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The Bedside Book of Birds: An Avian Miscellany
In this stunning assemblage of words and images, novelist and avid birdwatcher Graeme Gibson has crafted an extraordinary tribute to the venerable relationship between humans and birds.
Birds have ever been the symbols of our highest aspirations. As divine messengers, symbols of our yearning for the heavens, or avatars of glorious song and colour, they have stirred our imaginations from the moment we first looked into the sky. Whether as the Christian dove, or Quetzalcoatl—the Aztec Plumed Serpent—or in Plato's vision of the human soul growing wings and feathers, religion and philosophy have looked to birds as representatives of our better selves—that part of us not bound to the earth.
With the passion of a birdwatcher and hoarder of words, Gibson has spent fifteen years collecting the literary and artistic forms our affinity for birds has taken over the centuries. Birds appear again and again in mythology and folk tales, and in literature by writers as diverse as Ovid, Thomas Hardy, Kafka, Thoreau and T.S. Eliot. They've been omens, allegories, disguises and guides; they've been worshipped, eaten, feared and loved. Nor does Gibson forget the fascination they hold for science, as the Galapagos finches did for Darwin. Birds figure charmingly and tellingly in the work of such nature writers as Gilbert White, Peter Matthiessen, Farley Mowat and Barry Lopez.
Gorgeously illustrated, woven from centuries of human response to the delights of the feathered tribes, The Bedside Book of Birds is for anyone who is aware of birds, and for everyone who is intrigued by the artistic forms that humanity has created to represent its soul.
Birds have ever been the symbols of our highest aspirations. As divine messengers, symbols of our yearning for the heavens, or avatars of glorious song and colour, they have stirred our imaginations from the moment we first looked into the sky. Whether as the Christian dove, or Quetzalcoatl—the Aztec Plumed Serpent—or in Plato's vision of the human soul growing wings and feathers, religion and philosophy have looked to birds as representatives of our better selves—that part of us not bound to the earth.
With the passion of a birdwatcher and hoarder of words, Gibson has spent fifteen years collecting the literary and artistic forms our affinity for birds has taken over the centuries. Birds appear again and again in mythology and folk tales, and in literature by writers as diverse as Ovid, Thomas Hardy, Kafka, Thoreau and T.S. Eliot. They've been omens, allegories, disguises and guides; they've been worshipped, eaten, feared and loved. Nor does Gibson forget the fascination they hold for science, as the Galapagos finches did for Darwin. Birds figure charmingly and tellingly in the work of such nature writers as Gilbert White, Peter Matthiessen, Farley Mowat and Barry Lopez.
Gorgeously illustrated, woven from centuries of human response to the delights of the feathered tribes, The Bedside Book of Birds is for anyone who is aware of birds, and for everyone who is intrigued by the artistic forms that humanity has created to represent its soul.
384 pages, Hardcover
First published October 18, 2005
156 people are currently reading
2934 people want to read
About the author
Graeme Gibson
18 books32 followersGraeme Gibson CM was a Canadian novelist and conservationist and the longtime partner of author Margaret Atwood. He was a Member of the Order of Canada (1992) and one of the organizers of the Writer's Union of Canada. He was also a founder of the Writers' Trust of Canada. Gibson was best known for his 1973 book Eleven Canadian Novelists, a non-fiction work.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 108 reviews
April 7, 2021
I picked this one up aaaages ago, maybe over a year even. Was really enjoying it too, but it got lost amidst the piles and piles of other half-started books about the place. There are many many such like, which are much loved but lie semi-abandoned about the place. I have too many books and that is a fact. But one I am very happy to live with. At some point at the end of last year, I made a promise to myself to finish it, reading small bits from it on a regular basis, as I said, "because it's the kind of book you read from in small morsels anyway... or that you peck at... like a bird." I’ve taken photos of some of the gorgeous artwork in this book along the way to share on Instagram (artist credits at bottom of post), and a couple of poems too, such as the following:
This is a wonderful collection of short pieces around the avian theme which is a delight to page through. It features excerpts from novels and short stories; I was pleased to find a few pages from Haruki Murakami's The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle, which I'd read sometime in the 90s and been meaning to reread ever since, so be prepared to add to your groaning wishlist and tbr too. This is often a very melancholy tome, as man’s relationship with birds has historically been that of predator, and they our innocent victims. Here's a heartbreaker from The Heron by Giorgio Bassani:
Countless poems and stories feature these plumed beauties, and I will be all the more attuned to the mention of birds in fiction from now on. This volume now joins a growing collection of gorgeous Bird Books on my Natural History shelf, alongside Gibson’s companion book, The Bedside Book of Beasts, another splendid and much recommended book, though equally heartbreaking.
Graeme Gibson (August 1934 – 18 September 2019) was a Canadian novelist, a past president of PEN Canada and a member of of the Order of Canada. Among many other things, he has been a council member of the World Wildlife Fund of Canada and is chairman of the Pelee Island Bird Observatory (PIBO). Half of the after-tax royaties from this book are donated to PIBO. Probably of most interest to GR readers, Gibson lives in Toronto with his spouse, the writer Margaret Atwood.
