- Paperback: 384 pages
- Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing PLC (1 Oct 2007)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 0747591555
- ISBN-13: 978-0747591559
- Product Dimensions: 23.4 x 15.8 x 3.2 cm
- Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 324,143 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
| |||||||||||||||
Did you know you can trade in your old books for an Amazon.co.uk Gift Card to spend on the things you want? Visit the Amazon.co.uk Trade-In Store for more details. |
Product details |
Product Description
Review
'Beautifully compiled and illustrated ... A wonderful artefact...the choice of pictures and text makes the book consistently surprising' Daily Telegraph 'A spellbinding miscellany of images, essays, poems and scientific extracts' Rachel Campbell-Johnston, The Times 'Anyone who has watched birds, studied them, given them the least attention, will find this a treat. It is a compilation of writings that celebrate the many ways people have engaged with birds made companions of them, mythologised them, hunted and eaten them ... This book is well worth buying for the illustrations alone' New Scientist
Product Description
Featured in the vast majority of mythologies and religions, birds are generally associated with creativity and the human spirit. From the Christian dove to Quetzalcoatl (the Aztec plumed serpent), and from Raven Man to Plato's description of the soul growing wings and feathers, birds have represented the soul in contrast to the body, the spiritual as opposed to the earthly. The Bedside Book of Birds is an unexpected and fascinating treasure trove of paintings, drawings, essays and scientific observations: it marvellously conveys the hope, the longing and the enchantment that birds have evoked in humans in all cultures and all times. Beautifully produced, the book contains more than one hundred illustrations, ranging from early cave paintings through works by Audubon, Morris and Gould, to Inuit and other works created in the twentieth century. There are writings by naturalists like W.H. Hudson, Laurens van der Post, Peter Matthiessen and Barry Lopez, and by classical authors such as Shakespeare, Coleridge, Melville and Poe. There is also a rich seam of contemporary work by Jorge Luis Borges, Ted Hughes, Italo Calvino, Bruce Chatwin and Haruki Murakami, among many others. The Bedside Book of Birds is a book to explore, to savour, and to learn from - a book for the winged soul in all of us.
Inside This Book
(Learn More)
Browse and search another edition of this book.
Browse and search another edition of this book.
Tags Customers Associate with This Product(What's this?)Click on a tag to find related items, discussions, and people.
|
Sell a Digital Version of This Book in the Kindle Store
If you are a publisher or author and hold the digital rights to a book, you can sell a digital version of it in our Kindle Store.
Learn more
What Other Items Do Customers Buy After Viewing This Item?
Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
28 of 28 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
This is a remarkable anthology for the bedside of a bird lover. Divided into 9 sections (or 'habitats,' as the author calls them), the book is filled with a huge selections of bird-related passages found in literature, poetry and folklore. Gibson is the perfect anthologist for the material; the selections included consistently show his admiration, affection, and mystification for the feathered creatures. The hardcover edition is beautiful, heavy, and full of beautiful illustrations. The edition has a magical quality. It is a joy to open.
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
I bought this lovely book for my boyfriend. Since I also like birds and very much enjoy folktales, I was delighted to open it to find not only plenty of myths and legends on our feathered friends, but beautiful illustrations to compliment the text. Everything from exotic birds to the more familiar are covered here with tales from many countries and cultures. A gorgeous 'coffee table book' for bird lovers and fans of folklore.
Most Recent Customer Reviews
An avian fascination
If you are remotely interested in birds, this is a wonderful anthology. The book is beautifully presented, with marvellous reproductions of bird prints together with an an... Read more
Published 15 months ago by Julian
The Bedside Book of Birds - An Avian Miscellany
Purchased this for a bird crazy friend, he loves it, we had a brief flick through & was delighted with the contents. Read more
Published on 18 Mar 2010 by Mr. S. J. Clark
Listmania!
|
|
Look for similar items by category
Look for similar items by subject
Feedback
- Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
- I am the Author, and I want to comment on my book.
- I am the Publisher, and I want to comment on this book.
