Alexander Wilson : The Scot Who Founded American Ornithology
Saved in:
| Title: | Alexander Wilson : The Scot Who Founded American Ornithology |
|---|---|
| Description: | Audubon was not the father of American ornithology. That honorific belongs to Alexander Wilson, whose encyclopedic American Ornithology 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 In the first full-length study to reproduce all of Wilson's unpublished drawings for the nine-volume Ornithology, Edward Burtt and William Davis illustrate Wilson's pioneering and, today, underappreciated achievement as the first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.Abandoning 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.Drawing 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. |
| Authors: | Edward H. Burtt, Jr, William E. Davis, Jr |
| Resource Type: | eBook. |
| Subjects: | Ornithology--United States--History, Ornithologists--United States--Biography, Birds--United States--Pictorial works |
| Categories: | BIOGRAPHY & AUTOBIOGRAPHY / Environmentalists & Naturalists, ART / Subjects & Themes / Plants & Animals, SCIENCE / History, SCIENCE / Life Sciences / Zoology / Ornithology |
| Database: | eBook Collection (EBSCOhost) |
| FullText | Links: – Type: ebook-pdf – Type: ebook-epub Text: Availability: 0 |
|---|---|
| Header | DbId: nlebk DbLabel: eBook Collection (EBSCOhost) An: 596494 RelevancyScore: 1051 AccessLevel: 6 PubType: eBook PubTypeId: ebook PreciseRelevancyScore: 1050.81640625 |
| IllustrationInfo | |
| ImageInfo | – Size: thumb Target: https://rps2images.ebscohost.com/rpsweb/othumb?id=NL$596494$PDF&s=r – Size: medium Target: https://rps2images.ebscohost.com/rpsweb/othumb?id=NL$596494$PDF&s=d |
| Items | – Name: Title Label: Title Group: Ti Data: Alexander Wilson : The Scot Who Founded American Ornithology – Name: Abstract Label: Description Group: Ab Data: Audubon was not the father of American ornithology. That honorific belongs to Alexander Wilson, whose encyclopedic American Ornithology 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 Ornithology, 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.Abandoning 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.Drawing 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. – Name: Author Label: Authors Group: Au Data: <searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Edward+H%2E+Burtt%2C+Jr%22">Edward H. Burtt, Jr</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22William+E%2E+Davis%2C+Jr%22">William E. Davis, Jr</searchLink> – Name: TypePub Label: Resource Type Group: TypPub Data: eBook. – Name: Subject Label: Subjects Group: Su Data: <searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Ornithology--United+States--History%22">Ornithology--United States--History</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Ornithologists--United+States--Biography%22">Ornithologists--United States--Biography</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Birds--United+States--Pictorial+works%22">Birds--United States--Pictorial works</searchLink> – Name: SubjectBISAC Label: Categories Group: Su Data: <searchLink fieldCode="ZK" term="%22BIOGRAPHY+%26+AUTOBIOGRAPHY+%2F+Environmentalists+%26+Naturalists%22">BIOGRAPHY & AUTOBIOGRAPHY / Environmentalists & Naturalists</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="ZK" term="%22ART+%2F+Subjects+%26+Themes+%2F+Plants+%26+Animals%22">ART / Subjects & Themes / Plants & Animals</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="ZK" term="%22SCIENCE+%2F+History%22">SCIENCE / History</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="ZK" term="%22SCIENCE+%2F+Life+Sciences+%2F+Zoology+%2F+Ornithology%22">SCIENCE / Life Sciences / Zoology / Ornithology</searchLink> |
| PLink | https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&site=eds-live&db=nlebk&AN=596494 |
| RecordInfo | BibRecord: BibEntity: Classifications: – Code: 598.092 Scheme: ddc Type: prePub Languages: – Code: eng Text: English Subjects: – SubjectFull: Ornithology--United States--History Type: general – SubjectFull: Ornithologists--United States--Biography Type: general – SubjectFull: Birds--United States--Pictorial works Type: general Titles: – TitleFull: Alexander Wilson : The Scot Who Founded American Ornithology Type: main BibRelationships: HasContributorRelationships: – PersonEntity: Name: NameFull: Edward H. Burtt, Jr – PersonEntity: Name: NameFull: William E. Davis, Jr – PersonEntity: Name: NameFull: Edward H. Burtt, Jr – PersonEntity: Name: NameFull: William E. Davis, Jr IsPartOfRelationships: – BibEntity: Dates: – D: 01 M: 01 Type: published Y: 2013 – D: 04 M: 02 Type: profile Y: 2014 Identifiers: – Type: isbn-print Value: 9780674072558 – Type: isbn-electronic Value: 9780674073739 – Type: isbn-electronic Value: 9780674073777 Titles: – TitleFull: Alexander Wilson : The Scot Who Founded American Ornithology Type: main |
| ResultId | 1 |
