<div>John James Audubon is renowned for his masterpiece of natural history and art, <I>The Birds of America</I>, the first nearly comprehensive survey of the continent’s birdlife. And yet few people understand, and many assume incorrectly, what sort of man he was. How did the illegitimate son of a French sea captain living in Haiti, who lied both about his parentage and his training, rise to become one of <I>the</I> greatest natural historians ever and the greatest name in ornithology? In <I>Under a Wild Sky</I> this Pulitzer Prize finalist, William Souder reveals that Audubon did not only compose the most famous depictions of birds the world has ever seen, he also composed a brilliant mythology of self. In this dazzling work of biography, Souder charts the life of a driven man who, despite all odds, became the historical figure we know today.<BR></DIV>