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Alexander Wilson: Enlightened Naturalist (Apercus: Histories Texts Cultures) (Aperçus: Histories Texts Cultures)

Alexander Wilson: Enlightened Naturalist (Apercus: Histories Texts Cultures) (Aperçus: Histories Texts Cultures)

by Gerard Carruthers (Contributor), Frank Gill (Contributor), Gerard Carruthers (Contributor), Frank Gill (Contributor), Irving N. Rothman (Contributor), Edward H. Jr. Burtt (Author), John Kricher (Contributor), Jr. William E. Davis (Contributor), Rick Wright (Contributor)

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    Illustrated 2017

    $51.20
Synopsis

This book examines the power of cross-disciplinary thinking. Alexander Wilson was a published poet, an accomplished musician, a skilled artist and an insightful observer. All these skills came together in his truly revolutionary text, American Ornithology, which is the founding document of American ornithology. The elegance of its writing, the novelty of its art, and the excellence of its science make Wilson's Ornithology worth consulting even today, two centuries after its publication.

$51.20

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2 in stock

More Information

Format: Illustrated
 Pages: 232
 Edition: Illustrated
 Publisher: Bucknell University Press
Published: 01 Jan 2017
ISBN 10: 161148796X
ISBN 13: 9781611487961

Media Reviews
This book contains five essays devoted to the work of Alexander Wilson (1766-1813), the Scottish-born ornithologist often described as the Father of American Ornithology. The edited collection completes the project initially conceived by Edward H. Burtt (emer., zoology, Ohio Wesleyan Univ.), a dedicated ornithologist who died in April 2016, before the work could be finished. Burtt focused attention on Wilson because he was a central figure in American ornithology. Although a product of the Scottish Enlightenment, Wilson rejected Greek neoclassical learning in favor of nature. The essays cover many aspects of Wilson's life-e.g., his artistic, literary, and musical contributions stand out along with his work as a naturalist. Many of Wilson's poems are reprinted here, often bearing an ornithological theme. Wilson is evaluated as a Scots poet, but poetry written after his emigration to America is well represented. Other essays discuss his studies of American birds, and the effect he had on the field. There are many magnificently colored plates illustrating the bird species Wilson studied and painted. They are a fitting tribute to both Wilson and Burtt, and will appeal to naturalists, ornithology students, and natural history researchers. Summing Up: Recommended. Upper-division undergraduates and above; researchers and faculty. * CHOICE *
This book reflects the varied topics that arise in symposia covering a person's life and work and diligently pursues their precise documentation. It is a book written by and with scholars in mind. However, much may be gleaned by those with an interest in the history of ornithology, the development of field practices, taxonomic issues, and the intersection of these with the arts of poetry and painting. * The Canadian Field-Naturalist *
Combining one of the prettiest sciences, ornithology, with multiple subspecialties within eighteenth-century studies (art history, literary history, cultural studies, political history), Alexander Wilson: Enlightened Naturalist will enjoy a wide and possibly even popular audience, for it combines scholarly precision with appealing illustrations while it addresses an ever-loved topic. -- Kevin L. Cope, Louisiana State University
Author Bio
The late Edward H. Burtt, Jr. was the Cincinnati Conference Professor of Zoology at Ohio Wesleyan University.