From the Pulitzer Prize—winning historian Richard Rhodes, the first major biography of John James Audubon in forty years, and the first to il...
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reviews
Mar 03, 2008
Marty
rated it: 
As a birder, I've always known that we owed a lot to John James Audubon. But until I read this biography, I hadn't realized quite how much American ornithological history owes to one man's quest to document the species of birds found in this country (or at least, once did).
This book was given to me by a friend almost a year ago, and it took me this long to give it the attention it deserved. The biography covers the life - and times - of John James Audubon, author and illustrator of More...
This book was given to me by a friend almost a year ago, and it took me this long to give it the attention it deserved. The biography covers the life - and times - of John James Audubon, author and illustrator of More...
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Sep 22, 2008
Zeb
rated it:
I finally finished this book this AM, and I am really happy I took the time to learn about the man whose name has become synonymous with bird conservation in the US.
The diligence, energy, and passion Audubon had for his desire to document the birds of America is astounding and probably difficult to find in many others in our present technological age.
The author of this book unearths interesting facts and excerpts from Audubon's journals throughout the book. I really enjo More...
The diligence, energy, and passion Audubon had for his desire to document the birds of America is astounding and probably difficult to find in many others in our present technological age.
The author of this book unearths interesting facts and excerpts from Audubon's journals throughout the book. I really enjo More...
Jul 12, 2011
Chris
rated it: 
Art, nature and American history - three of my favorites - combined into one perfect trifecta of a book. The writing is so well done and researched that it feels like a movie. Gives a vivid description of the 1800s and the vast, still unexplored American landscape. One interesting aspect of the book is how we take email and instant responses for granted. The letters that Audubon wrote to his wife and she to him took months to reach each other. A fight that occurs over letters takes months to res
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Dec 07, 2009
Charles
rated it:
This review ran in the San Jose Mercury News on October 17, 2004:
John James Audubon produced his paintings of the birds of America by killing, skinning and dissecting thousands of them. Those astonishing images of birds full of life -- flying, fighting, mating, preening, feeding their young -- were achieved by mounting dead birds on a contraption of his own devising: ''Sharpened wires embedded in a board onto which he could impale his fresh specimens in lifelike attitudes,'' as Richa More...
John James Audubon produced his paintings of the birds of America by killing, skinning and dissecting thousands of them. Those astonishing images of birds full of life -- flying, fighting, mating, preening, feeding their young -- were achieved by mounting dead birds on a contraption of his own devising: ''Sharpened wires embedded in a board onto which he could impale his fresh specimens in lifelike attitudes,'' as Richa More...
Feb 15, 2008
Charles
rated it: 
Well-researched and informative. Great insights into Audubon's life and career. Better insights into the American frontier during the early 19th century. For the first hundred pages, I was a bit put off by the author's sentence structures and turns of phrase, but Audobon's story is deeply engaging--full of twists, turns and trials. Rhodes has provided us with a monumental portrait of a monumental man, and an insight into the mania, triumphs, and setbacks that punctuate the lives of artists.
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Sep 02, 2009
Cheryl
rated it:
I'm not very good at this book review thing. My grandfather did it professionally and he was a master at it. I enjoy reading as much as he did but I lack the ability to put into words at a lofty and intellectual level, why I specifically liked it. I mention this only because I think this book should get a better review than I'm going to be able to provide, mine being, I fear over-simplistic....
This was a wonderful book about an intriguing man, his family, and also, in some ways, a More...
This was a wonderful book about an intriguing man, his family, and also, in some ways, a More...
Feb 05, 2009
From the Pulitzer Prize-winning author of The Making of the Atomic Bomb comes a far different story about the intersection of innovation and death__Audubon had to kill his subjects, after all, to illustrate them. Critics differ in opinion about Rhodes's newest effort. Rhodes certainly offers a compelling and complex portrait of Audubon's place in antebellum America and constant desire to reinvent himself. Rhodes also raises timeless issues about the value of nature, family, and fame; he never lo
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May 09, 2011
Renee
rated it:
Well worth the read, although occasionally frustrating -- due more to the subject's personality than a lack of talent on behalf of the writer. Audubon was a profoundly gifted artist, but a substandard husband, gone more than he was home. For a variety of reasons he was unwilling to bring his wife Lucy to him, or to go to her, even after she wrote and told him they were perhaps ill-suited to one another -- an example of her own frustration with his procrastination.
Given the artist's More...
Given the artist's More...
Jan 02, 2008
Sara
rated it:
A delicious read for this wanna-be birder and former artist. It's full of amazing history, descriptions of a vanishing wilderness, and a great portrait of a truly astonishing person. Uplifting in the end in spite of all the bad turns of fate for M. Jean-Jacques.
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Jan 12, 2008
Denise
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i loved this book- but i'm a bird nerd and love books set in frontier america. richard rhodes must have lived and breathed james audubon for years to come up with such a rich and compelling picture of audubon, america and europe in the 1700's.
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Apr 15, 2011
Dennis
rated it:
Although Audubon was a Frenchman, he became an American in the truest sense of the word. As a businessman he lost everything in the panic od 1819. He then reinvented himself as an artist and naturalist, becoming one of the most famous men of his time. He devoted his life to Birds of America. He also witnessed and chronicled the beginnings of the destruction of the American wilderness by the people who thought our resources were limitless.
This is a fine, well written account of this l More...
This is a fine, well written account of this l More...
