Missouri River Journals of John James Audubon

John James Audubon (1785–1851) is one of America's premiere wildlife artists. His book The Birds of America is considered one of the greatest picture books ever produced, and his monumental The Viviparous Quadrupeds of North America has been hailed as an American classic. Daniel Patterson is a professor of English at Central Michigan University. He is the author and editor of several books, including John James Audubon's Journal of 1826: The Voyage to "The Birds of America" (Nebraska, 2011) and Early American Nature Writers: A Biographical Encyclopedia.

"Patterson's volume is a model of its kind: meticulous, patient scholarship with some carefully balanced but revealing conclusions of great general interest."-Jeremy Mynott, Times Literary Supplement "A commendable contribution to Audubon scholarship."-Gregory Nobles, Great Plains Quarterly “By far the liveliest and most extensive account of Audubon’s late-life trip on the Upper Missouri River.”-John Knott, professor emeritus of English at the University of Michigan and author of Imagining Wild America“With his discovery of a John James Audubon journal long believed to have been intentionally destroyed, Patterson provides new insight into the life of America’s iconic artist and naturalist. An exceptional book.”-William Benemann, author of Men in Eden: William Drummond Stewart and Same-Sex Desire in the Rocky Mountain Fur Trade

• List of IllustrationsPrefaceAcknowledgmentsList of AbbreviationsEditorial PrinciplesPart I. Maria Rebecca Audubon, Her Grandfather’s 1843 Missouri River Journals, and the “Great Auk Speech”Part II. Audubon’s Missouri River Expedition of 1843His EminencePreparationsMinnie’s Land to St. Louis, March 11–28St. Louis, March 28–April 24St. Louis to the Yellowstone River and Fort Union, April 25–June 12Fort Union and the Prairies, June 13–August 15Fort Union to St. Louis, August 16–October 19St. Louis to Minnie’s Land, October 22–November 7Part III. The Three Forgotten Manuscript JournalsThe Beinecke Partial CopyThe Original Field Notebook and the Newberry Partial CopyPart IV. Audubon’s Conservation Ethic ReconsideredAudubon’s Hunting and Conservation Ethic as Represented in the BiographiesThe Lived EthicThe Written EthicEpiloguePart V. Other Materials from the 1843 ExpeditionThe 1843 Diary of John Graham BellThe 1843 Diary of Isaac SpragueAudubon’s “George Catlin” Powder Horn from the Missouri River ExpeditionAppendix: “The Pet Bear,” an Unpublished EpisodeWorks CitedIndex