John James Audubon: The Nature of the American Woodsman

By: Gregory Nobles

Narrated by: T. Anthony Quinn

Length: 13 hrs and 44 mins

Publisher's Summary

John James Audubon's The Birds of America stands as an unparalleled achievement in American art, a huge book that puts nature dramatically on the page. With that work, Audubon became one of the most adulated artists of his time, and America's first celebrity scientist.

In this fresh approach to Audubon's art and science, Gregory Nobles shows us that Audubon's greatest creation was himself. A self-made man incessantly striving to secure his place in American society, Audubon made himself into a skilled painter, a successful entrepreneur, and a prolific writer, whose words went well beyond birds and scientific description. In pursuit of popular acclaim in art and science, Audubon crafted an expressive, audacious, and decidedly masculine identity as the "American Woodsman," a larger-than-life symbol of the new nation, a role he perfected in his quest for transatlantic fame.

Nobles argues that we cannot take all of Audubon's stories literally, but we must take them seriously. By doing so, we come to terms with the central irony of Audubon's true nature: the man who took so much time and trouble to depict birds so accurately left us a bold but deceptive picture of himself.

Published by University of Pennsylvania Press.

"Brings 'the American Woodsman' back to full, vivid life, capturing the artist's many facets as Audubon himself captured the essence of his beloved birds." - Scott Weidensaul, author of Of a Feather: A Brief History of American Birding

"Compulsively readable and fascinating. Gregory Nobles's bottom-to-top assessment of the entire tableau of Audubon lore is terrific." - Daniel Lewis, author of The Feathery Tribe: Robert Ridgway and the Modern Study of Birds

"An elegant book that adroitly weaves together a portrait of a man of genius and an account of the cultural and economic worlds in which he worked." - Ann Fabian, author of The Skull Collectors

©2017 University of Pennsylvania Press (P)2017 Redwood Audiobooks

An Icon in the Nature movement

One of the Leaders in American History in appreciating a variety of aspects in our glorious Nature.

With a good Narrator we are introduced to a complex man who juggled many fields including his most well known the
World of Birds and Nature.

All listeners will gain insights to a unique individual.



This book was given to me for free at my request and I provided this voluntary review

4 of 4 people found this review helpful

John J Audubon

I found this to be entertaining and very informative.I did not realize that Mr. Audubon was born in the 1700's.It was interesting to learn what people thought of bird song and migration patterns in those early years. T. Anthony Quinn was a fine narrator.I was given this book by the narrator,author or publisher free for an honest review.

The Legend. The Simple Man. The Complicated Man.

I didn't know a lot about the man himself, just about THE BOOK -- The Birds of America. My mom was a bird lover and had the book on the coffee table when we were growing up. What a dramatic testament to nature and to art, he was. And still loved today. There's a reason we all know his name. He left us with many gifts.

This a very well-written story of the man behind THE BOOK. Who was this guy? He was also a painter, a businessman and one heckuva writer. The "American Woodsman" will live on forever. We may never know all there is to know about the man, but we will always have the gifts he gave us.

Great story, great narration, loved it! :)
I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.

A Wonderful Listen!

Gregory Nobles takes us on a wonderful journey to learn about John James Audubon, his life and achievements. It was really great to learn more about this iconic man. I grew up knowing of his adventure to capture the many birds of this country but I didn't hear about much else. This book allowed me to learn about the many other facets of John J Audubon. If you've ever wanted to know more about this great nature lover then you should get this book. It's very well written and Mr. Nobles has done his research! The narration was wonderfully done as well. T Anthony Quinn read a really nice pace and helped to enrich the story experience. Overall, a really great work that is a pleasure to listen to.

I was given this free review copy audio book at my request and have voluntarily left this review.

Painstakingly Thorough

Mr Nobles obviously did his research. He spends a great deal of time helping us to understand the mystery surrounding Audubon’s birth year, birthplace and birth mother. We are made to feel like the companion Audubon craved for and had in mind as he worked on his life work (catalog of American Birds 400+ plates). We can’t help but feel his frustration as he struggled to be known as an artist/scientist and searched for subscribers for his $700+ 5 volume collection, where each vol weighed 50 pounds!

He was a world traveler and forever a dreamer.

T Anthony Quinn has amazing chops! Excellent narration. I would very much enjoy watching a documentary performed by him.

I was given a free copy of this audiobook. My review is voluntarily given