Audubon's Elephant : The Story of John James Audubon's Epic Struggle to Publish the 'Birds of America

Examines American ornithologist, naturalist, and painter, John James Audubon's years in Edinburgh and London (1826-38), during which he oversaw the complex production of his unwieldy masterpiece, "The Birds of America, " This monumental work consists of 435 hand-colored, life-size prints of 497 bird species, made from engraved copper plates. They were printed on sheets measuring about 39 by 26 inches. The work contains slightly more than 700 North American bird species. The cost of printing the entire work was $115,640 (over $2,000,000 today), paid for from advance subscriptions, exhibitions, oil painting commissions, and animal skins, which Audubon hunted and sold. Audubon's great work was a remarkable accomplishment. It took more than 12 years of field observations and drawings, plus his single-handed management and promotion of the project to make it a success. Despite bitter competition from the supporters of another ornithologist (George Ord) and long separations from his wife, Lucy, and their children, Audubon prevailed, meeting Sir Walter Scott and securing subscriptions from King George IV and other members of the royal family.