Neltje Blanchan

This is a book of birds for children. In printed form, it would be some 280 pages long. The listing and description of birds is both extensive and exhaustive, with everything from the common Robin and Bluebird to the lesser-known Tilt-up, Wigeon, and Teeter-tail.

The book has a complete index of every bird described.

This edition of the book contains the 63 original illustrations, rejuvenated. The front piece is a colored illustration. The remainder are full-page black and white photographs. (Realize the book was published in 1907, and colored photographs would probably have been prohibitively expensive.)

Neltje Blanchan De Graff Doubleday (October 23, 1865 – February 21, 1918) was a United States scientific historian and nature writer who published several books on wildflowers and birds under the pen name Neltje Blanchan. Her work is known for its synthesis of scientific interest with poetic phrasing.

Neltje married Frank Nelson Doubleday in Plainfield, New Jersey on June 9, 1886. They had two sons and one daughter: Felix Doty (adopted), Nelson (1889–1949) and Dorothy. They had homes in both New York City and Oyster Bay.

Neltje Doubleday entertained regularly and participated in philanthropic work for the American Red Cross.

In 1917 she visited the Philippines and China on special assignment as a commissioner for the Red Cross. She died suddenly in Canton, China on February 21, 1918 at age 52.