Birds Britannica

Excellent condition. Fly leaf has a dedication— someone’s birthday! Doesn’t look as if they even opened it! I shall cover that with a dedication of my own. It’s a wonderful book, currently out of print but I understand it is to be reissued in April. Not particularly helpful as an identification guide but that is not its purpose. This book is more for someone who has a basic knowledge of birds and would appeal to viewers of Springwatch or Countryfile type of programme. It contains a wealth of interesting stories, legends and anecdotes concerning British birds as well as more scientific data (scientific names and families, for example). I expect the April edition will have been revised a bit: red kites are a very common sight wheeling over the gardens of Didcot and Yorkshire and no doubt other places they were re-introduced. The photographs are wonderful.

The book arrived in absolute perfect condition and very well described, I would not hesitate to use this vendor again and a worthy cause As for the book itself, it surpassed the review and will provide interest for many years to come.

Authorative book . History,folklore ,identication and gorgeous photos. A must have.

Holy Mother of God. This book is gorgeous - pictures, content, prose - everything about it is wonderful. Not just encyclopedic and thorough, which I had hoped for from other reviews, but so much more. Folk knowledge, fondness for the subject, and - dare I say it? Yes - wisdom. The best book I have bought all year.

Beautiful book but I was disappointed with the amount of information about each bird. It wasn't very detailed

Having already read other books by this author, my expectations were high for Birds Brittanica and I was not disappointed. Featuring some great pictures and comprehensive descriptions of all British birds, Mark Cocker has added many new insights, both historical & topographical making this a book to dip into and to keep handy by your favourite chair. I look forward to browsing it's pages over the cold winter evenings to come.

Birds Britanica is a sumptious feast of a book, that is aimed, not at ardent 'twitcher' types, but at those of us who just enjoy the nature that is there to be enjoyed, whether it be outside, or in the comfort of an armchair. Truly amazing photographs are complimented by entertainingly accessable information. Never ever technical or 'specialised', this is what a coffee table ( I challenge you to slip it into your pocket) , what a coffee table book should be. This is a book that is worth every penny, and surely the only bird book that you will ever need.

Not a book to be read from beginning to end, but one to be dipped into for information. You will consult it for the answer to your specific query, then you'll be drawn in further and further; until, suddenly, you'll realise an hour has gone by and you're still reading, but you're reading about a completely different bird and you're making exclamations to yourself such as "Good grief, I never knew that!", "How did they find that out?!" and "Absolutely amazing!", etc, etc. A gripping read without you realising you've been gripped. A tour de force. Worth every penny.

I got this as a reference book for a project about bird mythology and symbolism, and it's wonderfully written and very thorough and engaging.