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yogomagpie's review
informative
fast-paced
3.0
It’s fine. It’s interesting. I was disappointed with how Eurocentric it is though.
winterstar's review against another edition
3.0
presents lots of interesting information, but fairly shallow and lacking any kind of citation system that one could use to further their own research. also really eurocentric!
elcrivain's review against another edition
3.0
Could have given more details, illustrations are really good tho.
potatoise's review against another edition
3.0
Could have given more details, illustrations are really good tho.
ithasabluecover's review
4.0
My only problem with the book was how short it was. At this length there's really only time for a surface look at a few species, and it would've been nice to either have longer entries for the same birds or more entries altogether. (The author should also get credit for distinguishing between different Inuit tribes when talking about creation stories and such.)
quodfelix's review
3.0
Suitable for reading in small bits, this is a curiosity satisfier. What strange myths and stories have grown up around our friends the birds! The author has culled from cultures around the world and through lots of time to find these associations. Some of them are remarkably similar and others quite different, even opposite. Are owls good omens or bad? Depends on who you speak to. I had hoped for more storytelling and longer narratives, but this is not this book. Nevertheless, I’ll keep this one on my shelf for future reference.
expendablemudge's review
3.0
Rating: 3.75* of five
THIS IS NOT A BOOK ABOUT BIRDS. It's a book about myths. It's a beautiful little cadeau I got from a certain Turkish gentleman. It's proof that even major publishers *can* make a beautiful book when they want to.
NOT ABOUT BIRDS. IS THAT CLEAR?
So, the author is this British ornithologist (remember now!) who's long been fascinated by the lore that surrounds our feathered brethren. He's spent a long career collecting the tales, the rhymes, the myths that envious humans have made part of their relationship to revenant dinosaurs. We're horribly jealous that they can fly, so we make them bearers of the luck we long for or the curses we dread (why are magpies considered bad luck, anyway? They're gorgeous, that's why, and us ugly nekkid apes are eaten up with resentment).
I loved the author's learned yet witty voice, though I can see many peole being turned off by it. He's not at all afraid to use his vocabulary, which I see all too seldom in books. More often than not, when I see an author use Big Words, he or she seems almost apologetic or embarrassed to know more than the Common Person. Faugh! Pshaw! Be smart and proud of it! Mr. Tate accomplishes that feat. He doesn't seem to worry about being accused of snobbery at all, which is admirable.
This beautiful volume is perfect for leaving on the coffee table, for visual pleasure; and for the browsability of its text, which lends itself to host-fetching-the-canapes reading, with subsequent chat about the interesting things one's guest has just learned. I love it, and not just because my sweetie gave it to me.
THIS IS NOT A BOOK ABOUT BIRDS. It's a book about myths. It's a beautiful little cadeau I got from a certain Turkish gentleman. It's proof that even major publishers *can* make a beautiful book when they want to.
NOT ABOUT BIRDS. IS THAT CLEAR?
So, the author is this British ornithologist (remember now!) who's long been fascinated by the lore that surrounds our feathered brethren. He's spent a long career collecting the tales, the rhymes, the myths that envious humans have made part of their relationship to revenant dinosaurs. We're horribly jealous that they can fly, so we make them bearers of the luck we long for or the curses we dread (why are magpies considered bad luck, anyway? They're gorgeous, that's why, and us ugly nekkid apes are eaten up with resentment).
I loved the author's learned yet witty voice, though I can see many peole being turned off by it. He's not at all afraid to use his vocabulary, which I see all too seldom in books. More often than not, when I see an author use Big Words, he or she seems almost apologetic or embarrassed to know more than the Common Person. Faugh! Pshaw! Be smart and proud of it! Mr. Tate accomplishes that feat. He doesn't seem to worry about being accused of snobbery at all, which is admirable.
This beautiful volume is perfect for leaving on the coffee table, for visual pleasure; and for the browsability of its text, which lends itself to host-fetching-the-canapes reading, with subsequent chat about the interesting things one's guest has just learned. I love it, and not just because my sweetie gave it to me.
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