
Birds
An Anthology
Jaqueline Mitchell(Editor)
Bodleian Library (Publisher)
Published on 5. June 2020
Book
Hardback
272 pages
978-1-85124-529-1 (ISBN)
Description
Thomas Hardy notes the thrush's 'full-hearted evensong of joy illimited', Gilbert White observes how swallows sweep through the air but swifts 'dash round in circles' and Rachel Carson watches sanderlings at the ocean's edge, scurrying 'across the beach like little ghosts'. From early times, we have been entranced by the bird life around us.
This anthology brings together poetry and prose in celebration of birds, records their behaviour, flight, song and migration, the changes across the seasons and in different habitats - in woodland and pasture, on river, shoreline and at sea - and our own interaction with them. From India to America, from China to Rwanda, writers marvel at birds - the building of a long-tailed tit's nest, the soaring eagle, the extraordinary feats of migration and the pleasures to be found in our own gardens.
Including extracts by Geoffrey Chaucer, Dorothy Wordsworth, Richard Jefferies, Charles Darwin, James Joyce, John Keats, Charlotte Bronte, Emily Dickinson, Anton Chekhov, Kathleen Jamie, Jonathan Franzen and Barbara Kingsolver among many others, this rich anthology will be welcomed by bird-lovers, country ramblers and anyone who has taken comfort or joy in a bird in flight.
This anthology brings together poetry and prose in celebration of birds, records their behaviour, flight, song and migration, the changes across the seasons and in different habitats - in woodland and pasture, on river, shoreline and at sea - and our own interaction with them. From India to America, from China to Rwanda, writers marvel at birds - the building of a long-tailed tit's nest, the soaring eagle, the extraordinary feats of migration and the pleasures to be found in our own gardens.
Including extracts by Geoffrey Chaucer, Dorothy Wordsworth, Richard Jefferies, Charles Darwin, James Joyce, John Keats, Charlotte Bronte, Emily Dickinson, Anton Chekhov, Kathleen Jamie, Jonathan Franzen and Barbara Kingsolver among many others, this rich anthology will be welcomed by bird-lovers, country ramblers and anyone who has taken comfort or joy in a bird in flight.
Reviews / Votes
"For centuries, birds have inspired the abiding interest of writers, and it's easy to see why. . . . Studying birds inevitably leads to interest in a hundred other vivid realities of the natural world. That relationship resonates throughout the pages of Birds: An Anthology. . . Birds is really about the birds of the English countryside and how these flying wonders and their surrounding landscape shape each other. Among the standouts are contributions from Geoffrey Chaucer, William Shakespeare, George Eliot and Daniel Defoe." -- Danny Heitman * Wall Street Journal * "This is exactly the sort of book to have nearby when you're simply looking to relax and enjoy the power of the written word - as well as the sight of a well-wrought woodcut - to carry you away to somewhere peaceful and filled with birds." * The Well-Read Naturalist *More details
Language
English
Place of publication
United Kingdom
Product notice
Paper over boards
Illustrations
25 Illustrations, black and white
Dimensions
Height: 205 mm
Width: 7 mm
Thickness: 30 mm
Weight
516 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-85124-529-1 (9781851245291)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Persons
Jaqueline Mitchell is a writer and compiler of anthologies, specialising in social and cultural history, and an editor of non-fiction.
Eric Fitch Daglish (1894-1966) was a wood engraver and illustrator. His book, 'Birds of the British Isles', was published in 1948.
Eric Fitch Daglish (1894-1966) was a wood engraver and illustrator. His book, 'Birds of the British Isles', was published in 1948.
Content
Introduction 1
What is a bird? Definitions over time 4
A Birding Year: Spring 9
Inland: Field, Hedgerow, Pasture, Woodland 35
Bird Song & Songsters 59
A Birding Year: Summer 89
Birds in Flight 107
Hawks & Hawking 131
A Birding Year: Autumn 159
Birds & Man 179
Outland: River, Coast, Sea, Shore 211
A Birding Year: Winter 237
index of authors 259
index of birds 261
acknowledgements 264
What is a bird? Definitions over time 4
A Birding Year: Spring 9
Inland: Field, Hedgerow, Pasture, Woodland 35
Bird Song & Songsters 59
A Birding Year: Summer 89
Birds in Flight 107
Hawks & Hawking 131
A Birding Year: Autumn 159
Birds & Man 179
Outland: River, Coast, Sea, Shore 211
A Birding Year: Winter 237
index of authors 259
index of birds 261
acknowledgements 264