When There Were Birds
- Author Roy and Lesley Adkins
- Narrator John Telfer
- Publisher Little, Brown Book Group
- Run Time 14 hours and 43 minutes
- Format Audio
- Genre The Earth: natural history: general interest.
Titles Purchased
- 1-5
- 6-10
- 11-15
- 16-20
- Over 20
Price p/Title
- £7.99
- £6.99
- £5.99
- £4.99
- £3.99
Listen to a sample
What to expect
'A marvellously original slice of social history' Daily Mail
'The facts and folklore of birdlife are dissected in admirable detail in this handsome book' Sunday Times
'Roy and Lesley Adkins are masters of their craft' BBC Countryfile Magazine
No other group of animals has had such a complex and lengthy relationship with humankind as birds. They have been kept in cages as pets, taught to speak and displayed as trophies. More practically, they have been used to tell the time, predict the weather, foretell marriages, provide unlikely cures for ailments, convey messages and warn of poisonous gases.
When There Were Birds is a social history of Britain that charts the complex connections between people and birds, set against a background of changes in the landscape and evolving tastes, beliefs and behaviours. It draws together many disparate, forgotten strands to present a story that is an intriguing and unexpectedly significant part of our heritage.
Critics Review
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When There Were Birds is a marvellously original slice of social history, a portrait of our ever-conflicted relationship with the natural world which we so abuse and which we cannot live without; a book beautifully balanced between wonder and warning
Daily Mail (Book of the Week) -
A wonderful book. . . the perfect gift for Christmas this year for a bird lover. . . In fact, no, bird lovers are fine, buy it for someone that hates birds and see if you can turn them round
Times Radio -
This book is. . . not only a fascinating browse of all sorts of stories about the past, but it’s a real revelation actually. . . it’s really going to encourage you to think about birds and the part they played historically and culturally
Guy de la Bédoyère -
An appealing social history of Britain that charts the relationship between people and birds [with] a lot of quirky information
The Independent -
The book is absolutely packed with wonderful stories. You’ve really researched it to pieces. . . I hope that this book inspires and galvanises those that want to protect birds
BBC Radio Bristol -
The facts and folklore of birdlife, and man’s equivocal relationship with birds, are dissected in admirable detail in this handsome new book … [with] striking revelations
Sunday Times
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