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The Secret Life of the Owl
The Secret Life of the Owl
Oct 4, 2024 11:21 AM

Author:John Lewis-Stempel

The Secret Life of the Owl

The perfect gift for nature lovers- The Book of the Owl is a beautifully illustrated small format hardback exploring the legend and history of the owl. A true celebration of this magnificent creature - its natural powers and its mythical glory. Fans of Stephen Moss and Fiona Stafford will not be disappointed.

'In this short, beautiful little book, the farmer and nature writer introduces us to the wisdom of owls.. every question you might ask ... is answered with economy and insight and the cultural references and quotations are as rich as you would expect from this brilliant writer.' -- Daily Mail

'John Lewis-Stempel is one of the best nature writers of his generation' -- Country Life

'One of our finest nature writers with an essay length portrait of a bird that has fascinated humans for millennia.' -- Mail on Sunday

'An absolute pleasure to read' -- ***** Reader review

'Hypnotic reading' -- ***** Reader review

'Absolutely fascinating' -- ***** Reader review

'Hard to put down once opened, it is finished all too quickly' -- ***** Reader review

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'Dusk is filling the valley. It is the time of the gloaming, the owl-light.

Out in the wood, the resident tawny has started calling, Hoo-hoo-hoo-h-o-o-o.'

There is something about owls. They feature in every major culture from the Stone Age onwards. They are creatures of the night, and thus of magic. They are the birds of ill-tidings, the avian messengers from the Other Side.

But owls - with the sapient flatness of their faces, their big, round eyes, their paternal expressions - are also reassuringly familiar. We see them as wise, like Athena's owl, and loyal, like Harry Potter's Hedwig. Human-like, in other words.

No other species has so captivated us.

Reviews

A charming essay...packed with facts and literary asides...Lewis-Stempel has a wonderful way with words...he also packs the book with the singing, ringing words of others.

—— Robbie Millen , The Times

Best of the year's Natural History: one of our finest nature writers with an essay length portrait of a bird that has fascinated humans for millennia.

—— Mail on Sunday

John Lewis-Stempel is the hottest nature writer around.

—— John McEwen , Spectator

In this short, beautiful little book, the farmer and nature writer introduces us to the wisdom of owls.. every question you might ask ... is answered with economy and insight and the cultural references and quotations are as rich as you would expect from this brilliant writer.

—— Bel Mooney , Daily Mail

John is one of this country's greatest nature writers...this is a unique look at the Owl's of Britain in both word and verse...some incredible facts... a wonderful little book for anyone who wants to know a little more of some of our most secret of birds and ones that should be celebrated.

—— The Last Word

Eat to live for ever (well nearly)!

—— The Daily Mirror

If you're super busy, try [the] fasting-mimicking diet

—— Healthy

With a five-day fasting plan, eating well can also help to turn back your biological clock

—— Women's Own

This is an exhilarating book that will change the way we think about AI, intelligence, and the future of humanity.

—— Bart Selman, Professor of Computer Science, Cornell University

Tegmark successfully gives clarity to the many faces of AI, creating a highly readable book [...] Enjoy the ride, and you will come out the other end with a greater appreciation of where people might take technology and themselves in the years ahead.

—— Science

Stands out ... Tegmark explains brilliantly many concepts in fields from computing to cosmology, writes with intellectual modesty and subtlety, does the reader the important service of defining his terms clearly, and rightly pays homage to the creative minds of science-fiction writers who were, of course, addressing these kinds of questions more than half a century ago. It's often very funny, too.

—— Steven Poole , The Telegraph

Fascinating ... for sheer science fun, it's hard to beat

—— Stuart Russell , Nature

Lucid and engaging [...] Tegmark's explanation of how electronic circuitry - or a human brain - could produce something as evanescent and immaterial as thought is both elegant and enlightening.

—— Frank Rose , Wall Street Journal

It should be among the most important items on our political agenda. Unfortunately, AI has so far hardly registered on our political radar ... Max Tegmark's Life 3.0 tries to rectify the situation. Written in an accessible and engaging style, and aimed at the general public, the book offers a political and philosophical map of the promises and perils of the AI revolution. Instead of pushing any one agenda or prediction, Tegmark seeks to cover as much ground as possible, reviewing a wide variety of scenarios concerning the impact of AI on the job market, warfare and political systems. Life 3.0 does a good job of clarifying basic terms and key debates, and in dispelling common myths.

—— Yuval Noah Harari , The Guardian

Tegmark's smart, freewheeling discussion leads to fascinating speculations on AI-based civilizations spanning galaxies and eons-and knotty questions: Will our digital overlords be conscious? Will they coddle us with abudance and virtual-reality idylls or exterminate us with bumblebee-size attack robots? While digerati may be enthralled by the idea of superintelligent civilizations where "beautiful theorems" servce as the main economic resource, Tegmark's future will strike many as a one in which, at best, humans are dependent on AI-powered technology and, at worst, are extinct... Love it or hate it, it's an engrossing forecast.

—— Publishers Weekly

'I view this conversation about the future of AI as the most important one of our time,' he writes. Life 3.0 might convince even those who believe that AI is overhyped to join in.

—— Clive Cookson , Financial Times

Explores one of the most intriguing scientific frontiers, artificial general intelligence, and how humans can grow along with it. ... most will find the narrative irresistible.

—— Kirkus Reviews

Fantastic

—— Irish Independent

[A] handsome hardback full of fascinating facts about space and women behind space exploration. Colourful illustrations and great writing

—— Sarah Webb

A brilliantly readable history of space exploration

—— Scoop Magazine
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