John James Audubon's Journal of 1826: The Voyage to The Birds of America

John James Audubon, an early American naturalist and painter, produced one of the greatest works of natural history and art of the nineteenth century, The Birds of America. As the record of the interior story of the making of this monumental work, his journal of 1826 is one of the richest documents in the history of American culture.

 
The first accurate transcription of Audubon’s 1826 journal, this edition corrects many of the errors, both intentional and unintentional, found in previous editions. Such errors have obscured the figure of Audubon as a man struggling to realize his professional and artistic dreams. When Audubon embarked for Liverpool from New Orleans in 1826, he carried with him more than 250 of his watercolor drawings in a heavy case, a packet of letters of introduction, and many a good reason to believe that he was a fool to be gambling his family’s fortunes on so risky and grandiose a venture. These journal entries, conveying with energy and emotion Audubon’s experience of risking everything on a dream—“Oh, America, Wife, Children and acquaintances, Farewell!”—document an American icon’s transformation from a beleaguered backwoods artist and naturalist to the man who would become America’s premier ornithologist, illustrator of birds, and nature essayist.

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John James Audubon's Journal of 1826: The Voyage to The Birds of America

John James Audubon, an early American naturalist and painter, produced one of the greatest works of natural history and art of the nineteenth century, The Birds of America. As the record of the interior story of the making of this monumental work, his journal of 1826 is one of the richest documents in the history of American culture.

 
The first accurate transcription of Audubon’s 1826 journal, this edition corrects many of the errors, both intentional and unintentional, found in previous editions. Such errors have obscured the figure of Audubon as a man struggling to realize his professional and artistic dreams. When Audubon embarked for Liverpool from New Orleans in 1826, he carried with him more than 250 of his watercolor drawings in a heavy case, a packet of letters of introduction, and many a good reason to believe that he was a fool to be gambling his family’s fortunes on so risky and grandiose a venture. These journal entries, conveying with energy and emotion Audubon’s experience of risking everything on a dream—“Oh, America, Wife, Children and acquaintances, Farewell!”—document an American icon’s transformation from a beleaguered backwoods artist and naturalist to the man who would become America’s premier ornithologist, illustrator of birds, and nature essayist.

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John James Audubon's Journal of 1826: The Voyage to The Birds of America

John James Audubon's Journal of 1826: The Voyage to The Birds of America

John James Audubon's Journal of 1826: The Voyage to The Birds of America
John James Audubon's Journal of 1826: The Voyage to The Birds of America

John James Audubon's Journal of 1826: The Voyage to The Birds of America

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Overview


John James Audubon, an early American naturalist and painter, produced one of the greatest works of natural history and art of the nineteenth century, The Birds of America. As the record of the interior story of the making of this monumental work, his journal of 1826 is one of the richest documents in the history of American culture.

 
The first accurate transcription of Audubon’s 1826 journal, this edition corrects many of the errors, both intentional and unintentional, found in previous editions. Such errors have obscured the figure of Audubon as a man struggling to realize his professional and artistic dreams. When Audubon embarked for Liverpool from New Orleans in 1826, he carried with him more than 250 of his watercolor drawings in a heavy case, a packet of letters of introduction, and many a good reason to believe that he was a fool to be gambling his family’s fortunes on so risky and grandiose a venture. These journal entries, conveying with energy and emotion Audubon’s experience of risking everything on a dream—“Oh, America, Wife, Children and acquaintances, Farewell!”—document an American icon’s transformation from a beleaguered backwoods artist and naturalist to the man who would become America’s premier ornithologist, illustrator of birds, and nature essayist.


Product Details

ISBN-13: 9780803275171
Publisher: UNP - Nebraska
Publication date: 06/01/2017
Pages: 540
Product dimensions: 6.00(w) x 8.90(h) x 1.50(d)

About the Author


John James Audubon (1785–1851) is one of America’s premier wildlife artists. His monumental Birds of America, a collection of 435 life-sized prints, was published from 1826 to 1838 and is often considered the greatest picture book ever produced. Daniel Patterson is a professor of English at Central Michigan University. He is the author or editor of several books, including Early American Nature Writers: A Biographical Encyclopedia and Susan Fenimore Cooper's Essays on Nature and Landscape. Patricio J. Serrano is the director of the Applied Linguistic Career at Escuela Politécnica del Ejército in Quito, Ecuador. John R. Knott is a professor emeritus of English at the University of Michigan and the author or editor of numerous works, including Imagining Wild America.

Table of Contents

List of Illustrations
Foreword
John R. Knott
Acknowledgments
Introduction: The History and Significance of Audubon's Journal of 1826
Editorial Principles and Procedures
List of Abbreviations and Symbols
1. Departure from Bayou Sara and New Orleans; Voyage to Liverpool
2. Liverpool
3. Manchester
4. Return to Liverpool
5. Return to Manchester and Travel to Matlock and Bakewell
6. Edinburgh
Appendix A: A Page from Audubon's 1828 Journal
Appendix B: Letters of Introduction Copied into the 1826 Journal
Appendix C: Front Matter in the Manuscript of the 1826 Journal
Textual Notes
Index

What People are Saying About This

Boston Globe - Anthony Doerr

"Now, nearly 200 years later, Audubon is in fact "here, there and all over the Globe." And we are very lucky indeed to have a definitive transcription of the document that describes how that happened."—Anthony Doerr, Boston Globe

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