This unprecedented anthology of John James Audubon's lively and colorful writings about the American wilderness reintroduces the great artist and ornithologist as an exceptional American writer, a predecessor to Thoreau, Emerson, and Melville. Audubon's award-winning biographer, Richard Rhodes, has gathered excerpts from his journals, letters, and published works, and has organized them to appeal to general readers. Rhodes's unobtrusive commentary frames a wide range of selections, including Audubon's vivid "bird biographies," correspondence with his devoted wife, Lucy, journal accounts of dramatic river journeys and hunting trips with the Shawnee and Osage Indians, and a generous sampling of brief narrative episodes that have long been out of print--engaging stories of pioneer life such as "The Great Pine Swamp," "The Earthquake," and "Kentucky Barbecue on the Fourth of July." Full-color reproductions of sixteen of Audubon's stunning watercolor illustrations accompany the text. The Audubon Reader allows us to experience Audubon's distinctive voice directly and provides a window into his electrifying encounter with early America: with its wildlife and birds, its people, and its primordial wilderness.
A wonderful keepsake reader's edition of a classic collection of wildlife observations
Published by Thriftbooks.com User , 18 years ago
Richard Rhodes is the author of more than twenty works of history and fiction, winning many awards: his biography of John James Audubon appeared in 2004 and this companion reader is a wonderful survey of Audubon's own colorful writings about the American wilderness. Rhodes edits and gathers the best of Audubon's own voice, providing an anthology spiced with full-color reproductions of sixteen of his watercolors. The result is a wonderful keepsake reader's edition of a classic collection of wildlife observations. Diane C. Donovan California Bookwatch
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