Ornithography: An Illustrated Guide to Bird Lore & Symbolism

Hidden Languages #2

by Jessica Roux

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLING ILLUSTRATOR 
 
From the creator of Floriography and the Woodland Wardens Oracle Deck comes this beautifully illustrated exploration of the folklore, mythology, and history surrounding our favorite winged companions.

Birds have inspired us since the dawn of their elegance in flight, captivating colors, and delicate mannerisms spark hope, joy, and delight. Cultures around the world have historically looked to birds as sacred messengers, intermediaries between earth and sky, including them in myths and legends and using them to teach moral lessons and historical truths.
 
In Jessica Roux’s Ornithography, each of 100 entries focuses on one bird species, featuring a full-page color illustration in her detailed, darkly romantic style and the lore behind each bird.
 
The perfect gift for birdwatchers, gardeners, and history buffs, as well as all readers who appreciate nature, mythology, and art, Ornithography is as intriguing and playful as the feathered muses that fill its pages.

Genres: Nonfiction, Nature, Birds, Art, Animals, Reference, History

224 pages, Hardcover

First published September 24, 2024

Reviews

[Ганна Кузьо · Rating 2 out of 5]

Тако, я дуже упереджена бо дуже в темі пташиній. Читати пʼяте через десяте можна. За годину я це все прочитала, значно цікавішою є енциклопедія назв птахів. Ілюстрації більшість справді красиві. Проте деякі (це я про види у яких добре розбираюся) не точні.
Тож книга не пізнавальна, а радше розважальна.

Ластівки, наприклад, намальовані зовсім сумно. Волове очко більше на якусь кропивянку схоже. Але такі баги в ілюстраціях вийняток, а не правило. А от тексти писані нашвидкоруч, я не зроушміла чому в деяких випадках описані види, в інших роди, або, навіть, кілька родин. Тобто логіки у структурі я не побачила.

Самі тексти не пізнавальні бо зачіпають лиш тему символізму, легенд та міфів, абсолютно не пояснюючи, як воно ж насправді у птахів. Тобто це збірка древніх байок про птахів. Дуже цікавих, так. Але так бракувало мені хоча б кількох речень до кожного тексту з якимись правдивими фактами про цих птахів. До крихітного абзацу можна було ще кілька речень додати, не переобтяжуючи текст.

Тож книга для розглядання, а не читання.

[Mayumi · Rating 2 out of 5]

For a book that labels itself as a “guide” I find it pretty ridiculous that the author opens with “this was a real thing they did in ancient Greece but I made most of these up on my own.” Girl, what!

The illustrations and formatting was beautiful but what a wasteful way to convey information that’s not even real, wrapping up actual bird lore among made-up ones with no distinguishing note to tell one from fantasy. Really disappointing for someone interested in the subject.

[Kacey · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very interesting! 🕊

[ameliasanthology · Rating 5 out of 5]

As someone who enjoys birdwatching and majored in Wildlife Biology in college, this book immediately grabbed my attention. I am a big believer in signs from the universe, so I was excited to learn the meanings and folklore behind some of my favorite species. Off the bat, the drawings are phenomenal. I especially liked that each drawing was representative of the lore behind each species. Having both the common name and scientific name for each species was a nice touch. I think this would be a great gift for someone just starting out in ornithology, wildlife biology, ecology or a similar field. I studied Wildlife Biology during college, and would have been THRILLED to receive a book like this. My favorite lores were that of the cassowary, cormorant, eagle, hummingbird, loon, stonechat, and the thrush!

Overall, it was very apparent that a great deal of time and research went into writing this book, and as a reader, this made me appreciate the content and the author's effort so much more.

[VertigoR · Rating 4 out of 5]

Я був свідомий, коли купляв цю книгу, що у ній превалює візуальна складова (ілюстрації справді красиві), але те наскільки крихітною є текстова частина - несподіванка з ноткою розчарування. Навряд чи авторка прагнула вичерпності (у такому форматі це неможливо і, мабуть, не потрібно), проте до сотні проілюстрованих птахів чомусь не потрапили ані щиглик, ні сойка, ані одуд чи бджолоїдка - яскраві і знакові для культури багатьох народів представники орнітофауни. "Орнітографію" Джессіки Ру важко назвати довідником, це в першу чергу coffee table book - не так для читання, як для розглядання/милування без особливого заглиблення в тему, але з можливістю отримати естетичну насолоду і натхнення.

[Hannah · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you to Netgalley for the eARC! I adored this book and loved the depictions of each bird and the individual folklore and history surrounding each one.

[Justine]

So so SO excited to get an ARC from Andrews McMeel Publishing! Can't wait to read it - spoilers: it'll be soon!
_________________

Started reading October 13th 2024

[Maryna Ponomaryova · Rating 5 out of 5]

Книга супер красива, пташки чудові, а факти про них справді цікаві і стисло викладені. Все сподобалось, чудова на подарунок

[Chispita Kelly · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 interesting and completely beautiful, but I wish she credited ANY of her sources. I know she said many were legends, but she really just knows this many legends in that much detail? I’d’ve liked to know where to go to read more instead of just having to google on my own

[The Bookish Chimera - Pauline · Rating 4 out of 5]

While augury is no longer common practice, and we don't have a “language of birds” as standardized as the Victorian language of flowers, we can look to folklore, mythology and history for insight into the symbolism associated with our feathered friends.”

