Audubon's Elephant: America's Greatest Naturalist And The Making Of The Birds Of America - Softcover

Hart-Davis, Duff

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0805077758 ISBN 13: 9780805077759

Publisher: Owl Books, 2005

Synopsis

"Well-written. The picture emerges of a complex personality . . . a failure at several businesses but an astute judge of people . . . always happiest when roaming the woods and fields, and painting."
-David Allen Sibley (author of The Sibley Guide to Birds), The Boston Globe

Audubon's Elephant was the name given to John James Audubon's greatest work, The Birds of America-a folio of 435 life-size ornithological prints that would prove the most enduring depiction of birdlife in the United States. In 1826, still hard at work, his ambition threatened to exhaust the largesse of American aficionados and, seeking funds and fame, Audubon made his first trip to England.

British naturalist Duff Hart-Davis tells how Audubon's exotic woodsman's charm and astonishing artistic gift won him the attention of the aristocracy and an admiring public at a time when Americans in Britain could still cause a stir. Ultimately, his impassioned presentations to rooms full of smitten bird lovers helped him raise the funds he needed to complete The Birds of America. Lavishly illustrated with images from Audubon's life and work, Audubon's Elephant is an inspired depiction of the most important chapter in the life of America's most famous naturalist.
Duff Hart-Davis, himself a naturalist, has written a lively, highly engaging biography of Audubon’s heady and memorable days as a great American artist abroad.

About this title

Review:

America honours Audubon's memory by giving his name to the foremost conservation society in that country. Over here, we revere him more for the spectacular plates. Hart-Davis's book reproduces a number of them on pages that are about one-twentieth the size of a double-elephant. They still look magnificent, and not surprisingly. They are, after all, among the most memorable images of birds ever produced. (David Attenborough THE SUNDAY TIMES (21.9.03))

'Duff Hart-Davis recounts with verve and much fascinating long-lost detail the hugely entertaining story of how the handsome, warm, long-haired frontiersman charmed his way into late-Georgian society...Audubon's Elephant is beautifully illustrated and will foster renewed interest in Audubon, not only for his art, but also for the man, optimistic, enthusiastic, irrepressible.' (Michael McCarthy INDEPENDENT (10.10.03))

'[a] vividly written and copiously illustrated book.' (Simon Barnes TIMES (20.9.03))

'...elegant and beautifully produced...Duff Hart-Davis has buffed Audubon's travails and wanderings into a picaresque tale. He captures the personalities and habitats of all thos involved with a bird-spotter's eye for telling details and in prose that is entirely free from nature-mimsy...an exceptionally vivid account of an extraordinary man and his equally extraordinary project.' (Michael Prodger SUNDAY TELEGRAPH (28.9.03))

'Making valuable use of Audubon's own writings, and fully in tune with his way of thinking...Hart-Davis has produced an attractive account of a publishing story that will be enjoyed by both specialists and by those who don't know one end of a Roseate Spoonbill from another.' (Robert Douglas-Fairhurst TELEGRAPH (27.9.03))

'Hart-Davis's book focuses on the man's energy and obstinacy, as well as on his great luck in attracting partners - such as his printmaker, Robert Harvell of London. But fittingly for a book celebrating a book, the great glory of Audubon's Elephant is its own colour illustrations, which reproduce more han 30 of the original plates.' (Robin Blake FINANCIAL TIMES magazine (27.9.03))

'gorgeous reproductions...' (Michael Herron GEOGRAPHICAL (October issue))

'fascinating facts and beautiful reproductions of his [Audubon's] works.' (HOME AND COUNTRY (November issue))

Duff Hart-Davis sets Audubon and his world vividly before us...This delightful book does Audubon and his creation proud. (Huon Mallalieu COUNTRY LIFE (16.10.03))

Excellent illustrations are well used in this beautifully produced book. It is both an enticing introduction to Audubon, and a sobering reflection on the human cost of genius and great achievement. (Paddy Woodworth IRISH TIMES (25.10.03))

Book Description:

The unlikely story of how the most famous work on birds came into being

About this edition

• Publisher: Owl Books
• Publication date: 2005
• ISBN 10: 0805077758
• ISBN 13: 9780805077759
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 288