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An updated edition
"Lucy was, in DeLatte's words, 'extraordinarily
independent'. She was no feminist. . . . Yet Lucy Bakewell
Audubon had one advantage over many other women of her time:
she knew precisely what she wanted. As often happens to
good biographers, DeLatte herself seems to take on some
of her subject's characteristics as her biography progresses.
Modestly but firmly, she turns her book into a plea for
Lucy Audubon, an entirely unapologetic one, though."
—Christopher Irmscher, from his Foreword
Wife of the great naturalist John James Audubon, Lucy Bakewell
Audubon (1788–1874) was a powerful and extraordinary
woman who coped resourcefully with the demands of a difficult
situation and worked tirelessly to aid her husband in his
landmark work. In Lucy Audubon: A Biography, Carolyn
E. DeLatte focuses on the early life of Lucy Audubon: her
birth in England and youth in eastern Pennsylvania, her courtship
and marriage to the eccentric young Audubon, their wanderings
along the western fringe of the country, the birth of their
children, and the preparation and publication of The Birds
of America. Throughout, DeLatte emphasizes Lucy Audubon's
own experiences, concerns, and point of view. She tells of
Lucy's often stormy relationship with her brilliant but unreliable
husband, her place at the head of their small family, and
her crucial role in the creation and publication of her husband's
magnum opus. Intelligent, adaptable, and strong-willed, Lucy
was, DeLatte shows, the partner Audubon needed for his life
and for his work. As noted Audubon expert Christoph Irmscher
says in his foreword, "When [DeLatte] slips into her
character's skin, she does so unobtrusively and to great effect—thus,
we are right there with Lucy."
"Much has been written about John James Audubon but
DeLatte has given us a first major look at the unique and
talented woman who stood strongly both behind him and by
his side." —Christian Science Monitor
Carolyn E. DeLatte was a professor of history
at McNeese State University in Lake Charles, Louisiana.
Christoph Irmscher is the author or editor
of several books, including John James Audubon: Writings
and Drawings and The Poetics of Natural History:
From John Bartram to William James.
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