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Nov 22, 2010
Bev
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I gave this a 4-star rating more because I am a birder and was fascinated by the story of his life. I would have given it a 3-star rating otherwise. The book was well written. The narrative and descriptive passages moved along at a good pace and kept me really interested. However, the but contained far too many insertions of correspondence between JJA and his wife Lucy. Many of these were repepitive and boring. In many instance descriptions would have been a better choice.
That being s More...
That being s More...
Oct 05, 2009
FrankO
rated it: 
As a birdwatcher, I wanted to like this book so bad, but it didn't hold my interest. The book is very detailed, perhaps too much, and a bit dry. It's truly amazing how many birds Audubon shot in his efforts to create his remarkable drawings. The author defends this as being the practice of the day. Audubon shot some birds to wound them so that he could collect the wounded birds because "he clearly liked to work with live specimens." Here's an interesting quote from the book:
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Mar 07, 2009
Diana
rated it:
Extremely well-written, absorbing biography, not just for bird watchers. Most people only know Audubon killed a lot of birds in order to paint them. This book draws from letters and journals of many people in Audubon's life, not just his own. Very rich in details of life in the early 19th century, and the hardships and dedication of the artist.
May 04, 2011
Mattadrian
rated it:
A dense, insightful portrait of an astonishingly inquisitive man who lived fully and had a fierce love for nature, as well as for his "true friend," Lucy. The book provides such a rich accounting of the hard work and pure scrap of Audubon in the creation and selling of his masterwork, that I was truly humbled. What a life to have lived!
Aug 19, 2009
Patrick
rated it:
Knowing my love of bird watching, my brother and his wife gave me this book that celebrates the life of the man who brought life to the study of birds through his painting. This also appealed to me as a book of history as it portrayed life in the late 1700's. Definitely something even non-birders and artists can enjoy.
Aug 10, 2010
Jupie
rated it:
Interesting if somewhat tedious book about the life of Audubon. Born in France, but considered himself an American. Lived on the Mississippi when there wasn't much there. Painted birds and finally spent years in England away from his family to get them published and make some money. Worth the read.
Dec 30, 2010
Richard
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I'm recalling this book now as I take a year-end look over the books I read in 2010. This one was one of the nicer surprises. This biography of Audobon had been sitting on my shelf for years. I bought it in a discount book store, unsure if I'd ever be motivated enough to read a book about a guy who painted birds, but it was much better than I expected. A terrific look at American life in the early part of the 19th Century, and Audobon had a more interesting life than I realized. I was also struc
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May 14, 2011
Marge
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It took me a few pages to get into this book, but eventually enjoyed reading about Audubon and the times he lived in. I found the life story rather repetitive, but overall the man accomplished so much for natural history.
Feb 10, 2009
Kathleen
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This was an exciting book once it got started. There are a lot of famous names dropped throughout the book.
I had no idea Audubon's life was so interesting. He was born to a slave mother and French naval officer who adopted him after his mother's death. He lost two of his children shortly after their birth. He went bankrupt after financing a steam powered sawmill. He still managed to publish his amazing collection of bird paintings at a time when the author paid the printer.
His journ More...
I had no idea Audubon's life was so interesting. He was born to a slave mother and French naval officer who adopted him after his mother's death. He lost two of his children shortly after their birth. He went bankrupt after financing a steam powered sawmill. He still managed to publish his amazing collection of bird paintings at a time when the author paid the printer.
His journ More...
Jan 07, 2012
Courtney
rated it:
A bit too detailed, making some sections far too long but an interesting look at a man whose legacy lives on today. It was fascinating to know who his contemporaries and supporters were.
Feb 01, 2009
Rex
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Never in my life would I have thought that I would read a biography of Audubon. But since I'm a fan of the author, I gave it a try and found it quite interesting.
Apr 11, 2009
Carol
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Has rich biographical detail of Audubon's personal life including his love for mammals with focus on the birds he collected and drew.
Feb 04, 2011
Tanya
rated it:
I'm not a huge fan of biographies....I like the style of memoirs where it's more of a story-telling, but this is a good biography. Rich details and fun moments. It makes you think of Audubon as a fully three dimensional person. I loved the relationship he had with his wife. I'll be writing a short one-act play about both of them soon.
Jun 09, 2009
Jen
rated it:
Compelling and interesting. I never knew Audubon did so much to impact birds and wildlife in America.
Dec 16, 2009
Katherine
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This book was recommended to me by a museum colleague (we are preparing to install an exhibition on Audubon). It is wonderfully written, but so damn depressing I couldn't finish it! Audubon nearly died twice before turning 30, had four children (half of which died), and he declared bankruptcy twice before turning 34. He also frequently escaped murder attempts by his rivals.
Yes, I do feel guilty about not finishing it, and maybe one day I'll return.
Yes, I do feel guilty about not finishing it, and maybe one day I'll return.
Jan 18, 2012
Ed
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Was gifted this and a new edition of his "Birds of America" for Christmas ... a childhood fave, revisited.
Sep 19, 2008
w
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started reading this book a while ago and had to return it to the library. What I read that seemed so interesting was the competition of similar artists during that time. Also, travel by boat down the Ohio seemed sketchy by the time they would reach Louisville. oh yeah, I think he was a gunsmith too.
Feb 05, 2012
Kathy
rated it:
Thoroughly enjoyed on many levels, besides the obvious interest of the man himself. Nature and the will to survive is a clear understory. For all the birds, and other animals, sacrificed in the name of art, science, fashion, commerce, sport, and survival it's a true wonder we have so many left!
Aug 03, 2008
Anne
rated it:
The lives of people who achieve great things are tougher than they look from the outside. More than I wanted to know about Audubon's travels, but still very interesting and well-written.
