Fledgling Days: Memoir of a Falconer [Hardcover]

Emma Ford (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 1, 1999

1999. Emma Ford is one of the most acclaimed falconers in the world today. This is her powerful memoir of life in the Kent countryside where she learned from girlhood the art of falconry. It is both a tale of personal discovery and heart-warming account of a country childhood filled with a cast of eccentric characters. Hard cover. 246 pp.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

In this captivating memoir, renowned falconer Ford recounts an idyllic childhood living in a small cottage at Chilham Castle Estate in Kent. Her next-door neighbor, the falconer for the estate, encouraged her obvious interest in the birds; by the age of eight, Ford had discovered her vocation. The first bird she trained was Wally, a Wahlburg eagle nearly half her size. Eventually, she learned to train all species of raptors and acquired birds of her own. Chilham Castle offered medieval banquets and jousting events during the summer months; one of the riders, Steve Ford, was also a falconer. By age 15, Emma had appeared in nature films and TV commercials, and her reputation as a falconer was widespread. She and Steve were invited by Sheikh Zaid to Abu Dhabi to share their views on falconry, a visit that inspired them to begin to teach. In 1982, Emma and Steve, now married, opened the British School of Falconry; in 1995, they launched an American branch in Manchester, Vt. In addition to the glorious birds, Emma's charming memoir is filled with other assorted beasts, plus a panoply of eccentric humans. (July)
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal

An accomplished English falconer and expert on birds of prey, Ford has written what we can only hope is the first installment of her autobiography. Her story opens after her parents divorced, when Ford was eight years old. Separated from her father, brother, and beloved pet dogs, she became enchanted with birds of prey. She was introduced to falconry by a neighbor and from that moment on dedicated her life to the sport of kings. By the age of 18, Ford had written two books on birds of prey, found her life's partner in another falconer, and opened the first dedicated falconry school in the world. Her heart-warming book is recommended for all public libraries.APeggie Partello, Keene State Coll. Lib., NH
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 256 pages
• Publisher: Overlook Hardcover; 1ST edition (June 1, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0879519479
• ISBN-13: 978-0879519476
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.4 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,202,969 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fledgling Days Fly High & Wide, August 13, 2000

By 

Rebecca Brown "rebeccasreads" (Clallam Bay, WA United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Fledgling Days: Memoir of a Falconer (Hardcover)

I made the mistake of cracking this book's spine just before dinner & everyone wandering in, drooling to be fed, found me gone into the wilds of Kent in England where a young woman discovers her heart's desire in the form of falcons. I relished Emma Ford's memoirs of her early days with owls, falcons, eagles & a hilarious assortment of four legged friends & foes.

The only child of divorced parents, Emma Ford labored to fulfill her mother's kind expectations of a proper profession for herself; eagerly taking on her school assignments the quicker to take off to the castle & continue her training in falconry. Sounds like something out of medieval times?

Yes & no, this is one thoroughly modern young person who follows her heart & finds herself a player in medieval recreations, her eagles starring in films & dashing off to Arabia to hob knob with a sheik. All the while her sense of honor & dedication is developing even as a charming, self-possessed Heroine emerges. This is one fresh, focused young women who has garnered for herself & her beloved menagerie a unique & fascinating niche. A fabulous gift idea! Do check out my full review at [my website]

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars an interesting biography, October 13, 1999

By 

Tammy Tang (Singapore) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Fledgling Days: Memoir of a Falconer (Hardcover)

it is an honestly written book that tells of the authors experiences-- her disappointments, her hopes and how she was introduced to falconry. it contains a variation of experiences, and there are more instances not related to falconry than expected.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars The Wings of Kent, September 30, 2009

By 

Jeannie Mancini "vernefan" - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Fledgling Days: Memoir of a Falconer (Hardcover)

Beginning at the age of five years old, Emma Ford embarks on a lifelong journey from the countryside of Kent to the Arabian Peninsula as a falconer, and lover of all animals God put on this earth. Fledgling Days is Emma's memoir of her precious and cherished years as a young girl lucky enough to be raised on a farm in the country right next door to a historical English castle. These sweet and often hilarious stories are of her slow education into the lives of creatures large and small, as she too grows from child to woman. Drowning in soppy clothes as she learns the hard way to milk a goat, breaking toes as she gets trampled on by a horse while she picks his hooves, teaching ferrets to round up rabbits for supper, and flying her first kestrel, are all in a days work as animal husbandry takes over Emma's life.

Living with her mother, Emma has a rather independent life, and is fearless and brave as she experiences one animal escapade after another. Cats, dogs, owls, eagles, kestrels, falcons, cows, goats, horses, and ferrets, all jockey for a place in Emma's heart as she learns to care for them, house them, train them, love them and lose them. Trials and tribulations of Emma and her pets, and the steady growth of her knowledge, and of herself as a mature woman, grace these pages with charming antidotes.

These are delightful tales of one woman who lived for a life with falcons and any critter that crawled her way. Training next door at the castle to fly and show falcons at their visitor display led her into offers of writing books on falconry, television shows, parts in movies, and later on an esteemed privileged trip to visit a Sheik on the Arabian Peninsula that culminates into a job offer to live and train his birds of prey.

I sincerely loved Emma and enjoyed watching her grow up as the story progresses, and was truly enlightened as an animal lover to hear of her wonderful life learning to be a full time falconer. This book is highly recommended for any lover of birds of prey or animal lovers in general. Heartwarming, funny, and entertaining.