Ornithography is a very beautiful little book. In its pages, a hundred birds are pictured. For each of them, the meaning, the elements of lore and a gorgeous illustration.
Each entry is short, and you might want to do some deeper research afterwards, as meaning often varies depending on cultures, but I loved that form. While turning the pages, or using the index, you can find the information you want. While creating a bestiary, I found it was a very useful tool, helping me to narrow my research to a couple of birds.
This book will please people who like beautiful books, those who like birds and/or lore, as much as people like writers or artists who would want to quickly find a symbol to use in their work. As for me, it has now a spot on my desk for quick access.
One regret, though. I wish the author would have put the references she used together at the end of the book. I would have helped further research

[Farda Hus · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 stars.

Okay, first things first, just look at that cover! I mean, seriously, it’s stunning. The moment I saw it, I knew this book was going to be something special, and it totally delivered.

This book dives into the lore and quirky facts about birds, and I was hooked. Did you know that canaries are so sensitive to poisonous gas that they used to be taken into coal mines as an early warning system? Or that doves have been symbols of love for centuries, and there’s actually a really interesting reason behind it? The book is packed with these little gems of knowledge, and I found myself fascinated by every page.

But it’s not just the facts that make this book shine, the illustrations are out of this world. Seriously, they’re beyond beautiful, adding so much to the experience. Every page feels like a piece of art.

Huge shoutout to the author and publisher for the advance copy. This was such a fun and visually stunning read. If you’re into birds or just love a beautifully crafted book, you’ve got to check this one out!

[Stephanie Spain · Rating 2 out of 5]

The artwork is beautiful. Some of the stories are interesting, but I’m not sure the accuracy of them. They’re things I’m not going to check myself, so I’m just taking it all with a grain of salt.

[Ellen Marie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is so beautiful, such a quick and enjoyable read too.

The lore behind the each bird is fascinating - there’s even dreamtime stories mentioned - and the illustrations are just stunning. i want all of them as prints for my wall.

[Mila Kolisnyk · Rating 5 out of 5]

Неймовірної краси довідник з мови птахів як символів. Просто не передати яке це естетичне задоволення гортати сторінки даної книги😍😍😍

[Sirah · Rating 4 out of 5]

As it says on the back cover, this book features 100 birds beautifully rendered in lovely paintings, paired with a brief summary of their historical or mythical significance based on stories from around the world.

I admit I was a little disappointed the book didn't get into actually predicting the future based on bird sightings. But that's not what it was trying to do, so I guess that's my own fault. For what it was trying to do, it was beautiful and a pleasant read. This would be a lovely coffee table book, but I also enjoyed reading a few pages before bed.

[Caleb Landry · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have loved birds for their charm, song, and biology for years, but I never thought twice about the cultural and religious backgrounds of them. This book brought me a new perspective on the animals that I love, and made me think about how so many different peoples over time have created meaning around these creatures.

[Tiffany · Rating 5 out of 5]

So many cool stories about how different bird species came to be and how they got their songs or looks, based on different mythologies.

[Nancy Lewis · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nice illustrations. Each bird comes with a paragraph or two on its historical, mostly European, lore.

[Tyler · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pretty good, though not as good as the last. Again, I wish there was a little more detail.

4.0 🌟

[Janna · Rating 5 out of 5]

A beautifully illustrated book with folklore, legends, and interesting facts about birds!

I liked reading it while birdwatching on my back porch!

[Laura · Rating 4 out of 5]

Who knew birds could be so biblical?? Learned a lot about birds as symbols. Wish that each bird has a little more info in this book. Loved the illustrations.

[Tracy Turner-Bumberry · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautiful illustrations and interesting folklore.

[Elyssia · Rating 4 out of 5]

beautiful birds and their lore 🐦‍⬛🕊️🦃🦅🦆🦜🦚🐓🦢🐦🐧

[Kim · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed reading about the symbolism of birds in folklore, mythology, and history. Some I was familiar with, but many were new to me! The illustrations are absolutely wonderful.

[Anastasiia Kochubei · Rating 4 out of 5]

Гарні ілюстрації, симпатичні короткі тексти. Але з точки зору обґрунтування значень - слабенько, як на мене.

[Paula Boothman · Rating 4 out of 5]

very cute very fun

[Heather · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love this one! Saw it at the bookstore and got it for a great deal on the Kobo store. I love birds, and the illustrations were so beautiful.

[Bebo Saucier Carrick · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me an ARC of this book for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

This book was an absolutely gorgeous look at bird symbolism. I loved that it pulled from literature, folklore, and popular culture to explain the symbolism/associations connected to each bird. I loved that the descriptions were simple and easily digestable. The illustrations were also beautiful!

[Berna Labourdette · Rating 4 out of 5]

Otro libro precioso de Jessica Roux, con muchísima información sobre el simbolismo de 100 aves distintas, en culturas muy diversas. Las ilustraciones son muy detalladas (casi parecen ilustraciones científicas), pero incorporando un símbolo en particular en cada una de ellas. Algo que me gusta es que no utiliza fondos, para que sólo resalten las aves descritas.

Para cualquier interesado en mitología, simbolismo y folklore es muy útil, lo recomiendo mucho.

[Joana · Rating 3 out of 5]

A mix of facts about birds, myths, and stories from around the world - I like that birds from all continents are represented and stories from indigenous cultures feature heavily. I'm not sure I understood the "meaning" of each bird, since it's often based on only one story from one culture, but I would just not put too much weight on that aspect of the book. The illustrations are cute, naive, and sometimes medieval-looking (but kind of sad that pet birds were drawn with their feet chained up somehow, perhaps to make it look more 'old-timey'). I would have also liked a little habitat map or information on where each bird can be found.

I'd say this makes for a lovely little gift for the bird people in your life!

Thank you to Jessica Roux, Andrews McMeel Publishing and NetGalley for the ARC.