I just received a book, a gift from a very close friend. It is a beautiful edition of “The Birds of America” by John James Audubon. This copy was printed in 2022 by Prestel Publishers.
I am very thankful for this gift. In grade school, a schoolmate’s mother had a copy of this book, and I used to go over to their house and trace different birds and finish them with colored pencils. This book will hold a valued spot in the library, with its 435 drawings of birds.
I just looked through my John James Audubon selections. While I didn’t have the complete works, I did have “Favorite Birds of America” from 1979. There are about 100 paintings, and then descriptions of each specific bird.
While Audubon is famous for his bird paintings, he also did folios on animals called “The Quadrupeds of North America”. There were 150 paintings that he did with the help of his son. He also had a partnership with Reverend John Bachman. Audubon did the paintings and Backman did the written descriptions.
I have a copy of “Audubon Game Animals” published 1968, that lists 31 game animals and their descriptions and habitats, all with Audubon’s paintings and Backman’s writings.
In the library annex, I have several bookcases full of volumes from “The Library of America”. These are well-made books of American authors. I have one “Writings and Drawings” John James Audubon.
If researching Audubon, this is a very detailed book. It has most of his journals, memoirs and letters. There is also a selection of his paintings, along with some drawings that have never been published before.
My library also has several books about Audubon. A very good book is “Audubon Painter of Birds in the Wild Frontier” by Jennifer Armstrong, published in 2003.
I have had my oldest grandchildren read this book. It has great illustrations by Jos. A. Smith, and the stories are wonderful, backed by Audubon’s own journals. Every children’s library should have this book. It is mesmerizing. I have read the book several times.
But my favorite book on the subject of our bird painter is “John James Audubon” by Margaret and John Kieran. It is a Landmark book published in 1954-number 48.
This book discusses the life of Audubon. He had many failures in his life, and difficult times. The author was a naturist, and an associate of the Birds of American Museum of Natural History, and his wife was children’s editor of Boston Herald and juvenile book reviewer for the Atlantic Monthly. Their enthusiasm for writing the story of Audubon was very apparent. He came alive in the book.
I have a love affair with Landmark books. I read these from the library of Westfield school-5th through 8th grade. They are “Baby Boomer Books”. I have a good collection of Landmark Books. I keep them in two bookcases in my guest bedroom. I think they are interesting to thumb through. Each one is about 180 pages long and very easy to read. They all have wonderful illustrations inside-and the dust jacket illustrations cannot be beat.
However, it is now getting late…and time to put my books to roost, in their individual spaces of the library. Thanks for letting them ‘strut their stuff’, preening in the name of John James Audubon.
Librarytomes 