The Audubon reader

As readers of Rhodes' illuminating biography of James John Audubon, a Booklist Top of the List title, have discovered, Audubon was as vivid a writer as he was a passionately precise artist. Here Rhodes presents an invaluable and stirring collection of Audubon's zestful letters, vital biographies of birds and quadrupeds, and zestful journal excerpts, striking writings introduced with a lively portrait of the intrepid artist and selected with an eye to materials not included in the Library of America's volume. Enlightening and charming, Audubon relates one remarkable exploit after another while documenting his quest for birds in the fecund Midwest, lavish Florida, and Labrador (comfortless, cold and foggy, yet grand ), and his adventures in England, where he marvels over British formality and oversees the painstaking creation of his masterpiece, The Birds of America. Expressing awe for nature and respect for Native Americans, Audubon chronicles his prodigious efforts as naturalist, artist, and family man (letters from his heroic wife, Lucy, are included), sharing his ardor and concern for all of life, be it avian, botanical, or human. --Donna Seaman Copyright 2006 Booklist

Pulitzer Prize-winning author Rhodes offers a companion volume to John James Audubon: The Making of an American, his 2004 biography of the artist, ornithologist, and writer, with this latest addition to the "Everyman's Library" series. Carefully chosen excerpts on North American birds and mammals from Audubon's journals, letters, and books provide a refreshing, intimate view of the man whose name is synonymous with birds. The selections are arranged chronologically, allowing the reader to follow the progress of Audubon's explorations from Florida to Labrador and his attempts to balance his devotion to family life with his passionate drive to produce the definitive 19th-century work on birds of North America. A select bibliography and 16 color illustrations of Audubon's bird paintings are included, along with an excellent chronology that places events in Audubon's life alongside cultural and historical highlights of the time. A distinctive collection despite some overlap with John James Audubon: Writings and Drawings (Library of America, 1999), this work is an essential purchase for public and academic libraries. (Index not seen.)-Maureen J. Delaney-Lehman, Lake Superior State Univ. Lib., Sault Ste. Marie, MI (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.