A Year of Birds: Writings on Birds from the Journal of Henry David Thoreau
A work of art as well as a work of literature, A YEAR OF BIRDS will be welcomed by nature lovers, art lovers, and birders. With 150 watercolors and field sketches by renowned bird artist Barry Van Dusen and a foreword by celebrated naturalist Peter Alden, the author of numerous Audubon Field Guides, Henry David Thoreau's writings on birds are showcased in a way never seen before. Unlike previous collections, the observations in A YEAR OF BIRDS are arranged by the day of the year, emphasizing the relationship of birds with their environment and the spiritual significance of the seasons. On any given day, curious readers might step into their yards and compare the birds they observe with those that Thoreau saw and heard. With a focus on the town of Concord, Massachusetts, where Thoreau spent most of his life, A YEAR OF BIRDS includes the best of Thoreau's unparalleled descriptions of birds, from the red-tailed hawk to the Blackburnian warbler. Also included are descriptions of bird hunting, birds in museums, and birds as metaphor. Special sections are devoted to the now-vanished passenger pigeon and to Thoreau's mysterious "night warbler."