Artwork:
Goldfinch, K. Svolinsky (1896-1986), Czech
An owl, a heron, and a crane from Codex Canadiensis, L. Nicolas (1634-after 1698), France
Buntings, A. F. Lydon (1836-1917), England
Two Swans, O. Eckmann (1865-1902), Germany
This is a wonderful collection of short pieces around the avian theme which is a delight to page through. It features excerpts from novels and short stories; I was pleased to find a few pages from Haruki Murakami's The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle, which I'd read sometime in the 90s and been meaning to reread ever since, so be prepared to add to your groaning wishlist and tbr too. This is often a very melancholy tome, as man’s relationship with birds has historically been that of predator, and they our innocent victims. Here's a heartbreaker from The Heron by Giorgio Bassani:
...though wounded, though weakened by loss of blood, and consequently more anxious than ever to enjoy there, sheltered from the wind, the last warmth from the sun, at a certain moment it had thought that it was wise still, immediately, to “move on”. The long strip of land, over there, thickly covered with vegetation, more or less the same color as its feathers, and mostly tall enough to allow it to walk there without being seen, perhaps represented what best suited the bird’s needs. To hide in there, for the present, waiting for night, which was now near; and afterwards, afterwards it would see what could be done.
[…]
It went farther and farther away, painfully dragging its shattered wing after it; and he thought he could read in its narrow, obstinate little neck all this reasoning. But how mistaken it was, he suddenly said to himself, it fooled itself to such a degree (the strip of land was all right, it would get there; but with all the blood it was still shedding, the dog, soon unleashed to search for it, wouldn’t have the slightest difficulty in flushing it), it was wrong to such a degree, obviously, poor stupid animal, that if he hadn’t felt that shooting at it would seem, to him, shooting in a sense at himself, he would have fired at once. Then, at least, it would be all over. — (and then I bought The Novel of Ferrara)
Countless poems and stories feature these plumed beauties, and I will be all the more attuned to the mention of birds in fiction from now on. This volume now joins a growing collection of gorgeous Bird Books on my Natural History shelf, alongside Gibson’s companion book, The Bedside Book of Beasts, another splendid and much recommended book, though equally heartbreaking.
Graeme Gibson (August 1934 – 18 September 2019) was a Canadian novelist, a past president of PEN Canada and a member of of the Order of Canada. Among many other things, he has been a council member of the World Wildlife Fund of Canada and is chairman of the Pelee Island Bird Observatory (PIBO). Half of the after-tax royaties from this book are donated to PIBO. Probably of most interest to GR readers, Gibson lives in Toronto with his spouse, the writer Margaret Atwood.
Artwork:
Goldfinch, K. Svolinsky (1896-1986), Czech
An owl, a heron, and a crane from Codex Canadiensis, L. Nicolas (1634-after 1698), France
Buntings, A. F. Lydon (1836-1917), England
Two Swans, O. Eckmann (1865-1902), Germany
April 3, 2016
Everything about this book is of interest. There was the selection of passages included, which ranged from ancient to modern. Many kinds of birds were discussed, from the extinct passenger pigeon to common birds, from the small lecherous sparrow to the giant dangerous cassowary. A variety of genres were covered: travelogues, literature, poetry, religious and mythological writings, natural history. The whole breadth of history was looked at, from prehistoric times to the present. Last but definitely not least, there were the gorgeous illustrations.
Some birds, such as owls, ravens, falcons, albatrosses and vultures, appeared in more than one entry, but that did not bother me. Of course environmental themes were discussed, such as the slaughter of various species. But the humorous and positive associations we have with birds were also looked at.
This is a delightful book for anyone interested in history, science, folklore, culture or art.
Some birds, such as owls, ravens, falcons, albatrosses and vultures, appeared in more than one entry, but that did not bother me. Of course environmental themes were discussed, such as the slaughter of various species. But the humorous and positive associations we have with birds were also looked at.
This is a delightful book for anyone interested in history, science, folklore, culture or art.
January 18, 2012
This book is meant to be read in snippets, all cozied up in bed each night, per its name, so I have to confess that cover-to-cover does not work quite so well. Suddenly, a whole section on how humans kill, eat, and use birds for their own purposes becomes incredibly depressing when read all in one go. In fact, the book as a whole focuses primarily on humanity's relationship with birds, not simply birds themselves. It's a key distinction, and ultimately I found myself wishing the book offered more of both views - the naturalist in me is a bit disappointed. The artwork is fascinating, lovely, and often delightfully weird; it definitely was my favorite part! The writings were good, although something I can't put my finger on about the curation makes me feel the editor and I have very different tastes on literature. I also found myself wishing for less of his thematic musings at the start of each section: just let the selected works speak for themselves, I thought. I'm sure that on closer inspection, I would be wrong about the following, but throughout my reading it seemed most of the selections were British or American, and either 20th century or late 19th; I found myself wishing for more diversity, especially writings from non-Western authors. I marked two passages I enjoyed in particular (one by Thomas Merton on vultures, one regarding the presence of songbirds in Nazi Germany). I may still give this book away though.
December 13, 2018
I could not resist the cover of this book and for me it's strongest feature are the old paintings of birds from throughout history and cultures.
The paintings are accompanied by poems, stories, folk tales and nonfiction travelogues about, you guessed it, birds.
The author has divided the stories up according to topic: creation stories of the world, birds as sentient creatures, how birds were prepared as food, reports by explorers and adventurers, and birds that are in turn the predators. It's a nice mix of real reports of birds and stories of fantasy and supernatural with birds as the subject.
But the most appealing aspect of this book are the beautiful illustrations. That alone is worth possessing the book.
The paintings are accompanied by poems, stories, folk tales and nonfiction travelogues about, you guessed it, birds.
The author has divided the stories up according to topic: creation stories of the world, birds as sentient creatures, how birds were prepared as food, reports by explorers and adventurers, and birds that are in turn the predators. It's a nice mix of real reports of birds and stories of fantasy and supernatural with birds as the subject.
But the most appealing aspect of this book are the beautiful illustrations. That alone is worth possessing the book.
