This strange wilderness :

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Title :

This strange wilderness : the life and art of John James Audubon / Nancy Plain.

Title:

This strange wilderness :

Varying Form of Title:

Life and art of John James Audubon

Author:

Plain, Nancy

Format:

Books

Physical Description:

xviii, 112 pages : illustrations (chiefly color) ; 23 cm

ISBN:

9780803248847

Production / Publication Information:

Lincoln : University of Nebraska Press, [2015]

Contents:

Introduction : drawn from nature -- Beloved boy -- America, my country -- The American woodsman -- Down the Mississippi -- On the wing -- The birds of America -- Team Audubon -- This strange wilderness -- Audubon then and now -- Appendix : looking for Audubon and his world.

Bibliography note:

Includes bibliographical references (pages 99-105) and index.

Language:

English

Personal Subject:

Audubon, John James, 1785-1851.

Audubon, John James, 1785-1851. Birds of America.

Subject Term:

Ornithologists -- United States -- Biography.

Naturalists -- United States -- Biography.

Wildlife artists -- United States -- Biography.

Birds -- North America -- Pictorial works.

Birds in art.

Holds: Copies:

Available:*

Material Type	Library	Call Number	Item Barcode	Location
Book	Searching... Burlington Public Library	YA BIO AUDOBON	32116003312697	Searching... Unknown
Book	Searching... Hamilton-Wenham Public Library	Y B AUDUBON, JOHN JAMES	30470001400950	Searching... Unknown
Book	Searching... Rowley Public Library	YA 921 AUD	32130000819653	Searching... Unknown

Bound With These Titles

On Order

Summary

Birds were "the objects of my greatest delight," wrote John James Audubon (1785-1851), founder of modern ornithology and one of the world's greatest bird painters. His masterpiece, The Birds of America depicts almost five hundred North American bird species, each image--lifelike and life size--rendered in vibrant color. Audubon was also an explorer, a woodsman, a hunter, an entertaining and prolific writer, and an energetic self-promoter. Through talent and dogged determination, he rose from backwoods obscurity to international fame.

In This Strange Wilderness , award-winning author Nancy Plain brings together the amazing story of this American icon's career and the beautiful images that are his legacy. Before Audubon, no one had seen, drawn, or written so much about the animals of this largely uncharted young country. Aware that the wilderness and its wildlife were changing even as he watched, Audubon remained committed almost to the end of his life "to search out the things which have been hidden since the creation of this wondrous world." This Strange Wilderness details his art and writing, transporting the reader back to the frontiers of early nineteenth-century America.

Purchase the audio edition.

Reviews (3)

School Library Journal Review

Gr 7 Up-In this insightful biography, Plain demonstrates how naturalist and artist John James Audubon's groundbreaking The Birds of America, published in England in 1827, rocked the art and science worlds through its depictions of birds in naturalistic poses and in their own habitats. Born in Haiti and raised in France, Audubon (1785-1851) displayed a passion for drawing early on. As an adult, living and working in the United States, he struggled to portray birds realistically, eventually using wires to hold his specimens on boards in lifelike poses. Readers will get a strong sense of how devoted the man was to his cause, often leaving his family to roam the American wilderness hunting birds or to work on his book in England. Through beautifully crafted prose, Plain vividly describes the land Audubon loved, often in his own words, quoted from his letters. Audubon's stunning artwork is beautifully reproduced and paired with his thoughts on specific illustrations. Readers will also appreciate the inclusion of relevant paintings, photographs, and other images. This narrative of the life of a dedicated and hard-working figure is the story of an amazing individual and a glimpse into the natural history of the early United States. VERDICT An excellent addition to science and biography collections.-Frances E. Millhouser, formerly at Fairfax County Public Library, VA © Copyright 2015. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Kirkus Review

John James Audubon's 1838 masterpiece, The Birds of America, "marked the beginning of modern ornithology," and this volume dramatizes the life and times of the man who devoted his life to creating it. Audubon's life was a high-risk adventure story set in the early days of the United States, when Lewis and Clark had completed their explorations, settlers were beginning to head west, and the Trail of Tearswitnessed by Audubonwas an American tragedy. Audubon suffered the deaths of two baby girls and business failures, and he put his marriage at risk to do what he loved more than anythingtramp across the country and paint birds. In an age before photography, he created detailed, lifelike paintings of 489 species of birds, each bird looking real enough "to hop off the page and fly away." The beautifully designed volume includes many reproductions of Audubon's paintings, from the owls on the cover to the many full-page, full-color interior illustrations. Though occasionally florid, Plain's writingdrawing largely on Audubon's ownis lively and colorful, perfect for describing the swamps, forest, rivers and prairies Audubon so loved. Like Audubon's paintings, this volume "glow[s] with life." A superb introduction to the life and times of a great American artist and naturalist. (appendix, glossary, source notes, bibliography, illustration credits, index) (Biography. 9-14) Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

Booklist Review

*Starred Review* Raised in wealth and privilege in France, 18-year-old Jean-Jacques Audubon was sent by his father to America to avoid service in Napoleon's army. When he arrived in his adopted country, he already loved searching for birds and sketching them but was dissatisfied with his drawings. Over the next few years, he honed his skills as both naturalist and artist he also married, moved to the frontier, and lost his fortune. At 36, he began the ambitious project of creating The Birds of America, the monumental book that would establish his lasting reputation as an ornithologist and artist. Plain chronicles Audubon's adventurous life in a succinct, absorbing narrative that is well researched, meticulously documented, and beautifully written. The excellent color illustrations include photos and sketches as well as many paintings. Quotes from Audubon's writings add his lively voice to the narrative, and he emerges as a complex figure struggling, with little success, to balance his love of nature, adventure, and family. Plain also clearly explains why Audubon's bird illustrations were groundbreaking in their time and are still admired today. Insightful background reading for fans of Gary D. Schmidt's novel Okay for Now (2011), this biography offers a vivid introduction to Audubon's life and work.--Phelan, Carolyn Copyright 2015 Booklist