In the late nineteenth century, American bird lovers faced a crisis. Bird species were becoming endangered or even extinct at an alarming rate, and old methods of hunting and collecting specimens accelerated the process. A new conservationist approach to birding was necessary, and it needed to be taught to the next generation of Americans. Thus 1897’s Citizen Bird, the first birding guide for children, was born. A tremendously influential text in the Progressive-era United States, it inspired in a generation of schoolchildren a love of wild birds and the desire to protect them. Born of a collaboration between naturalist Mabel Osgood Wright, ornithologist Elliott Coues, and bird artist Louis Agassiz Fuertes, the book is vital to the history of birding and the broader study of nineteenth-century American culture and literature. This new edition of Citizen Bird preserves the original book’s 111 drawings and adds explanatory footnotes, supplemental historical material, and a new introduction. More than a century and a quarter after its original publication, Elizabeth Cherry and Meghan Freeman contextualize the book in the tradition and history of birding and discuss the roles of its authors and illustrator in birding history. A landmark text in the history of American conservationism, Citizen Bird is a timeless classic that will bring joy to birdwatchers of all ages.

Produktinformation

Utgivningsdatum2025-05-31
Mått178 x 254 x 30 mm
Vikt821 g
FormatHäftad
SpråkEngelska
Antal sidor466
FörlagRutgers University Press
IllustratörFuertes, Louis Agassiz
ISBN9781978837065

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ELIZABETH CHERRY is a professor of sociology at Manhattanville University in Purchase, New York. She is the author of Culture and Activism: Animal Rights in France and the United States and For the Birds: Protecting Wildlife Through the Naturalist Gaze (Rutgers University Press). MEGHAN FREEMAN is the fellowship and internship librarian at the Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library at Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut, and she has taught and published on nineteenth-century literature, art, and culture.MABEL OSGOOD WRIGHT (1859–1934) founded the Connecticut Audubon Society and the Birdcraft Museum and Sanctuary in Connecticut, published several books on birds and birding, and helped revive and reestablish the National Audubon Society through her work as editor and writer for Bird-Lore, the precursor to Audubon Magazine. Her book Birdcraft: A Field Book of Two Hundred Song, Game, and Water Birds (1895) is widely regarded as the first true field guide for birds, and her book Citizen Bird: Scenes from Bird-Life in Plain English for Beginners (1897) is cited by the Library of Congress as a milestone in the conservation movement. ELLIOTT COUES (1842–1899) was one of the founders, and later the president, of the American Ornithologists’ Union (now the American Ornithological Society), published numerous books and scientific papers on ornithological topics, and edited the AOU’s publication The Auk. His Key to North American Birds (1872), a highly regarded scientific bird identification manual, was revised and reprinted in six editions. One of the American Ornithological Society’s most prestigious annual awards is named after Elliott Coues. LOUIS AGASSIZ FUERTES (1874–1927) was a highly sought-after American bird illustrator, second in prominence today only to John James Audubon. He produced thousands of illustrations for many important works, including Merriam Bailey’s Handbook of Birds of the Western United States (1902), Keyser’s Birds of the Rockies (1902), Coues’s Key to North American Birds (1903), Eaton’s Birds of New York (1910–1914), and Forbush’s Birds of Massachusetts (1925–1929). The Wilson Ornithological Society has named its most prestigious award after Louis Agassiz Fuertes.