May 31, 2021
THE BEDSIDE BOOK OF BIRDS
~ An Avian Miscellany ~
Graeme Gibson
While listening to CBC Radio, I heard Margaret Atwood discuss the newest edition of this book and immediately put a reserve on the title at the public library.
This large 369 pages hardcover book is filled with "everything birds." There are pictures, drawings,legends, folktales, stories and poems. You can start at the beginning and read to the end, or you can flip through the pages and read bits here and there.
I was flipping through the pages when a lovely bright picture of a rooster on page 80 caught my attention. After admiring it, I read the folktale on the opposite page. I will share the traditional Cuban folktale here.
"DEATH COMES AS A ROOSTER
A woman's husband was sick in bed. She did nothing but take care of the man, and every chance she got she prayed to the Lord, "Dear God, don't take him first. Let Death come first for me."
She repeated it constantly. Her compadre overheard her and said, "You'll know Death when you see him, compadre. He comes as a plucked rooster."
The woman kept on, begging Death, "Don't take my poor husband, take me instead."
Then the compadre caught a rooster, plucked its feathers, and put it out in the sun until it was crazed. When he turned it loose, it came screeching into the sickroom. The wife took one look and said, "My God, it's Death!" She jumped behind the door and pointed her finger at her husband. "Over that way," she said. "The sick man is in the bed."
Latin American Folktales by Bierhorst
When planting corn seeds, I was taught to put four seeds in each hill. But I don't remember hearing this little verse.
"One for the pigeon, one for the crow, one to rot, and one to grow."
Traditional Sowing Proverb
We have a small farm and raise chickens for eggs and meat. So when I read page 140 "PHTHISICAL HUSBAND" from SCIENTIFIC AMERICAN, I bookmarked it to share with my husband. We have a broody hen, but the woman in this article did not use a hen.
"The Medical Record TELLS of a woman in Ohio who utilized the high temperature of her phthisical husband for eight weeks before his death, by using him as an incubator for hens' eggs. She took 50 eggs, and wrapping each one in cotton batting, laid them alongside the body of her husband in the bed, he being unable to resist or move a limb. After three weeks she was rewarded with forty-six lively young chickens."
GOOSE GREASE tells about the many uses of goose fat through the years. It was used for cooking, for various medicinal uses, for softening of leather handbags and suitcases and even used for putting on the udders of cows.
My favourite in this book was A TASTE OF PARADISE on page 195.
" Stevenson remembered the story of a monk who had been distracted from his copy-work by the song of a bird. He went into the garden to listen more closely, and when he returned, after what he thought were only a few minutes, he discovered that a century had gone by, that his fellow monks were dead and his ink turned to dust. The song of the bird had given him a taste of Paradise, where an instant is as a hundred years of earthly time."
Alberto Manguel, Argentina/Canada from STEVENSON UNDER THE PALM TREES
~ An Avian Miscellany ~
Graeme Gibson
While listening to CBC Radio, I heard Margaret Atwood discuss the newest edition of this book and immediately put a reserve on the title at the public library.
This large 369 pages hardcover book is filled with "everything birds." There are pictures, drawings,legends, folktales, stories and poems. You can start at the beginning and read to the end, or you can flip through the pages and read bits here and there.
I was flipping through the pages when a lovely bright picture of a rooster on page 80 caught my attention. After admiring it, I read the folktale on the opposite page. I will share the traditional Cuban folktale here.
"DEATH COMES AS A ROOSTER
A woman's husband was sick in bed. She did nothing but take care of the man, and every chance she got she prayed to the Lord, "Dear God, don't take him first. Let Death come first for me."
She repeated it constantly. Her compadre overheard her and said, "You'll know Death when you see him, compadre. He comes as a plucked rooster."
The woman kept on, begging Death, "Don't take my poor husband, take me instead."
Then the compadre caught a rooster, plucked its feathers, and put it out in the sun until it was crazed. When he turned it loose, it came screeching into the sickroom. The wife took one look and said, "My God, it's Death!" She jumped behind the door and pointed her finger at her husband. "Over that way," she said. "The sick man is in the bed."
Latin American Folktales by Bierhorst
When planting corn seeds, I was taught to put four seeds in each hill. But I don't remember hearing this little verse.
"One for the pigeon, one for the crow, one to rot, and one to grow."
Traditional Sowing Proverb
We have a small farm and raise chickens for eggs and meat. So when I read page 140 "PHTHISICAL HUSBAND" from SCIENTIFIC AMERICAN, I bookmarked it to share with my husband. We have a broody hen, but the woman in this article did not use a hen.
"The Medical Record TELLS of a woman in Ohio who utilized the high temperature of her phthisical husband for eight weeks before his death, by using him as an incubator for hens' eggs. She took 50 eggs, and wrapping each one in cotton batting, laid them alongside the body of her husband in the bed, he being unable to resist or move a limb. After three weeks she was rewarded with forty-six lively young chickens."
GOOSE GREASE tells about the many uses of goose fat through the years. It was used for cooking, for various medicinal uses, for softening of leather handbags and suitcases and even used for putting on the udders of cows.
My favourite in this book was A TASTE OF PARADISE on page 195.
" Stevenson remembered the story of a monk who had been distracted from his copy-work by the song of a bird. He went into the garden to listen more closely, and when he returned, after what he thought were only a few minutes, he discovered that a century had gone by, that his fellow monks were dead and his ink turned to dust. The song of the bird had given him a taste of Paradise, where an instant is as a hundred years of earthly time."
Alberto Manguel, Argentina/Canada from STEVENSON UNDER THE PALM TREES
October 8, 2021
A celebration of humans slaughtering birds. Not actually the best book to read before bed, as the "bedside" in the title implies. Some very gruesome scenes.
