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The Most Perfect Thing

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What to expect

Bloomsbury presents The Most Perfect Thing by Tim Birkhead, read by Gareth Armstrong

'I think that, if required on pain of death to name instantly the most perfect thing in the universe, I should risk my fate on a bird's egg'
Thomas Wentworth Higginson, 1862

How are eggs of different shapes made, and why are they the shape they are? When does the shell of an egg harden? Why do some eggs contain two yolks? How are the colours and patterns of an eggshell created, and why do they vary? And which end of an egg is laid first – the blunt end or the pointy end?

These are just some of the questions A Bird’s Egg answers, as the journey of a bird’s egg from creation and fertilisation to its eventual hatching is examined, with current scientific knowledge placed within an historical context. Beginning with an examination of the stunning eggs of the guillemot, each of which is so variable in pattern and colour that no two are ever the same, acclaimed ornithologist Tim Birkhead then looks at the eggs of hens, cuckoos and many other birds, revealing weird and wonderful facts about these miracles of nature. Woven around and supporting these facts are extraordinary stories of the individuals who from as far back as Ancient Egypt have been fixated on the study and collection of eggs, not always to the benefit of their conservation.

Firmly grounded in science and enriched by a wealth of observation drawn from a lifetime spent studying birds,A Bird’s Egg is an illuminating and engaging exploration of the science behind eggs and the history of man’s obsession with them.

Critics Review

The title is also a perfect description of the book itself - full of wonder and surprise and beautifully written
Nick Davies, author of Cuckoo
Birkhead’s approach to writing – hard, clear sentences; deep, revelatory looking – has the same effect as his microscope, bringing objects to light that were previously hidden, making us see the familiar with new eyes … After reading The Most Perfect Thing, you’ll never dip your morning soldiers without a shiver of wonder at the complexity and resourcefulness of the humble egg.
Observer
Eye-opening … Thoroughly engaging, it also gives us a thrilling sense of the vast, unmapped territories that lie beyond, waiting to be discovered
Sunday Times
Superb ... like having the top of your own head lifted off and its contents deliciously stirred: no one after reading this book could think it was possible to know too much, no one could think science removes us from feeling
Observer
What Birkhead does is show to anyone interested in nature why any such object is a source of wonder and fascination … Innovative work. Birkhead has made birds’ eggs interesting again, by giving us a new way of looking at them: not as commodities to be drooled over and collected, but as wonders of natural science … Birkhead answers all the basic questions with panache, but other, stranger facts caught my imagination even more … Yet it is the incredible mechanisms of the life-support system, which Birkhead lays bare with perfect clarity, that are the most wondrous
Independent
Quirky and revealing … Many fascinating facts … Birkhead writes in a jaunty and compelling style, and is not afraid to deal head-on with the politics of eggs … This book is illustrated with a fine selection of photographs showing the extraordinary variety of shapes, sizes and colours of eggs … Tim Birkhead is one of Britain’s leading zoologists, yet he skilfully bridges the gap between scientists and non-scientists … Impressive – an important contribution to our understanding of the world around us, and its extraordinary natural wonders
Daily Mail
Birkhead has made birds’ eggs interesting again, by giving us a new way of looking at them: not as commodities to be drooled over and collected, but as wonders of natural science
Independent
So full of fascinating facts. The author is to be congratulated on a major step forward in our understanding of eggs that in the past we just accepted and did not query. The reader will never look in eggs the same way again
Highland News Group
He takes us on an epic journey, from the outer shell of an egg to its genetic core … It is a voyage packed with astonishing details
Independent
Justly acclaimed for his brilliance at explaining complex science in a beguilingly lively style … Though it is only April, I suspect that this beautifully written volume will end up the best bird book of 2016
BBC Wildlife
Excellent … the author is exceptionally versed in the literature on eggs, from speculative 17th-century texts to the sprawling data pumped out by the poultry industry today
Wall Street Journal
Anyone drawn to the natural sciences will relish it … There are curiosities at every stage
Spectator
A wonderful insight into one of nature’s most fascinating processes
Countryside Photographer
A text that bubbles with enthusiasm ... A book that will keep you enthralled from your morning egg to your evening quiche. A delight
New Scientist
Anyone drawn to the natural sciences will relish it … The story of learning delights Birkhead as much as our current accumulation … Birkhead’s telling is joyful
Spectator
Superb … an enthralling, immensely readable book that combines deep scientific knowledge, lightly worn, with an awareness of history and a refreshing willingness to give the early pioneers of British ornithology – notably Francis Willoughby and John Ray – their due
Literary Review
Birkhead’s enthusiasm for this “everyday miracle of nature” is infectious and his erudition lightly worn … A magical account
Times Literary Supplement
A delightful blend of amazing facts and hard science. You’ll never look at a chicken in quite the same way again
Guardian
From the handsome coloured pictures to the fascinating details about the sex life of birds, this is that rare thing: a scientific book to delight the general reader
Daily Mail
I cannot think of a science book that is better written
The Times
Author Tim Birkhead
Narrator Gareth Armstrong
Duration 7 hours and 19 minutes
Release Date
ISBN 9781037207105
Format Audiobook
Publisher Bloomsbury Publishing
Genre Nature and the natural world: general interest, Wildlife: birds and birdwatching: general interest, Zoology and animal sciences, Zoology: birds (ornithology)
Availability AU, GB, IE

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