The Feather Wars - by James H McCommons (Hardcover)

Book Synopsis

"A definitive history of bird conservation in America." (Kirkus Reviews, starred)

From the time the country was founded, early Americans assumed that the land's natural resources were infinite, including its birds, which were zealously hunted for food, game, and fashion. With the rapid extinction of the passenger pigeon--a bird once so numerous that its flocks darkened the sky in flight--many realized actions needed to be taken if other birds were to be saved. What followed was both a spiritual awakening and a great crusade to save birds and their habitat. The campaign took place on many battlefields: society teas in Boston, hunt clubs on the East Coast, the mangroves in the Everglades, and in the editorial pages of newspapers and periodicals. From many corners of the country the bird protection movement was born and brought together a remarkable coalition of people and organizations to save America's birds.

The Feather Wars is an entertaining and expansive work of American history, an incredible story about how disparate characters--progressive politicians, free-thinking society belles, nature writers and artists, bird-loving U.S. presidents, gunmakers, business titans, and brave game wardens--came together to save hundreds of species of birds. Heroes, martyrs, villains, and conflicted do-gooders--the early bird conservation movement had them all. Together they transformed how Americans thought and cared about birds, forever altering the American landscape.

Review Quotes

"McCommons is a solid writer with an encyclopedic grasp of his subject ... Society's realization that birds were a finite resource and worth saving makes for a hell of a story."--Bill Heavey, Wall Street Journal

"McCommons's fine book is a reminder that the chorus of wings and birdsong we still hear owes much to the unlikely pioneers who first fought to protect it."--Joshua Hammer, The New York Times Book Review

"A bracing history of the mass slaughter of birds in the late nineteenth and early twentieth century and the efforts of a ragtag coalition of crusaders ...to save America's birds."--Jonathan Miles, Garden & Gun

"Dazzling ... McCommons adorns his narrative with colorful characters that bring fascinating depth to the historical period ... the result is an immersive saga of a shift in both public conscience and everyday practice."--Publishers Weekly, starred review

"The book can be read as a history of the U.S. through birds, as, oddly enough, one can't fully be told without the other....[McCommons's] prose shines."--Kirkus Reviews, starred review

"The stories shared are truly awe-inspiring, as the bird crusade brought together the unlikeliest of allies who triumphed against overwhelming odds....A timely message."--Library Journal, starred review

"Lively and detailed ... Looking to the past at what bird champions of a century ago accomplished will inspire contemporary readers ... A well-researched and compelling example of nature writing."--Booklist

"When food, fashion, market forces, and even scientific inquiry demanded the deaths of birds, a colorful cast of turn-of-the-century Americans rose up in protest. James H. McCommons' insightful history chronicles battles for bird protection in every corner of the country, waged with words and images and sometimes with guns. The Feather Wars is a reminder of the power of grassroots conservation and a plea to continue the fight."
--Melissa L. Sevigny, author of Brave the Wild River

"A unique and valuable historical journey highlighting the efforts of the men and women who labored to conserve the birds of this country."
--Joel Greenberg, author of A Feathered River across the Sky: The Passenger Pigeon's Flight to Extinction and To Life: Jews Exploring Nature

"At the turn of the 20th century, birds in America were being slaughtered by the billions--for fashion, food, and the pet trade--pushing some species to the edge of extinction. Feather Wars tells the fascinating and often overlooked story of how this crisis ignited a nationwide campaign to protect them. This is more than a history of birds--it's a story about the birth of modern environmental consciousness in America."
--Rene Ebersole, Editor-in-Chief, Wildlife Investigative Reporters & Editors

About the Author