January 12, 2022
Unfortunately, the title of this book, “The Bedside Book of Birds” is a bit misleading. While I loved the illustrations, the print, that there was content from the 1400s to present time, and that both Gibson and Atwood are such respected writers --- for the bird-lover, reading this book at bedtime can only result in nightmares.
Graeme Gibson includes stories from mythologies/religions from around the world. He has excerpts from books by authors like Kafka, Melville, Mowat, Carroll, and Marquez. And anecdotes and excerpts from journals of people dating back hundreds of years. All about birds. Unfortunately, most of these accounts are about the hunting, killing, and desire to own/cage birds. All kinds of birds from all over the world. We hear of early explorers killing nearly extinct birds and how thousands of birds would be killed in a day in a myriad of ways. Audubon, whose name is synonymous with bird-watching and observation, was known to kill thousands of birds and did so regularly to create his famous paintings. Even the poems, myths, and songs included are usually associated with death, fear, and the ultimate killing of birds.
I was so filled with sadness by all of needless destruction that humans have created on the natural world and to creatures that they admire and are often in awe of. The motto appears to have been “If it is beautiful, kill it”. Even Gibson’s own story of a parrot that he illegally purchased to save him from the life the bird was going to lead, is profoundly sad. As he leaves this bird that has grown up with his family, at the aviary in the Toronto Zoo, the parrot cries out over and over as he’s leaving, “Daddy! Daddy!”. Yes, that’s going to haunt me for a long time.
Graeme Gibson includes stories from mythologies/religions from around the world. He has excerpts from books by authors like Kafka, Melville, Mowat, Carroll, and Marquez. And anecdotes and excerpts from journals of people dating back hundreds of years. All about birds. Unfortunately, most of these accounts are about the hunting, killing, and desire to own/cage birds. All kinds of birds from all over the world. We hear of early explorers killing nearly extinct birds and how thousands of birds would be killed in a day in a myriad of ways. Audubon, whose name is synonymous with bird-watching and observation, was known to kill thousands of birds and did so regularly to create his famous paintings. Even the poems, myths, and songs included are usually associated with death, fear, and the ultimate killing of birds.
I was so filled with sadness by all of needless destruction that humans have created on the natural world and to creatures that they admire and are often in awe of. The motto appears to have been “If it is beautiful, kill it”. Even Gibson’s own story of a parrot that he illegally purchased to save him from the life the bird was going to lead, is profoundly sad. As he leaves this bird that has grown up with his family, at the aviary in the Toronto Zoo, the parrot cries out over and over as he’s leaving, “Daddy! Daddy!”. Yes, that’s going to haunt me for a long time.
May 11, 2022
This had so much potential! As a lover of birds, I was excited to see poetry and literary excerpts expound on all the wondrous things about birds…yet a great majority of the book was about the appalling things humans have done and continue to do to birds. Really sad and depressing.
January 18, 2009
This book is gorgeous. When I get around to it, I will purchase a second copy to dissect for its art. Gibson covers the bird as inspiration for writing, art, travel, study...across centuries. The publishing job is fantastic. The weight of the paper, colors and typeface are all as gorgeous as the images and writing he selected.
April 1, 2019
The best things about this book are the illustrations and the paper quality. I would deem it suitable for a bathroom read, but I didn’t learn anything.
Miscellanies can be done quite well, but this was not.
Miscellanies can be done quite well, but this was not.
September 5, 2025
After the title and the BEAUTIFUL illustrations, I was so so excited to read this. I really wanted to like it. I pictured myself cozied up in bed reading tiny snippets, poems and beautiful little musing on birds that would be the perfect thing to think about right before falling asleep. What I got instead was some of the most gristly and gruesome stories of animal abuse, gore, and violence with a hefty dash of colonialism, and racism. I found myself so disturbed after each story that reading it honestly felt like taking medicine.
The only thing that sustained me was the beautiful illustrations.
The only thing that sustained me was the beautiful illustrations.
March 22, 2022
I don't know if you can really say Gibson wrote it as much as collected it, but I thoroughly enjoyed the book. It truly is exactly the kind of thing I'll reach for at night, flipping through the art and the snippets of writing.
Perhaps it is too singular a pleasure, because I loved big encyclopedic style books as a young reader, especially if they had flora or fauna. But for me, definitely something I am pleased to have on hand for stormy nights when the mind needs to be rocked to sleep a bit.
Perhaps it is too singular a pleasure, because I loved big encyclopedic style books as a young reader, especially if they had flora or fauna. But for me, definitely something I am pleased to have on hand for stormy nights when the mind needs to be rocked to sleep a bit.
January 14, 2023
A true miscellany of bird related essays, poems and stories, collected over time by Graeme Gibson. Gibson, is the late husband of Margaret Atwood and a fine writer in his own right. Each section opens with an essay from him, made all the sweeter by the glimpse into a fine mind that dementia took before his death. The offerings are so different that it is impossible to give an overall synopsis but suffice it to say the love of birds is the overarching theme, and if you’ve reached that stage of life where youve suddenly noticed Yellow Rumped Warblers, you will enjoy!
December 11, 2024
This book is exactly what you'd imagine. Intellectually interesting snippets and observations about birds across history alongside gorgeous illustrations. Best consumed in small doses as does lean to dry and academic/naturalist in style. I'd hoped it would be a bit juicier. I most enjoyed the introductions written by Gibson; he has(had) a voice of someone that would be entertaining company at a dinner party - compassionate, well spoken, sharp-witted and into corvids...
February 21, 2022
I’m in love with this book. So incredibly beautiful. I love birds even more now. I want to buy a copy just to read it and look at it over and over again.
