A Passion for Birds: American Ornithology after Audubon

(Paperback)

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Description

This is a history of American ornithology, from the death of John James Audubon to World War II. The book shows how efforts to form a scientific community distinct from popular birders met with only partial success. The founding of the American Ornithologist's Union in 1883 and the subsequent expansion of formal educational and employment opportunities in ornithology marked important milestones in this campaign, Yet, by the middle of the 20th century, when ornithology had finally achieved ther status of a modern profession, its practitioners remained dependant on the services of birdwatchers and other amateur enthusiasts. Environmental issues are also discussed in the account as the author traces areas of both co-operation and conflict between ornithologists and wildlife conservationists.

Reviews

Winner of the 1998 Forum for the History of Science in America Book Prize One of Choice's Outstanding Academic Titles for 1999 "Lively drama, complete with colorful characters, harrowing escapes, class struggles and personal triumphs... I was gripped from cover to cover by this book and gained enormous insights into my roots."--John W. Fitzpatrick, Nature "In these pages, one senses a palpable kinship between the present birding world and the generations ... who preceded us... Ironically the subject material seems altogether contemporary, as reflective of our own passion for birds as of that of our predecessors."--Ted Floyd, Birding "Barrow's entertainingly informative work mines rich veins of archive material, both scientific and lay, in order to chart the special relationship which has developed over the years between the professional ornithologist and the collector, the taxidermist, the conservationist and the amateur birdwatcher."--The Times Literary Supplement "Barrow's work provides an enormously useful guide to an impressive range of subjects in the history of science, far broader than the subject of the book itself... Highly readable..."--Jane R. Camerini, Isis "History and bird lovers alike will find A Passion for Birds by Mark V. Barrow, Jr. interesting ... with its colorful story and cast of characters."--Birder's World "Closely argued, engagingly written, punctuated with humor and insight, A Passion for Birds combines scholarship with accessibility."--Michael Edmonds, Environmental History

Author Bio

Mark V. Barrow, Jr., is Associate Professor of History at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University.