What do you think?
Rate this book
Ornithologiae
Ornithologiæ... Egaeus Press's collection of strange, dark and hallucinatory stories and poems on the theme of birds.
Herein, and alongside the more or less familiar, feathered avian varieties, you will find creatures of pure myth, impossibilities; birds reimagined, reconstructed; birds as symbols and metaphors for all that is both irreconcilably fascinating and alien to humanity.
The book comprises a total of 27 stories and poems, including, amongst other gems, a previously unpublished story by the late and greatly missed Ron Weighell.
The full table of contents is as follows:
Oystercatcher - Martin Ruf
Aberration & Essence - Charles Wilkinson
Ravenbaby - Die Booth
Chattering Pies - Henry Everett
The Spirit Plate - Sara Rich
Being A True Account of The Death & Burial of Poor Cock Robin -
William Curnow
My Love Will Shine from Depths Unknown - John Llewellyn Probert
The Sin-Eaters - Suzanne J. Willis
Pretty Bird - Florence Sunnen
Chanticleer & The Peacock - Rose Biggin
Huitzilopochtli - Lorraine Schein
Oileán na nÉan - Albert Power
The Jingwei Bird Filling Up The Eastern Sea - Ngo Binh Anh Khoa
The Hunger - Romy Wenzel
Leather Cormorant - Richard Gavin
Doctor Cuckoo - Douglas Thompson
The Dread Machinery - Martin Jones
The Owl is Called Mother - Rebecca Lloyd
My Avian Daughter Devours Meteors - Alicia Hilton
The Embassy at Fontainebleau - Damian Murphy
Eyes Like Small Black Stones - David Surface
Soul Catcher - Ron Jon
The Songbird of Medina - Karim Ghahwagi
Flight - David Yates
Calling - Ruhul Amin
Spirits of the Dead - Ron Weighell
Edited by Mark Beech
The book is a lithographically printed, 288 page hardback with colour endpapers; limited to 460 copies.
Herein, and alongside the more or less familiar, feathered avian varieties, you will find creatures of pure myth, impossibilities; birds reimagined, reconstructed; birds as symbols and metaphors for all that is both irreconcilably fascinating and alien to humanity.
The book comprises a total of 27 stories and poems, including, amongst other gems, a previously unpublished story by the late and greatly missed Ron Weighell.
The full table of contents is as follows:
Oystercatcher - Martin Ruf
Aberration & Essence - Charles Wilkinson
Ravenbaby - Die Booth
Chattering Pies - Henry Everett
The Spirit Plate - Sara Rich
Being A True Account of The Death & Burial of Poor Cock Robin -
William Curnow
My Love Will Shine from Depths Unknown - John Llewellyn Probert
The Sin-Eaters - Suzanne J. Willis
Pretty Bird - Florence Sunnen
Chanticleer & The Peacock - Rose Biggin
Huitzilopochtli - Lorraine Schein
Oileán na nÉan - Albert Power
The Jingwei Bird Filling Up The Eastern Sea - Ngo Binh Anh Khoa
The Hunger - Romy Wenzel
Leather Cormorant - Richard Gavin
Doctor Cuckoo - Douglas Thompson
The Dread Machinery - Martin Jones
The Owl is Called Mother - Rebecca Lloyd
My Avian Daughter Devours Meteors - Alicia Hilton
The Embassy at Fontainebleau - Damian Murphy
Eyes Like Small Black Stones - David Surface
Soul Catcher - Ron Jon
The Songbird of Medina - Karim Ghahwagi
Flight - David Yates
Calling - Ruhul Amin
Spirits of the Dead - Ron Weighell
Edited by Mark Beech
The book is a lithographically printed, 288 page hardback with colour endpapers; limited to 460 copies.
288 pages, Hardcover
First published June 3, 2022
1 person is currently reading
19 people want to read
About the author
Mark Beech
19 books12 followersLibrarian Note: There is more than one author by this name in the Goodreads database.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
June 20, 2022
I was introduced to Egaeus Press through this volume as a good friend had a story included in it, and immediately upon seeing how gorgeously produced their books are I knew that I'd be ordering more than just this one.
The contents are almost overshadowed by the package they come in - printed and bound using traditional methods, illustrated throughout with engravings and coloured endpapers, they're a dream for any book lover.
