Audubon the Naturalist: A History of His Life and Time

First published in 1917, Francis Hobart Herrick’s biography of John James Audubon stands as a seminal work in the field of ornithological history. Written by a professor of biology at Western Reserve University, the biography was born from a desire to provide a scientifically rigorous and fact-based account of Audubon's life, as earlier accounts had been heavily colored by romanticized myths and deliberate misinformation regarding the naturalist's origins.

Herrick’s design for the work centers on a meticulous integration of historical documentation, including newly discovered letters and journals that helped clarify the mystery of Audubon's birth. The two-volume set is characterized by its academic gravity and its inclusion of critical primary source materials. Upon its release, it was lauded by the scholarly community for effectively stripping away the legends surrounding the artist to reveal the grounded, industrious man beneath, setting the standard for all subsequent Audubon biographies.