Audubon's Elephant : The Story of John James Audubon's Epic Struggle to Publish the 'Birds of America - Hardcover

Hart-Davis, Duff

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 029782967X ISBN 13: 9780297829676

Publisher: Weidenfeld & Nicolson, 2003

Synopsis

A first edition copy of John James Audubon's THE BIRDS OF AMERICA now sells for several million pounds. This narrative account is the first to concentrate on the crucial periods that Audubon, an American, but born illegitimate in Haiti, spent in England in the 1820s and 1830s and will tell how the world's most famous work of ornithological art came into being. It will describe the astonishing energy and persistence with which Audubon fought his 12-year battle in Liverpool, Edinbugh and London in a period of great political instability - and how his opponents tried to spike his guns. It will also explain the technical processes involved in the production of such large coloured engravings.

Duff Hart-Davis will draw on the archives of the families with whom Audubon stayed and worked and will fill out his own sketches of contemporaries whom he met and admired - Sir Walter Scott, the naturalist and engraver Thomas Bewick, and the leading English bird artist of the day, John Gould.

PS: The Elephant in the title describes the dimensions of the original BIRDS OF AMERICA

About this title

About the Author

Duff Hart-Davis is a writer and journalist celebrated particularly for his books and columns on the countryside. He was Literary Editor and Assistant Editor of the Sunday Telegraph and has been country columnist for The Independent since 1986. He lives and farms in Gloucestershire.

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) 'A remarkable story by any standards and one which Hart-Davis, aided by lavish examples of Audubon's work, brings spectacularly to life.' YORKSHIRE EVENING POST (11.10.03) 'For those who cannot afford the USD8.8 million paid for the last complete Audubon set sent from this country to the United States in 2002, this it is the next best thing.' -- James Buchan GUARDIAN (29.11.03) 'this is an attractive book, beautifully produced with a number of luxurious colour plates.' -- Isabella Tree LITERARY REVIEW (December 2003) 'Duff Hart-Davis...[is to be] congratulated for producing engaging accounts of the triumphs and travails that Audubon experienced in Europe.' -- Mark V. Barrow Jr TLS (12.12.03) 'Hart-Davis has produced a compact, elegant and readable biography.' -- David Knight NATURE (December 2003) 'This is a carefully researched book and vividly conveys Audubon's tenacity, energy and determination in realising his stupendous project.' -- Johnny de Uphaugh THE FIELD (1.1.04) 'This portrayal of Audubon's life, along with the beautifully executed, dramatic and vibrant colour plates, reflects the man's unfailing energy and obsessive determination. Following him through the highs and lows of his quest for a publisher is a great read, especially for anyone interested in social history and art.' WILDFOWL & WETLANDS MAGAZINE (Spring 2004)

About this edition

• Publisher: Weidenfeld & Nicolson
• Publication date: 2003
• ISBN 10: 029782967X
• ISBN 13: 9780297829676
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 192
• Illustrator: Profusely Illustrated