About the Author

John James Audubon (1785-1851) was an self-trained American artist, naturalist, and ornithologist. His combined interests led him to attempt a complete visual record of all the bird species of North America. His major work, The Birds of America (1827-1839), is one of the finest ornithological works ever published. He is also known for identifying 25 new species and many of the scientific names first bestowed by Audubon are still in use by the scientific community.

John T. Bowen was a printmaker, painter, and illustrator born in England, 1801. He emmigrated to the U.S. in 1834 and soon established himself as the preeminent lithographer and hand-colorist of Philadelphia. In addition to the McKenney collaboration, he published several folios and books including Views of Philadelphia, Audubon's Quadrupeds and Birds of America, and Log Cabin Politicians, as well as maps and atlases. He lived in Philadelphia with his wife and fellow artist, Lavinia, until his death around 1856. Lavinia would carry on her husband's lithography business for some time.

Johannes Gerardus Keuleman (1842-1912) was a Dutch bird illustrator. For most of his life he lived and worked in England, illustrating many of the best-known ornithology books of the nineteenth century.

Peter Gray is long established as an illustrator of books, magazines and newspapers with occasional forays into such fields as film storyboards and costume design, advertising and animation projects. Peter is also the author of many books for adults and children, which have been published in many languages all around the world. He has contributed illustrations to many books, of wide-ranging subject matter, from classic fiction to educational and historical subjects.