I think my new favourite genre is this, like, non-fiction short collections.
I think my new favourite genre is this, like, non-fiction short collections.
Read
January 6, 2020Very interesting collection of stories and poems about birds. I plan to spend a fair bit of time reviewing the references in the back for more things to read!
May 5, 2024
TL;DR
: This collection isn't about birds, but about people who hunt, eat, collect, or otherwise exploit birds. This book needs a huge editing overhaul to be worth the purchase and read. Case in point: one example of "hope" in this book is an excerpt from a letter talking about how great it was that Nazi Germany punished people for cruelty to birds.
I really wanted to love this book, but it was just so disappointing in so many ways. I tried to organize my thoughts into a coherent way, but it kind of ran away from me and resulted in this very long, convoluted review.
I'll start with the good, which is unfortunately heavily outweighed by the bad.
THE GOOD
- The images, when not pixelated (more on that below). The illustrations are gorgeous and truly the highlight of the book. The one caveat is that many of the illustrations were done by artists after paying for numerous birds to be killed and stuffed, but I guess that's all a product of its time.
- I learned some valuable history about people and their bird-related hobbies. No, it wasn't enjoyable to read about how much people loved hunting and collecting endangered birds, but there was a lot of information I didn't know - mainly, about how much destruction people wrought on bird populations around the world.
Here's a quote from pg. 3 of the book about how rampant and socially acceptable killing birds used to be:
48,000 birds of a single species in just one day is insane to think about.
An example from Charles Darwin's The Voyage of the Beagle (pg. 57) on how much bird behavior has been shaped by human actions:
And finally, some illuminating history about Cortes and Teotihuacan:
- About 10% or so of the texts included in this collection truly celebrated birds, or at least gave them agency and a starring role. Examples include "Brolga, the Dancing Girl," which is an origin story for the eponymous bird (similar to a crane) or "The Egg," which is just literally just an overview of the 24 hour process that turns a fertilized egg into an egg with a shell that's ready to be laid (one of the very few texts in the book that doesn't revolve around humans in some way).
- And finally, there was a definite spotlight on Canadian authors throughout this collection, which I'm sure was intentional on the part of the author and was a pleasant surprise. If the focus on Canadian authors was explicitly advertised then that would have the lack of diversity a little more palatable (I'm guessing over 90% of the art and text featured in this book are by old or long-dead white men).
THE BAD
- Before we even get into the content, I want to point out the major issue of quality control: why are some images pixelated and printed in such low quality? Why were updates not made in the 2021 printing that has Margaret Atwood's new foreword, such as updating to correct Gabriel Garcia Marquez year of birth and adding his year of death? It currently says "1925 - " under his name when it should say "1927 - 2014". Penguin RH, you can do better. Particularly since this book should be beautiful and accurate if nothing else.
- To get into the content: "miscellany" is an appropriate word for the random collection of writings that make up this book, which include excerpts from novels and the Bible, poems, ancient and medieval writings, naturalist journal entries, folklore, etc. What's the number one issue? That so few of them actually center around birds. I would have given this book at least 1 more star had everything just been about birds (rather than about the people that exploit them) because at least then the content would have matched the title, presentation, and illustrations. It's laughable how peripheral birds are to each excerpt, often being mentioned in a little biography about a king because one of his hobbies was watching cock-fights, or simply being brought up in metaphor form at the tail end of a poem.
Imagine a book advertised as being about women, and women only appearing in the background of most of the stories/writings, and in some cases only being used as a metaphor for something. In the stories where they do feature heavily as the main topic, it is about them being kidnapped and assaulted. That's what this book is - lots of writings about the people enjoying the thrill of hunting and killing birds, about how delicious certain birds are, or more often just above the struggle of birds while something else much more important is happening. Had every story actually centered around living birds, whether in a positive or negative light, the quality of this collection would have increased substantially.
- Poor editing. This isn't a diary that was published posthumously with minimal edits, but a carefully curated collection of writings that was years in the making. Why do we need to read a 7 page excerpt for the pay-off of a single paragraph that mentions birds in passing? By far the most successful texts in this book were those under 2 pages in length, such as poems and short folkloric tales. This also maximized the image-to-writing ratio, which is important because the images in this book were so much more attractive and compelling than 80% of the text. Even when excerpts were an appropriate length, however, they often stopped at points that didn't make sense, such as right before a climactic moment (in the case of The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle, for example).
And where was the content editing? The organization of chapters doesn't make sense (they just seem completely arbitrary) and surely nobody thought that the average person who picks up this book (e.g. someone who likes birds) would want to read a collection that it primarily about the joy of killing birds for sport and/or food? There is so much content out there on birds, and the fact that so much of this book is dedicated to old writings about exploiting birds feels like such a strange decision to make.
Aside from the inclusions of some contemporary authors and art, I would not have been surprised if this book was published 100 years ago given the constant theme of European colonialism and western superiority.
In the final chapter of the book, "Some Blessed Hope," we finally expect to see some positive writings about birds, right?
This is what we get as a representation of hope for birds and people:
People, the Nationalist Socialist Regime refers to the NAZI PARTY. Seriously, this is what the author chose to include in the chapter of hope?? A example of a great anti-cruelty act from Nazi Germany?!?! If the intention was to highlight hope in the form of a legal ruling in support of animals/birds, then the author could have chosen excerpts of law from SO many other governments around the world. Instead, they chose a letter praising Nazi Germany.
Need I say more?
