A Summer of Birds: John James Audubon at Oakley House (The Hill Collection: Holdings of the LSU Libraries)

In Summer of Birds, Danny Heitman offers a beautiful window into the history of an enigmatic artist-icon, John James Audubon. It's a wonderful read whether or not you're a birder or a southerner or even a history buff. In poetic prose, Heitman tells the story of the formative summer in 1821 when a young, bankrupt Audubon was hired as a tutor by a rich plantation family that lived in a corner of south Louisiana that proved to be a "bird heaven." Heitman brings to life the luxuriant natural setting that helped inspire Audubon's masterpiece, "Birds of America," Audubon's foibles, flaws, and genius, and the intricacies of plantation life just decades before the civil war. Highly recommended.

Wonderful book with beautiful images and endpapers. It addresses a cryptic period in Audubon's life when he was so poor he sought employment as a tutor to a 15 year old girl in a southern plantation owned by wealthy landowners. He was very productive and drew a few birds but on the whole it was a stressful time for him because the lady of the house did not care for him. He was fired and payment was withheld for a while, but an enduring mystery remains as to the reasons for his dismissal.Teresita Alicea

Nicely written delineation of Audubon's preparation of his great work. Expresses the family and financial problems involved.