Winged Wonders: A Celebration of Birds in Human History [Hardcover]

Peter Watkins (Author), Jonathan Stockland (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 28, 2007

Celebrating the powerful role of birds in human customs and traditions from around the world and throughout history, this sourcebook explores the delightful stories surrounding some of the world’s best-known birds—including the eagle, owl, pelican, falcon, dove, swan, and raven. With topics including folklore, literature, music, dance, and spirituality, this eclectic and enchanting encyclopedia of avian–human relations is an ideal companion for any bird-lover. Brilliantly illustrated and filled with intriguing research, it illuminates many astonishing aspects of bird life, including their dazzling colors, intricate nest-building habits, finely structured feathers, amazing feats of migration, and breathtakingly beautiful song and movement.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

This lighthearted miscellany is devoted to some of the birds that have inspired the human imagination through the ages. The authors discuss the characteristics of 16 familiar species and present intriguing stories gleaned from avian legends, poems, songs, nursery rhymes, religious stories and folktales from around the world. One learns why the eagle is a symbol of imperial power, the goose is sacred to certain gods, the ostrich is believed (mistakenly) to bury its head in the sand, the peacock and the pelican are symbols of resurrection, and the game of mah-jongg derives its name from the Chinese word for sparrow. There are morsels of information about everything from falconry and cockfighting to the origin of the Mother Goose tales. The book concludes with a brief history of birds in book illustration and a paean to the beauty of birdsong, with a list of musical compositions it has inspired. Although the authors are British—Watkins (A Book of Animals) is a vicar in West London, and Stockland is a former deputy director of education at Oxfam (Great Britain)—they include in their affectionate exploration of avian-human relations a chapter on America's state birds. 26 illus. (Oct.)
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From Booklist

As stated in the introduction, this lovely book is a celebration of some of the birds that animate our everyday lives and have long fired human creativity. People have long admired birds, which seem to inhabit two realms—the earth on which we live, and the skies above. The authors, avid birdwatchers, have collected a prodigious number of quotations about 16 birds: some specific (the cock, the ostrich, the raven) and sometimes as a group (the dove, the falcon, the wren). While revealing a bit of a British bias, the quotations range from the Bible through Chaucer, Spenser, Whitman, and other poets. We also hear from early Greek and Roman naturalists, Gilbert White, and John James Audubon. Entwined with the literary are etymological tidbits and snippets of natural history. Three short chapters follow the main text, discussing U.S. state birds, famous bird illustrators, and the songs of birds. Illustrated throughout with delicate line drawings, this will be an excellent source for bird-related allusions, or for dipping into by bird lovers. Bent, Nancy

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 224 pages
• Publisher: Bluebridge (October 28, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1933346078
• ISBN-13: 978-1933346076
• Product Dimensions: 8 x 5.3 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,481,949 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

16 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Novel, original, and highly recommended reading, November 4, 2007

By 

Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Winged Wonders: A Celebration of Birds in Human History (Hardcover)

Birds, in fiction, fantasy, fable, and fact, have impacted upon human history and imagination for millennia. In "Winged Wonders: A Celebration Of Birds In ;Human History", two bird-watching enthusiasts in Britain, Peter Watkins and Jonathan Stockland, impressively collaborate in compiling and organizing material on their avian subject matter from the works of poets, artists, and spiritual figures to illustrate and illuminate the relationship between humans and birds. From the serious and divine, to the humourous and whimsical, "Winged Wonder" is a compendium of information and anecdote organized into chapters dedicated to the cock, cuckoo, dove, eagle, falcon, goose, kingfisher, ostrich, owl, peacock, pelican, raven, robin, sparrow, swan, and wren. Of special note are the chapters dedicated to Bird Illustrators; State Birds; and Birdsong. "Winged Wonders" is novel, original, and highly recommended reading for bird enthusiasts and community library Pets/Wildlife collections.

4.0 out of 5 stars Winged Wonders, A Celebration of Birds in Human History, September 18, 2011

By 

Cindy Bellinger (Pecos, New Mexico) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Winged Wonders: A Celebration of Birds in Human History (Paperback)

Birds. They touch our hearts and inspire our imaginations. There's nothing like taking time each day to watch them in our yards, along our streets. Birds have enriched human life for eons. This book explores the presence of birds in art, legends, proverbs, nursery rhymes and poetry and illuminates many aspects of birds--their colors, feathers, migration, songs and intricate feats of nest-building. Unknown facts fill the pages of Winged Wonders such as humans and geese have had a domestic relationship for 6,000 years.

The two authors chose to investigate birds that are most common: the raven, dove, eagle, peacock, robin, wren and many more. There are 150 species of owls with the Elf Owl so tiny it lives in holes drilled by woodpeckers. Then the Great Horned Owl is so large it can kill skunks and grouse for food. The facts and lore in this book make entertaining browsing.