Some more examples from this collection that I found problematic:
- One excerpt discusses the translation of Ayatollah Khomeini's writings and how having sex with a chicken was thought "to cure a man's sexual appetites". This is followed by a discussion of whether it's appropriate for a family to eat a chicken that a man has had sex with. The verdict? The man's immediate family and next-door neighbor shouldn't eat that chicken, but the neighbor two doors down can. Please note that this is the book's sole inclusion of Iranian literature, and this is what the author chose. The irony of the fact that one of the most famous works of Iranian/Persian literature in existence is The Blind Owl and yet this is what the author went with.
- Everything in the chapter, "A Bird in the Hand: Birds We Use, Eat, Wear and Sell" is especially egregious. Titles of excerpts in this section include "Goose Grease," "He is Then Delicious, Roasted," and "Who First Devised to Cram Hens". Another excerpt from this chapter, "The Mountain Kiwi" is one of many examples in the book about people eating endangered birds out of starvation. Why do we need to read so many entries about people eating rare birds?? What does that add to this collection?
- In the aforementioned final "hope" chapter, there's a love story that is resolved with a happy ending when the male lead kills his bird (after killing hers) to prove his love for her. How romantic.
- There's a story in the book about a young boy who is really good at killing things with a rifle and hunts for the other soldiers. At the end, he kills a soldier after chasing him relentlessly like a predator. What do we gain from reading about children who are exceptionally skilled at shooting birds and humans alike? It's one thing if there was commentary from the author condemning this, but the lack of that commentary is very telling.
One thing that could have significantly improved my rating of this collection would have been a repackaging of the title, subtitle, and cover to more obviously be focused on people. If the cover illustration was a group of people alongside birds in cages and the title was something like "A History of People and Birds" (with a subtitle highlighting the way people have used and considered birds across time) then the contents would have been a lot more appropriate. It probably also would have reached a much more appropriate audience - rather than the casual bird-and-nature lovers, you would have gotten people more interested in the darker sides of history (i.e. animal exploitation).
At any rate, this book was a huge disappointment to me as someone who wanted to read about the different ways that birds have inspired and starred in poetry, literature, and art and not about the ways they have fed and entertained people through cockfighting, being made into hats, being hunted for sport, etc.
I really wanted to love this book, but it was just so disappointing in so many ways. I tried to organize my thoughts into a coherent way, but it kind of ran away from me and resulted in this very long, convoluted review.
I'll start with the good, which is unfortunately heavily outweighed by the bad.
THE GOOD
- The images, when not pixelated (more on that below). The illustrations are gorgeous and truly the highlight of the book. The one caveat is that many of the illustrations were done by artists after paying for numerous birds to be killed and stuffed, but I guess that's all a product of its time.
- I learned some valuable history about people and their bird-related hobbies. No, it wasn't enjoyable to read about how much people loved hunting and collecting endangered birds, but there was a lot of information I didn't know - mainly, about how much destruction people wrought on bird populations around the world.
Here's a quote from pg. 3 of the book about how rampant and socially acceptable killing birds used to be:
Most of us are defined by the age we live in - Audubon included - and in the nineteenth century birds were routinely slaughtered in astonishing numbers. Audubon reports that in a single day forty-eight thousand Golden Plovers were gunned down near New Orleans.
48,000 birds of a single species in just one day is insane to think about.
An example from Charles Darwin's The Voyage of the Beagle (pg. 57) on how much bird behavior has been shaped by human actions:
Cowley (in the year 1684) says that the "Turtle-doves were so tame, that they would often alight upon our hats and arms, so as that we could take them alive: they not fearing man, until such time as some of our company did fire at them, whereby they were rendered more shy." Dampier also, in the same year, says that a man in a morning's walk might kill six or seven dozen of these doves.
And finally, some illuminating history about Cortes and Teotihuacan:
Cortes's men, says Diaz, never seemed to tire of the arboretums, gardens, and aviaries in the months following their entry into the city. By June 1520, however, Cortes's psychological manipulation of Montezuma and a concomitant arrogance, greed, and disrespect on the part of the Spanish military force has become too much for the Mexicans, and they drove them out. Cortes, relentless and vengeful, returned to the Valley of Mexico eleven months later with a larger army and laid siege to the city. Canal by canal, garden by garden, home by home, he destroyed what he had described to Charles V as "the most beautiful city in the world." On June 16, in a move calculated to humiliate and frighten the Mexican people, Cortes set fire to the aviaries.
- About 10% or so of the texts included in this collection truly celebrated birds, or at least gave them agency and a starring role. Examples include "Brolga, the Dancing Girl," which is an origin story for the eponymous bird (similar to a crane) or "The Egg," which is just literally just an overview of the 24 hour process that turns a fertilized egg into an egg with a shell that's ready to be laid (one of the very few texts in the book that doesn't revolve around humans in some way).
- And finally, there was a definite spotlight on Canadian authors throughout this collection, which I'm sure was intentional on the part of the author and was a pleasant surprise. If the focus on Canadian authors was explicitly advertised then that would have the lack of diversity a little more palatable (I'm guessing over 90% of the art and text featured in this book are by old or long-dead white men).
THE BAD
- Before we even get into the content, I want to point out the major issue of quality control: why are some images pixelated and printed in such low quality? Why were updates not made in the 2021 printing that has Margaret Atwood's new foreword, such as updating to correct Gabriel Garcia Marquez year of birth and adding his year of death? It currently says "1925 - " under his name when it should say "1927 - 2014". Penguin RH, you can do better. Particularly since this book should be beautiful and accurate if nothing else.
- To get into the content: "miscellany" is an appropriate word for the random collection of writings that make up this book, which include excerpts from novels and the Bible, poems, ancient and medieval writings, naturalist journal entries, folklore, etc. What's the number one issue? That so few of them actually center around birds. I would have given this book at least 1 more star had everything just been about birds (rather than about the people that exploit them) because at least then the content would have matched the title, presentation, and illustrations. It's laughable how peripheral birds are to each excerpt, often being mentioned in a little biography about a king because one of his hobbies was watching cock-fights, or simply being brought up in metaphor form at the tail end of a poem.
Imagine a book advertised as being about women, and women only appearing in the background of most of the stories/writings, and in some cases only being used as a metaphor for something. In the stories where they do feature heavily as the main topic, it is about them being kidnapped and assaulted. That's what this book is - lots of writings about the people enjoying the thrill of hunting and killing birds, about how delicious certain birds are, or more often just above the struggle of birds while something else much more important is happening. Had every story actually centered around living birds, whether in a positive or negative light, the quality of this collection would have increased substantially.
- Poor editing. This isn't a diary that was published posthumously with minimal edits, but a carefully curated collection of writings that was years in the making. Why do we need to read a 7 page excerpt for the pay-off of a single paragraph that mentions birds in passing? By far the most successful texts in this book were those under 2 pages in length, such as poems and short folkloric tales. This also maximized the image-to-writing ratio, which is important because the images in this book were so much more attractive and compelling than 80% of the text. Even when excerpts were an appropriate length, however, they often stopped at points that didn't make sense, such as right before a climactic moment (in the case of The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle, for example).
And where was the content editing? The organization of chapters doesn't make sense (they just seem completely arbitrary) and surely nobody thought that the average person who picks up this book (e.g. someone who likes birds) would want to read a collection that it primarily about the joy of killing birds for sport and/or food? There is so much content out there on birds, and the fact that so much of this book is dedicated to old writings about exploiting birds feels like such a strange decision to make.
Aside from the inclusions of some contemporary authors and art, I would not have been surprised if this book was published 100 years ago given the constant theme of European colonialism and western superiority.
In the final chapter of the book, "Some Blessed Hope," we finally expect to see some positive writings about birds, right?
This is what we get as a representation of hope for birds and people:
25 April, 1936.
My colleague O'Neil writes excellent letters form Germany: he says that in Heidelberg the professor of English [...] also that he went to a law Court where a man was condemned to 4 months for throwing a stone at a bird - against Goering's new Reichsjagdgesetzbuch [Reich Hunting Code] - because that is bestial cruelty and the National Socialist Regime is opposed to cruelty in every shape & form.
People, the Nationalist Socialist Regime refers to the NAZI PARTY. Seriously, this is what the author chose to include in the chapter of hope?? A example of a great anti-cruelty act from Nazi Germany?!?! If the intention was to highlight hope in the form of a legal ruling in support of animals/birds, then the author could have chosen excerpts of law from SO many other governments around the world. Instead, they chose a letter praising Nazi Germany.
Need I say more?
Some more examples from this collection that I found problematic:
- One excerpt discusses the translation of Ayatollah Khomeini's writings and how having sex with a chicken was thought "to cure a man's sexual appetites". This is followed by a discussion of whether it's appropriate for a family to eat a chicken that a man has had sex with. The verdict? The man's immediate family and next-door neighbor shouldn't eat that chicken, but the neighbor two doors down can. Please note that this is the book's sole inclusion of Iranian literature, and this is what the author chose. The irony of the fact that one of the most famous works of Iranian/Persian literature in existence is The Blind Owl and yet this is what the author went with.
- Everything in the chapter, "A Bird in the Hand: Birds We Use, Eat, Wear and Sell" is especially egregious. Titles of excerpts in this section include "Goose Grease," "He is Then Delicious, Roasted," and "Who First Devised to Cram Hens". Another excerpt from this chapter, "The Mountain Kiwi" is one of many examples in the book about people eating endangered birds out of starvation. Why do we need to read so many entries about people eating rare birds?? What does that add to this collection?
- In the aforementioned final "hope" chapter, there's a love story that is resolved with a happy ending when the male lead kills his bird (after killing hers) to prove his love for her. How romantic.
- There's a story in the book about a young boy who is really good at killing things with a rifle and hunts for the other soldiers. At the end, he kills a soldier after chasing him relentlessly like a predator. What do we gain from reading about children who are exceptionally skilled at shooting birds and humans alike? It's one thing if there was commentary from the author condemning this, but the lack of that commentary is very telling.
One thing that could have significantly improved my rating of this collection would have been a repackaging of the title, subtitle, and cover to more obviously be focused on people. If the cover illustration was a group of people alongside birds in cages and the title was something like "A History of People and Birds" (with a subtitle highlighting the way people have used and considered birds across time) then the contents would have been a lot more appropriate. It probably also would have reached a much more appropriate audience - rather than the casual bird-and-nature lovers, you would have gotten people more interested in the darker sides of history (i.e. animal exploitation).
At any rate, this book was a huge disappointment to me as someone who wanted to read about the different ways that birds have inspired and starred in poetry, literature, and art and not about the ways they have fed and entertained people through cockfighting, being made into hats, being hunted for sport, etc.
February 24, 2024
Beautifully illustrated book regarding birds, not so much as an informational text but as to the various essences of our avian comrades.
August 11, 2021
Delightful! Bird-lovers can rejoice at the stories, poetry, art, and miscellany vignettes.
July 31, 2021
I bought this book by accident thinking it was about birding but I am SO HAPPY I did. The illustrations are amazing and it is magical in the way it combines poetry, folklore, and fact.
This is one of those rare books I prefer not to read cover to cover but rather open to a random page to be surprised.
I really can’t say enough good things about this book.
