stunning nearly 500 page, 8x12 reissue contains: 435 exquisite reproductions of hand-colored prints of the original watercolorsDetailed descriptions of American birds and their natural habitats, organized alphabetically from the avocet grazing in a tidal pond to the zenaida dove perched on a flowering branchExpertly researched by an avid outdoorsman and explorer, the stunning illustrations are based on Audubon's specimen collections from Florida to Labrador to Texas and the DakotasStraddling the line between science and art, this book mesmerized 19th-century audiences around the world. Today it stands as a reminder of the spectacular biodiversity of the North American continent, and of the pioneer spirit that Audubon himself revered.

John James Audubon was an American ornithologist, naturalist, and painter. The Birds of America contains 435 life-size watercolours of North American birds, some of which reproduced here in our QuickNotes notecard set. 20 notecards and envelopes, 5 each of 4 images. Packaged in a sleek, sturdy flip-top box with magnetic closure. Cards printed on coated paper stock to bring out their full colour. Cards and envelopes bundled together with a paper belly band inside each box. Box measurements 143 x 120 x 34mm.

Daniel Patterson and Eric Russell present a groundbreaking case for considering John James Audubon’s and John Bachman’s quadruped essays as worthy of literary analysis and redefine the role of Bachman, the perpetually overlooked coauthor of the essays. After completing The Birds of America (1826–38), Audubon began developing his work on the mammals. The Viviparous Quadrupeds of North America volumes show an antebellum view of nature as fundamentally dynamic and simultaneously grotesque and awe-inspiring. The quadruped essays are rich with good stories about these mammals and the humans who observe, pursue, and admire them. For help with the science and the essays, Audubon enlisted the Reverend John Bachman of Charleston, South Carolina. While he has been acknowledged as coauthor of the essays, Bachman has received little attention as an American nature writer. While almost all works that describe the history of American nature writing include Audubon, Bachman shows up only in a subordinate clause or two. Tenacious of Life strives to restore Bachman’s status as an important American nature writer. Patterson and Russell analyze the coauthorial dance between the voices of Audubon, an experienced naturalist telling adventurous hunting stories tinged often by sentiment, romanticism, and bombast, and of Bachman, the courteous gentleman naturalist, scientific detective, moralist, sometimes cruel experimenter, and humorist. Drawing on all the primary and secondary evidence, Patterson and Russell tell the story of the coauthors’ fascinating, conflicted relationship. This collection offers windows onto the early United States and much forgotten lore, often in the form of travel writing, natural history, and unique anecdotes, all told in the compelling voices of Antebellum America’s two leading naturalists.

The most famous work by America's premier ornithological artist, The Birds of America presented 435 large, hand-colored engravings depicting more than 1,000 birds of 489 species. John James Audubon's historic volume, completed in 1838, was succeeded by the smaller lithographic illustrations of the much more affordable yet highly collectible octavo edition. This new collection contains 130 select plates from the octavo version, featuring splendid, scrupulously accurate portraits of the snowy egret, wild turkey, brown pelican, screech owl, and more. The birds are identified by both the common names used by Audubon and their modern equivalents. The culmination of the nature illustrator's career, these stunning works offer realistic portrayals of American birds in elegantly spare settings. An informative Introduction outlines the artist's life and his work and provides background on the creation of the octavo edition.