Chapter 1 Overture by the Birds Chapter 2 The Doctor's Wonder Room Chapter 3 A Sparrow Settles the Question Chapter 4 The Building of a Bird Chapter 5 Citizen Bird Chapter 6 The Bird as a Traveller Chapter 7 The Bird's Nest Chapter 8 Beginning of the Bird Stories Chapter 9 A Silver-Tongued FamilyBluebird-Robin- Wood Thrush-Wilson’s Thrush-Hermit Thrush-Olive-backed Thrush. Chapter 10 Peepers and CreepersGolden-crowned Kinglet-White-breastedNuthatch-Chickadee-Brown Creeper. Chapter 11 Mockers and ScoldersSage Thrasher-Mockingbird-Catbird-Brown Thrasher-Rock Wren-House Wren-Long-billed Marsh Wren. Chapter 12 Woodland WarblersBlack-and-white Warbler-Yellow Warbler-Yellow-rumped Warbler-Ovenbird-MarylandYellow-throat-Yellow-breasted Chat-American Redstart. Chapter 13 Around the Old BarnRed-eyed Vireo-Great Northern Shrike-Cedar Waxwing. Chapter 14 The SwallowsPurple Martin-Barn Swallow-Tree Swallow-Bank Swallow. Chapter 15 A Brilliant PairScarlet Tanager-Louisiana Tanager. Chapter 16 A Tribe of Weed WarriorsPine Grosbeak-American Crossbill-AmericanGoldfinch-Snowflake-Vesper Sparrow-White- throated Sparrow-Chipping Sparrow-Slate-coloredJunco-Song Sparrow-Towhee-Cardinal-Rose-breasted Grosbeak-Indigo Bird. Chapter 17 A Midsummer ExcursionBobolink-Orchard Oriole-Baltimore Oriole-Cowbird-Red-winged Blackbird-PurpleGrackle-Meadowlark. Chapter 18 Crows and Their CousinsAmerican Crow-Blue Jay. Chapter 19 A Feathered FishermanThe Osprey. Chapter 20 Some Sky SweepersKingbird-Phoebe-Wood Pewee. Chapter 21 Hummers and Chimney SweepsRuby-throated Hummingbird-Chimney Swift. Chapter 22 Two Winged MysteriesNighthawk-Whip-poor-will. Chapter 23 A Laughing FamilyDowny Woodpecker-Red-headed Woodpecker-Flicker-Yellow-bellied Sapsucker. Chapter 24 Two Odd FellowsKingfisher-Yellow-billed Cuckoo. Chapter 25 Cannibals in CourtBald Eagle-Golden Eagle-Screech Owl-Long-eared Owl-Snowy Owl-Great Horned Owl-Marsh Hawk-Sharp-shinned Hawk-Red-shouldered Hawk-Sparrow Hawk. Chapter 26 A Cooing PairPassenger Pigeon-Mourning Dove. Chapter 27 Three Famous Game BirdsBob White-Ruffed Grouse-Woodcock. Chapter 28 On the ShoreA Long-necked Family: Black-crowned Night Heron-American Bittern-A Bonnet Martyrand a Blue Giant-Snowy Egret-Great Blue Heron. Chapter 29 Up the RiverTurnstone-Golden Plover-Wilson’s Snipe-Spotted Sandpiper-Least Sandpiper-Virginia Rail. Chapter 30 Ducks and DrakesWood Duck-Black Duck-Mallard-Pintail- Green-winged Teal-Blue-winged Teal-Redhead-Old Squaw-Hooded Merganser. Chapter 31 Gulls and Terns at HomeCanada Goose-American Herring Gull-Common Tern-Loon-Pied-billed Grebe. Chapter 32 Chorus by the Birds Chapter 33 Procession of Bird Families Index of English Names APPENDIX 1 Supplementary Material on Citizen Bird APPENDIX 2 Historical Materials on Nineteenth-Century Birding and Audubon APPENDIX 3 Other Works of Nineteenth-Century Nature Writing and Children’s Literature APPENDIX 4 Further Reading Acknowledgments About the Contributors Index

"In this successful annotated edition, Cherry and Freeman supply crucial scholarly apparatus, providing readers with the explanations and context they need to appreciate this engaging work and the work and career of Mabel Osgood Wright." - Mark V. Barrow, Jr. (author of Nature's Ghosts: Confronting Extinction from the Age of Jefferson to the Age of Ecology) "This volume makes a valuable contribution to a variety of fields. It will be of great appeal to scholars for both research and pedagogical purposes, and rescues Mabel Osgood Wright from historical amnesia. Scholars, educators, birders, and nascent naturalists benefit from this well-illustrated field guide complemented by the editors’ compelling pedagogical materials." - Adam Shprintzen (author of The Vegetarian Crusade: The Rise of American Reform Movement 1817-1921)