Celebrate the 200th anniversary of the publication
of
Alexander Wilson’s
AMERICAN ORNITHOLOGY
In 1814, Alexander Wilson published volume 9 of his groundbreaking American Ornithology, completing his descriptions of the birds of the United States. The nine-volume set was the first major scientific publication of the young republic and the founding document of American ornithology. To commemorate
the 200th anniversary of its publication, Ohio Wesleyan University will celebrate Wilson’s life and accomplishments at a one-day symposium “Alexander Wilson and the Making of American Ornithology.” The symposium will be held April 23, 2014, at the university, beginning at 8 a.m. and continuing through dinner. Presenters will include:
• Joel T. Fry, Curator, Bartram’s Garden, The John Bartram Association
• Gerard Carruthers FRSE, Chair of Scottish Literature since 1700, University of Glasgow
• Edward H. Burtt, Jr., Cincinnati Conference Professor of Zoology, Ohio Wesleyan University
• Robert McCracken Peck, Curator of Art and Artifacts and Senior Fellow, The Academy of Natural Sciences of Drexel University
• Tom Blanton, an art collector who has spent 15 years seeking to acquire all editions of Wilson’s American Ornithology published in the 19th century. Full details of the symposium and the exhibition of Wilson’s artwork, publications, and notes are available at Wilson200.owu.edu, where you also may register. Please register by April 9 to facilitate planning of meals, breaks and a reception at the exhibit. Ohio Wesleyan professor Edward H. “Jed” Burtt Jr. and William E. Davis Jr., professor emeritus at Boston University, are co-authors of “Alexander Wilson: The Scot Who Founded American Ornithology.” The 464-page book was published in 2013 following a decade of research.
