{"product_id":"alexander-wilson-edward-h-burtt-9780674072558","title":"Alexander Wilson: The Scot Who Founded American Ornithology","description":"\u003cp\u003eAudubon was not the father of American ornithology. That honorific belongs to Alexander Wilson, whose encyclopedic \u003ci\u003eAmerican Ornithology\u003c\/i\u003e established a distinctive approach that emphasized the observation of live birds. In the first full-length study to reproduce all of Wilson's unpublished drawings for the nine-volume \u003ci\u003eOrnithology\u003c\/i\u003e, Edward Burtt and William Davis illustrate Wilson's pioneering and, today, underappreciated achievement as the first ornithologist to describe the birds of the North American wilderness. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eAbandoning early ambitions to become a poet in the mold of his countryman Robert Burns, Wilson emigrated from Scotland to settle near Philadelphia, where the botanist William Bartram encouraged his proclivity for art and natural history. Wilson traveled 12,000 miles on foot, on horseback, in a rowboat, and by stage and ship, establishing a network of observers along the way. He wrote hundreds of accounts of indigenous birds, discovered many new species, and sketched the behavior and ecology of each species he encountered. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eDrawing on their expertise in both science and art, Burtt and Davis show how Wilson defied eighteenth-century conventions of biological illustration by striving for realistic depiction of birds in their native habitats. He drew them in poses meant to facilitate identification, making his work the model for modern field guides and an inspiration for Audubon, Spencer Fullerton Baird, and other naturalists who followed. On the bicentennial of his death, this beautifully illustrated volume is a fitting tribute to Alexander Wilson and his unique contributions to ornithology, ecology, and the study of animal behavior.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAuthor:\u003c\/b\u003e Edward H. Burtt, William E. Davis\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN-10:\u003c\/b\u003e 0674072553\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN-13:\u003c\/b\u003e 9780674072558\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/b\u003e Belknap Press\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eLanguage:\u003c\/b\u003e English\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublished:\u003c\/b\u003e 06\/24\/2013\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePages:\u003c\/b\u003e 464\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eFormat:\u003c\/b\u003e Hardcover\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eWeight:\u003c\/b\u003e 2.11lbs\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eSize:\u003c\/b\u003e 9.47h x 6.76w x 1.39d\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eReview Citation(s): \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003ePublishers Weekly\u003c\/i\u003e 03\/11\/2013\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eLibrary Journal\u003c\/i\u003e 07\/01\/2013 pg. 100\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eNew York Review of Books\u003c\/i\u003e 10\/10\/3013 pg. 41\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eChoice\u003c\/i\u003e 02\/01\/2014","brand":"Edward H. Burtt","offers":[{"title":"Hardcover","offer_id":44491369251071,"sku":"9780674072558","price":35.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0662\/2982\/9887\/files\/img_19f4b3d1-22d9-4059-b19b-4479f54a1d7f.jpg?v=1699450813","url":"https:\/\/www.whiterainbookhouse.com\/products\/alexander-wilson-edward-h-burtt-9780674072558","provider":"WR Book House","version":"1.0","type":"link"}