An Inconvenience of Penguins: Epic voyages in pursuit of the world's most beloved bird

by Jamie Lafferty

'Laugh-out-loud funny and surprisingly emotional ... will bring joy' - The Scotsman

'Jamie Lafferty embarks on an epic quest - in which the journey is at least as entertaining as the end result' - Stephen Moss, author of Ten Birds That Changed the World

'Highly entertaining and gloriously obsessional' - Philip Hoare, author of Leviathan

'A wise, rude, hilarious and oddly moving account' - Ed Caesar, author of The Moth and the Mountain

~ ~ ~

The problem started, as problems often do, with a penguin.

From Kings and Emperors to Macaronis and Rockhoppers, penguins are one of the most immediately recognisable animals on Earth. Yet for all that familiarity, what do we really know about them? An Inconvenience of Penguins follows award-winning travel writer Jamie Lafferty as he visits all eighteen species in a bid to understand the birds and their extraordinarily varied habitats a little better. On voyages to some of the planet's most inaccessible and challenging landscapes, he recounts the history of our unique relationship with the world's most popular bird, telling not only the stories of the penguins, but also the people and places around them.

From getting stranded in the Galapagos and marching through African guano fields to leading photography groups in the Antarctic and taking psychedelics on the Falklands, this is a birding quest like no other. Along the way, Lafferty relives the experiences of early polar explorers, for whom penguins were perplexing mysteries, welcome companions and even occasional meals, and meets the modern penguin lovers trying to save their fragile environments.

Featuring cameos from a wide cast of characters including Ernest Shackleton, Charles Darwin and Sir Francis Drake, as well as beautiful photographs of each penguin species, An Inconvenience of Penguins is part love-letter to and part biography of these remarkable creatures.

Genres: Nonfiction, Travel, Audiobook, Animals, Nature, Birds, Natural History

336 pages, Kindle Edition

First published September 25, 2025

Reviews

[S V B · Rating 5 out of 5]

I ADMIT IT. I knew I was going to love this. Partly because anything involving Antarctica and South Georgia is very much my bag, and partly because I know Jamie's writing is brilliant. I also owe him a couple of pints but that's not relevant is it. Is it? NO!

I really liked the references to heroic age explorers (especially Mawson who doesn't get enough love), the contrast between Cherry-Garrard's 'Worst Journey' with modern polar travel was quite shocking in some ways. There is SO much more to this book but I'm very aware of giving spoilers so I'm going to keep shtum.

One of my absolute favourite parts was the ongoing snark towards fellow passengers (who stares at their phone when they could be looking at icebergs or bird life? idiots!).

100% recommend! 🍺🍺🍺

[Hayden Reid · Rating 5 out of 5]

Do you love birds, travelling and a great sense of adventure? This book is definitely for you. After traveling through the world on its pages, I learnt a lot about the 18 species of penguin and how one man’s curiosity became an addiction. What a fantastic read!

[ishi · Rating 3 out of 5]

I feel like the author, entertaining as he was at times, was writing to hit a word count. Loved what he had to say about penguins, about conservation, and the threats to the different species - I wish he focussed more on that aspect of the book.

[Valerie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love penguins and after seeing some in the wild in New Zealand and Antarctica, I thought maybe I would try to see them all. Well thanks to this book I now know I definitely DON'T want to do that.

I really enjoyed reading about his adventures and challenges getting to all of the different species of penguins. It was interspersed with some interesting history of the explorers and others who have appreciated penguins in the past.

I have been to a couple of places he visited and his descriptions are very accurate and I could definitely relate. I once spent a whole afternoon in a bunker until one lone Hoiho appeared on the beach, only visible through binoculars.

This is a great book for penguin lovers as well as anyone who has gone on an impossible quest.

[Matt Semple · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lots of interesting tidbits about some of the more isolated parts of the world but it’s the penguins which are the real stars of the show (obviously).

[Foggygirl · Rating 4 out of 5]

An entertaining and informative read the author comes across as an interesting personality to say the least.

[James · Rating 4 out of 5]

a brilliant travel book covering some of the most unique wildlife on the planet but also a harrowing reminder of the work we need to do towards conservation