"In 1830 in Edinburgh a meeting occurred that was to lay the foundations of ornithology in Britain and the United States. John James Audubon was a famous American naturalist and bird artist, looking for an assistant to transcribe his notes; William MacGillivray was an obscure teacher and journalist, obsessed by the natural world and determined to make his name in ornithology. The two men formed a friendship that led to ten frantic years of writing, painting and travelling, culminating in the publication of MacGillivray's masterwork, A History of British Birds. He never recovered from the hostile critical reception the first volumes of the work received, and, lonely and depressed after Audubon's return to America, he spent the last years of his life teaching and reviewing. He lived just long enough to see the publication of the final volume of his life's work." "Today MacGillivray is celebrated by many as one of the first ecologists, while A History of British Birds in many ways anticipates Darwin's The Origin of Species. His illustrations were among the first to show wild animals and birds as living creatures inhabiting their own environment, rather than as dead specimens, and their delicacy and accuracy ensure that his work is at least the equal of the more famous Audubon's. This beautifully designed book is the first fully illustrated treatment of MacGillivray's art, restoring him to his rightful place at the forefront of natural history artists."--BOOK JACKET.Title Summary field provided by Blackwell North America, Inc. All Rights Reserved
來源: Google Book