Thankfully the stories and poems more than live up to the promise of their presentation. Weird, fantastical, unsettling but beautiful, the standard for inclusion is extremely high. The one story that I began by disliking quite intensely took a turn partway through, and ended up in a very different place than it first appeared it would. These stories and poems are not "horror" in the usual sense, yet all have a disturbing edge to them which is rather more insidious and thought-provoking than "Horror" with a capital H.
All Egaeus Press books are limited edition, and due to the methods used to produce them they are somewhat expensive (in the region of £40) but honestly I have no hesitation in saying they're worth every penny.
The contents are almost overshadowed by the package they come in - printed and bound using traditional methods, illustrated throughout with engravings and coloured endpapers, they're a dream for any book lover.
Thankfully the stories and poems more than live up to the promise of their presentation. Weird, fantastical, unsettling but beautiful, the standard for inclusion is extremely high. The one story that I began by disliking quite intensely took a turn partway through, and ended up in a very different place than it first appeared it would. These stories and poems are not "horror" in the usual sense, yet all have a disturbing edge to them which is rather more insidious and thought-provoking than "Horror" with a capital H.
All Egaeus Press books are limited edition, and due to the methods used to produce them they are somewhat expensive (in the region of £40) but honestly I have no hesitation in saying they're worth every penny.
June 11, 2022
A fabulous collection of strange stories and poetry about birds and avian creatures. The prose and poetry is excellent. The illustrations are gorgeous.
November 14, 2025
Various (Editor: Beech, Mark) - Ornithologiae
Of or pertaining to the study / observation of birds.
Another eclectic, imaginative assortment from Egaeus.
“Aberration And Essence” displays the mania of bird watchers, the obsessives forever hunting for a rare species, perhaps a new breed. Firsthand, I have witnessed a few trespass my own property.
A switched bird, akin to the cuckoo, occurs in “Ravenbaby” leading the family to a wise woman.
Mila was an outsider, unaccustomed to the ways of Leonard’s family, not least the Thanksgiving traditions, and the traditions of sharing with the departed. “The Spirit Plate” was just that, and meant for those.
Who killed cock robin? Why the sparrow, of course. “Being A True Account Of The Death And Burial Of Poor Cock Robin” brings forth all manner of witnesses in the singular courthouse. Oh, the versions we hear, and the parade of untrustworthy narrators.
Edward, with his bad heart and pills, moved to the remote village to rest, work on his painting. There was a girl there, strange creature, Edelina, tall, slim, innocent, not so innocent. “Oileán na nÉan” draws us into the transgressive nature of Edward’s muse, with a whispered backstory.
He thought it was a purse, it looked like a purse. There would be money, and Chess, homeless flotsam, was freezing to death. Only it was not a purse. “The Leather Cormorant” was more a curse.
A sweeping variety of stories, settings and themes. Loads of engravings. For the receptive, poetry.
As of 2025, still in print from the publisher.
Of or pertaining to the study / observation of birds.
Another eclectic, imaginative assortment from Egaeus.
“Aberration And Essence” displays the mania of bird watchers, the obsessives forever hunting for a rare species, perhaps a new breed. Firsthand, I have witnessed a few trespass my own property.
A switched bird, akin to the cuckoo, occurs in “Ravenbaby” leading the family to a wise woman.
Mila was an outsider, unaccustomed to the ways of Leonard’s family, not least the Thanksgiving traditions, and the traditions of sharing with the departed. “The Spirit Plate” was just that, and meant for those.
Who killed cock robin? Why the sparrow, of course. “Being A True Account Of The Death And Burial Of Poor Cock Robin” brings forth all manner of witnesses in the singular courthouse. Oh, the versions we hear, and the parade of untrustworthy narrators.
Edward, with his bad heart and pills, moved to the remote village to rest, work on his painting. There was a girl there, strange creature, Edelina, tall, slim, innocent, not so innocent. “Oileán na nÉan” draws us into the transgressive nature of Edward’s muse, with a whispered backstory.
He thought it was a purse, it looked like a purse. There would be money, and Chess, homeless flotsam, was freezing to death. Only it was not a purse. “The Leather Cormorant” was more a curse.
A sweeping variety of stories, settings and themes. Loads of engravings. For the receptive, poetry.
As of 2025, still in print from the publisher.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews