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Birds Britannica
Birds Britannica
Nov 25, 2024 5:37 AM

Author:Mark Cocker,Richard Mabey,Helen Macdonald

Birds Britannica

The British love their birds, which are inextricably entwined with every aspect of their island life. British customs, more than 1,000 years of English literature, the very fabric of society, even the landscape itself, have all been enhanced by the presence of birds. Highly acclaimed on first publication, this superb book pays tribute to the remarkable relationship forged between a nation and its most treasured national heritage.

Birds Britannica is a unique publication of immense importance. Neither an identification guide nor a behavioural study (although both these subjects enter its field), it concentrates on our social history and on the cultural links between humans and birds.

What makes Birds Britannica of special significance is the inclusion of observations and experiences from more than 1,000 naturalists and bird lovers. These contributions from the public touch on avian ecology; the lore and language of birds; their myths, the art and literature they have inspired; birds as food; and the crucial role they play in our sense of place and the changing seasons.

Birds Britannica took eight years to research and was assembled by a team that included some of the finest writers and image-makers of British wildlife. On one level, it is a remarkable collection of humorous stories, field observations and tales of joy, wonder and occasional woe; on another, it is a nationwide chronicle. Scholarly and wide-ranging, a mix of the traditional and the contemporary, Birds Britannica is a comprehensive record of birdlife in the early years of the twenty-first century. No other book has dealt so completely with the rich connections between birds and humans; Birds Britannica captures the very essence of that relationship, and explores why birds matter and why we care.

Reviews

Full of interesting ideas, insightful and thought-provoking ... A stimulating book that perhaps leaves the reader with more questions than answers. That, in case you are wondering, is intended as praise

—— Tony Mann , Times Higher Education

[My brother] has written a book which has to be one of the most extraordinary books written in Irish medical history! I would say that, wouldn't I? But it is great. It's really good, really accessible, a super read. We're all very proud of him

—— Ryan Tubridy

[Tubridy] renders sometimes complex medical concepts understandable for the general reader ... good on the sometimes unbearable pressures on doctors

—— Irish Times

Fascinating

—— Liz Nugent

It's a most readable book. There's no jargon in it

—— Seán O'Rourke , RTÉ

[Oliver] Sacks hoped that his neurological tales ... could bring us closer to where the psychic and the physical meet ... Tubridy's concerns are less rarefied. He wants us to understand the human toll that illness takes

—— Sunday Times

Niall's sense of wonder at the human brain is enormously clear even with almost three decades of work in the field under his belt

—— RTÉ Lifestyle

Very interesting and very entertaining

—— Pat Kenny

Fascinating ... The book teems with interesting characters

—— Sunday Business Post

Will make you think in a whole new way about the human brain

—— Ireland AM

A book that will fascinate you with the patients' tales but leave you at the end pondering the notion of what life really is

—— Journal.ie

Simple and illuminating

—— Irish News

Written in a very accessible way for non-medical people, like myself

—— Dave Fanning , RTÉ

Wide ranging, deeply researched, readable and persuasive. Ms Murphy, we hear you!

—— Rose Shepherd , Saga Magazine, *Books to Look Our For in 2020*

Full of fascinating insights and advice on the art of listening... a deeply researched and thought-provoking read… [that] feels timely and necessary

—— Eastern Daily Press, *Book of the Week*

A thoroughly researched piece of long-form journalism… An interesting read.

—— Natalie Bowen , UK Press Syndication

Murphy offers a timely reminder of how we could enrich out lives and relationships if we redouble our efforts to listen to opposing views.

—— Lucy Popescu , Tablet

In an age when technology has made it easier than ever before to talk with each other, we've paradoxically become worse at listening. Fortunately, we have Kate Murphy to teach us how to reclaim this crucial skill. This book changed the way I think about communicating with the people who matter to me.

—— Cal Newport , New York Times bestselling author of Deep Work and Digital Minimalism

A timely intervention

—— Niki Seth-Smith , New Humanist

Warn, earnest, gently beseeching... Carefully read, Murphy's book might help us all pay more great compliments to the ones we love

—— M. M. Owen , Times Literary Supplement

Jaw-dropping… This book is a snapshot of the dangers of a world designed to fit a minority

—— Barbara Speed , i

Plain, detailed and almost overwhelming prose… There is no anger in Criado Perez's pages – she is too busy with evidence for that

—— Tanya Gold , UnHerd

Book that did most to change the way I thought? Caroline Criado Perez's Invisible Women... Perez has delivered a much needed correction: full of persuasive examples and analysis of areas from public policy, medicine, economics and elsewhere in which data have been gathered in such a way as to obscure or omit matters of most concern to women. I learned a lot

—— Tim Harford

Invisible Women… is a book that changes the way you see the world

—— Allan Massie , Sunday Times

The book’s force doesn’t derive from the power of its rhetoric – instead it’s the steady, unrelenting accumulation of evidence, the sheer weight of her argument’

—— Sophie McBain , New Statesman

Caroline Criado Perez brilliantly exposes the appalling gender bias that underpins the collection of data and how it’s used. From medical treatments that fail to take female biology into account, to car safety features that are designed for the male body, women are the invisible 51%. This deeply researched and passionate book is the most important contribution to gender equality in years.

