Editor's Summary
6 January 2005
A life with the birds
John James Audubon's monumental Birds of America holds a place among the greatest artistic achievements of any era, and his writings provide a rich chronicle of North American natural history before the industrial revolution. Yet Audubon remains victim of a legend that paints him as a bumbling businessman and dandy, who deserted his family to live in the woods and sketch birds. In a major biography reviewed in Nature this week, historian and novelist Richard Rhodes separates fact from fiction to draw a rounded picture of Audubon the man.
Books and Arts: A natural pioneer
doi:10.1038/433016a