This is one of those rare books I prefer not to read cover to cover but rather open to a random page to be surprised.
I really can’t say enough good things about this book.
May 16, 2020
The book is artistically beautiful! The cover art, the numerous drawings, paintings, photos of artifacts— they are the best part of the book. Some of the paintings I would love to have framed on my walls at home. The book’s pages are thick and smooth. It’s very nicely made. But I have some disappointments with the writings which were chosen for inclusion. I found too many of them to be depressing and even upsetting. Stories of man’s cruelty toward birds, examples of our role in the extinction of bird species, of abusing and killing birds for our own enjoyment. I get that the author is an avid bird lover and wants us to be aware of our cruelty, to educate people, in hope of preventing those beliefs and behaviors from continuing, but it was just too much for me. I actually skipped over a few of the writings once I saw where they were headed. I wish the author had included more pieces which celebrate the beauty of birds, their songs, the ways they live in and and vitally contribute to the ecosystem.
October 21, 2021
A book for English majors who also happen to like birds. It's not really a book "about" birds. It's about humans and their interactions with/ impressions of/ feelings about birds, as recorded across literary history in the form of folk tales, poetry, artwork, hearsay, pseudo-science and even the occasional reliable observation (although those are mostly supplied by Gibson himself). As with much of our relationship with the natural world (at least until very recently), much of the material is infused with our destructive, dismissive attitude toward birds as something to be killed for fun (and occasionally food) or to be caged or to be feared as alien. So it's obviously depressing on that score. Many items are included that seem totally unrelated to birds other than the briefest mention. Much of the poetry was gibberish to me, so mired in metaphor without context clues as to be meaningless, but the English majors I mentioned may get something out of it. It is certainly a pretty book, with artwork selected from the same broad historical range as the writings. 2-1/2 stars.
July 17, 2020
I picked up The Bedside Book of Birds at a local library book sale. It was an interesting compilation of writings about birds edited and introduced by Graeme Gibson. The book was divided in to sections, each with a somewhat lengthly introduction by Gibson. The only thing commonality among the writers and writing was the topic of birds. Some of the pieces were out of date and politically incorrect. Some were quite violent and gruesome. Since I really did use it as a bedtime read, I didn’t appreciate those as much. I liked the book enough to finish it and to order a used copy of Graeme’s other book, The Beside Book of Beasts. Interesting fact: Graeme Gibson was Margaret Atwood’s partner before passing away in September 2019.
did-not-finish
March 10, 2011I wanted to like this book, I really did. I borrowed it from the library to consider purchasing it for my own bird book collection. I love books and bird books. However, I ended up not being able to read this book (which is why there are no stars).
It is a collection of readings about birds, so I skimmed through, reading some of them, but there were too many sad passages about birds slaughtered by the thousands and one awful story about a bird being plucked alive (by a Saint, no less). I enjoyed the art in this book, but I will keep Bright Wings: An Illustrated Anthology of Poems About Birds with illustrations by David Allen Sibly by my bedside instead.
It is a collection of readings about birds, so I skimmed through, reading some of them, but there were too many sad passages about birds slaughtered by the thousands and one awful story about a bird being plucked alive (by a Saint, no less). I enjoyed the art in this book, but I will keep Bright Wings: An Illustrated Anthology of Poems About Birds with illustrations by David Allen Sibly by my bedside instead.
July 22, 2022
Disappointing is an understatement. I’m glad I checked it out from the library and didn’t pay $40.
It’s almost 400 pages and there are 7 inclusions by women. It’s heavily religious in the selections of works included, which I was not expecting.
I’m not sure who would keep this on their bedside, it’s a very dark and heavy book. Some of the connections to birds are a bit of a stretch for me.
The art included is very interesting, and was by far my favorite part, but much of which you could find online in free catalogues.
I only finished it so I could count how many women were included (7 included Atwood twice).
It’s almost 400 pages and there are 7 inclusions by women. It’s heavily religious in the selections of works included, which I was not expecting.
I’m not sure who would keep this on their bedside, it’s a very dark and heavy book. Some of the connections to birds are a bit of a stretch for me.
The art included is very interesting, and was by far my favorite part, but much of which you could find online in free catalogues.
I only finished it so I could count how many women were included (7 included Atwood twice).
October 18, 2008
this spendid and magnificently illustrated collection has kept me captivated for months now....and actually inspired me to begin a new series of paintings based upon my decades as an avid bird watcher. some evenings i just browse the rich color plates and other evenings i read a story or two...always calms me by providing yet another glimpse into the winged ones ways of natural rhythms plus i so enjoy the tremendously diverse writing styles and as mentioned... the art throughout.
June 24, 2021
Ugh, I'm SO glad I didn't buy this one. Margaret Atwood's foreword in this edition couldn't save it. This book was filled with the most random shit from a bunch of (mostly) men who are long dead. There's a reason why I don't read random shit about birds from long dead (mostly) men and that's because they all just wanted to kill them. OMG SO BEAUTIF-*BAM* MY PRECIOUSSSSZSS. Ack, this shit's the worst. Humans are the worst.
September 4, 2021
I had such high hopes for this book, flipping through it, I couldn’t wait to dive in! And, it’s a good book if you like to read short essays and snippets of things. But, I couldn’t get past the seemingly endless stream of stories about dead birds, killing birds, the sadness of birds, etc. I finally just flipped through, found a few things I quickly read and called it a day.
July 6, 2021
An odd and occasionally gruesome collection of random writings about birds. Most were not inspiring. I was very disappointed as this is a beautiful book aesthetically. Looks good on a bedside table but there is nothing in it that I would want to read again.
January 5, 2020
A nice collection of art and short stories about birds.
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