—— Amanda Foreman

In Invisible Women…Caroline Criado Perez expounds the far-reaching consequences of the “default male” mode… She urges a realignment of priorities… [a] call to action

—— Mia Levitin , Times Literary Supplement

Ending the biases she [Perez] exposes wouldn’t just reduce inequality; it would, in some cases, save actual lives

—— The Week, *Book of the Week*

Invisible Women is an essential handbook in the fight to build a more equal world. It’s based on enough data to satisfy even the fussiest scientist and will make you look at the world in a new light. However, the style is light enough that it doesn’t feel like hard work. Read it for yourself, then lend it to all your friends, of any gender

—— Chemistry World

Perez’s analysis is wide-ranging and compelling… one of the most powerful takeaways from Perez’s book is the extent to which so much of this [gendered] bias is unconscious, such that we are all infected by it. Feminism is the process of unlearning this, but it’s an ongoing process, for all of us

—— Conversation

An impeccably researched, determined and passionate demand for change

—— Sian Norris , Prospect

The depth and scope of this book will shock you… Invisible Women is an essential handbook in the fight to build a more equal world… Read it for yourself, then lend it to all your friends, of any gender

—— Philippa Matthews , Chemistry World

An extraordinary book

—— Anthony Reuben , Big Issue

One of the most compelling books I’ve read in years

—— Josie Cox , Independent

[An] astounding book

—— Dominic Browne , Highways

A strong case for change

—— Sarah Shaffi , Stylist

Invisible Women makes excellent points about how biased data are hidden and have pervasive negative impacts on the lives of women and girls

—— Margaret McCartney , Lancet

Criado Perez’s devastating indictment is a worthy bestseller

—— Guardain, *Summer Reads of 2019*

This book is a wake-up call for us all

—— Church Times, *Summer Reads of 2019*

Overwhelmingly powerful

—— Kistina Rapacki , Disegno

Few books this year are as important as activist Criado-Perez’s data crunch into the inequalities between men and women. She finds something to engage and enrage on every page

—— Sarah Hughes , i, *Best books of 2019*

A fascinating look at the gender biases affecting our everyday lives

—— Women's Running

This book is comprehensive, well researched and thoroughly referenced with copious endnotes… [it] made me…shift my perspective

—— Toni Sekinah , DataIQ

Thought-provoking, eye-opening

—— Iona Grey , Heat

Not only a gripping but an important book… It’s funny when it’s not horrifying, deeply researched and done with real verve

—— Sam Leith , Spectator, *Books of the Year*

Few books really change the way you look at the world. Invisible Women is one of those rarities

—— Robbie Millen , The Times, *Books of the Year*

What makes Invisible Women so compelling is the mountain of data she draws on… a brilliant exposé

—— Ian Sample , Guardian, *Books of the Year*

Every man should read this book… [Invisible Women] chats, in page after steely, meticulous page, precisely how the world…is designed around men, and how this puts women at an impossible disadvantage

—— James McConnachie , Sunday Times, *Books of the Year*

Funny, exasperating and anger-inducing, there is something for everyone

—— Eleanor Parsons , New Scientist

The essential book of the year, mayhap the decade

—— Marina Vaizey , Tablet, *Books of the Year*

A staggering expose of design prejudice and an impassioned call to action

—— List

Perez takes the truism that ours is a world designed for men and backs it with evidence. Impressively collating vast amounts of research

—— Prospect, *Books of the Year*

A must-read for men and women alike

—— Hannah Beckerman , Sunday Express

This calm, dispassionate, hilarious, entertaining, maddening, infuriating narrative is a highly readable manifesto for real change

—— Marina Vaizey , The Arts Desk, *Books of the Year*

This well-researched book turns everything we accept as normal on its head…[Invisible Women] succeeds in making a powerful case for change in a non-preachy, educative style… It is not entertainment; it is a thesis – and a powerful one at that

—— Alison Herbert and Dr Phyl Hughes , Law Society Gazette

This incredibly well-researched and engaging book highlights how the lack of gender-focused data results in the needs of more than half of the population being ignored. The numerous examples cited by Criado-Perez – ranging from infrastructure to healthcare – are shocking and sobering… Invisible Women offers valuable insight into the transformative power of diversity and equality to drive better economic outcomes

—— Christie Guimond , Briefing

Such an insightful book and a good read for everyone

—— Julie Stewart , Business Times

Incredibly topical and relevant in a rapidly changing world, Criado Perez’s multi-award-winning exposé on data bias has seen her become an authority on modern day inequalities

—— Capacity

Invisible Women...is already a classic, but I can't recommend it enough

—— Sarah Pedersen , Times Higher Education

A powerful, insightful book

—— Tim Harford , Week

Compelling... revelatory... Criado Perez provides bountiful evidence of her thesis

—— Mariel McKone Leonard , London School of Economics

A huge eye-opener

—— Jojo de Noronha , Grocer

A witty, furious page-turner

—— Emma Donoghue , Week

Invisible Women is highly recommended to both men and women as an incredibly readable piece of journalism... Many of you will also find you cannot put down this passionate and informative book until you've finished it... illuminating and engaging

—— Platinum Business Magazine

Compelling

—— Dr Mariel McKone Leonard , London School of Economics

Filled with hair raising facts and figures, [Invisible Women] investigates the jarring matter of discrepancy and representation in our modern world... make no mistake, once you begin reading, it's hard to stop

—— Reilly Dufresne , Glasgow Guardian, *Christmas Gift Guide 2020*

A deeply important and useful book... Fast, funny, angry and vital... A proper game-changer.

—— Caitlin Moran , Foyles, *Author Picks for Christmas*

Criado Perez keeps the gobsmacking revelations flowing in a conversational manner, making the reader feel like she’s having lunch with a funny, knowledgeable and passionate friend

—— Science News
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