Author:Stephen Moss
From the bestselling author of The Robin, The Wren and The Twelve Birds of Christmas.
With around 700,000 breeding pairs, the swallow is one of the most familiar birds in Britain. Though we consider the swallow to be 'our' bird, we also share this beloved creature with millions of others across the globe. Whilst we see it on a daily basis for half the year, the swallow then flies south to Africa, living on only in our memory in the long, dark winter.
In The Swallow Stephen Moss documents a year of observing the swallow close to home and in the field to shed light on the secret life of this extraordinary bird. We trace the swallow's life cycle and journey, including the epic 12,000-mile round trip it takes every year, to enable it to enjoy a life of almost eternal sunshine, and the key part the swallow plays in our traditional and popular culture.
With beautiful illustrations throughout,this captivating year-in-the-life biography reveals the hidden secrets of this charismatic and beautiful bird.
PRAISE FOR STEPHEN MOSS:
'A superb naturalist and writer' Chris Packham
'Inspired, friendly and blessed with apparently limitless knowledge' Peter Marren
'Moss has carved out an enviable niche as a chronicler of the natural world' Daily Mail
A delight
—— ChoiceThe greatest populariser of physics today. . . We are left in a world that is not disenchanted by science, but even more magical. A triumph
—— Julian Baggini , Financial TimesTheoretical physics often feels rather mystical. This mind-bending, lively book by the bestselling physicist Carlo Rovelli reinforces that other-wordly feeling. . . unforgettable
—— The TimesRovelli is often called the poet of physics. He writes elegant, wondering, enlarging books on time and quantum theory, much in the spirit of a priest bringing the word of God to his congregation, and I've found it good for my soul to be confronted with how little I understand the world and everything in it
—— Sarah Perry , GuardianOne of the warmest, most elegant and most lucid interpreters of the dazzling enigmas of his discipline. . . A momentous book
His most beautiful book yet. . . leaves an unforgettable impression of its author as a man struggling at the furthest limits of human comprehension
—— James Marriot , The TimesA deep-thinking, restlessly inquiring spirit. . . His books continue a tradition of popular scientific writing from Galileo to Darwin that disappeared in the academic specialisations of the past century
—— Ian Thomson , ObserverAnother brilliant book by Rovelli. . . You'll have fun
—— Clive Cookson , Financial TimesIf anyone can make sense of the topsy-turvy, counterintuitive world of quantum physics, it is Carlo Rovelli, the most poetically minded of today's science communicators
A remarkably wide-ranging new meditation on quantum theory. . . With the light touch of a skilled storyteller. . . Rovelli is not afraid to mix quantum physics and eastern philosophy
—— Manjit Kumar , GuardianA great tonic for long-isolated minds . . . a thrilling story, written with Rovelli's accustomed wit and panache. After reading him, you'll look at the grains of beach sand between your toes with an entirely new eye
—— Irish IndependentInspiring. . . Without mathematics or experiment, by page 81 your thoughts are at the frontier of quantum theory
—— Alexander Masters , SpectatorA delight . . . it is a pleasure to travel in Rovelli's company
—— New StatesmanTravelogue meets biography meets a masterful explanation of quantum theory in this warm and fascinating account
—— GuardianExplained with uncanny insight and lyrical grace
—— TimeA new vision, one with a remarkable power in delivering new answers to old quantum riddles. . . original and graceful
—— Jenann T. Ismael , TLSBracing and refreshing. . . Rovelli is offering a new way to understand not just the world but our place in it, too
—— NPRCarlo Rovelli is a genius and an amazing communicator. . . What I love about his writing is that it always comes back to people -- people interacting with other people, who are interacting with their world. This is the place where science comes to life
—— Neil GaimanWhen life feels strange, Rovelli's books remind me that there is beauty in the strangeness
—— Johny PittsRovelli is a brilliant and lucid teacher who uses his understanding of theoretical physics and the quantum world to talk about the complexity of our everyday reality
—— Russell BrandCarlo Rovelli's imaginative rigour, his lively humour and his beautiful writing are inspiring
Rovelli opens windows onto the imagination for all of us
—— Antony GormleyI always find with Carlo Rovelli's books that there are moments when you get a real hit of understanding -- a jigsaw in your mind that just falls into place
—— Robin InceHelgoland is a wonderful guide to the most extraordinary story in physics. It will reset your view of the universe
—— Marcus du SautoyHooked me so hard I read the entire book in one sitting. And then twice more
—— Lisa Feldman Barrett , Chronicle of Higher EducationThe old, solid world, if you believed in it at all, breaks into a glorious shimmer of limitless potential
—— Brian Morton , TabletRovelli has an uncanny knack for instilling wonder and explaining complex theories in plain, entertaining ways
—— Irish TimesI'm keen for everyone to read Helgoland: a wonderfully lucid and poetic account of the foundations of quantum physics. It combines a compelling history with Rovelli's own intriguing - and for me very appealing - views about the basis of all things
—— Anil Seth, author of Being You