When There Were Birds: The forgotten history of our connections

by Roy A. Adkins, Lesley Adkins

A landmark book that charts humanity's changing relationship with birds - from the ancient Egyptians to the twenty-first century 'A marvellously original slice of social history' Daily Mail'The facts and folklore of birdlife are dissected in admirable detail in this handsome book' Sunday Times'Roy and Lesley Adkins are masters of their craft' BBC Countryfile MagazineNo other group of animals has had such a complex and lengthy relationship with humankind as birds. They have been kept in cages as pets, taught to speak and displayed as trophies. More practically, they have been used to tell the time, predict the weather, foretell marriages, provide unlikely cures for ailments, convey messages and warn of poisonous gases. When There Were Birds is a social history of Britain that charts the complex connections between people and birds, set against a background of changes in the landscape and evolving tastes, beliefs and behaviours. It draws together many disparate, forgotten strands to present a story that is an intriguing and unexpectedly significant part of our heritage.

Genres: Birds, Nonfiction, Science, Nature, History, Natural History

652 pages, Kindle Edition

Published November 11, 2021

About the author

Roy Adkins is a historian and archaeologist. He is also a Fellow of the Society of Antiquaries in London.

Reviews

[Alyssa Miller · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is, without a doubt, the foremost publication on the relationship between mankind and birds throughout history. Exceptionally well-written and researched, When There Were Birds is a delightful blend of folklore; historical figures and events; literature; poetry; superstition; anthropology; scientific advances; and environmentalism. My only criticism is that it reads more like a textbook than a story but perhaps that is to be expected due to the sheer amount of information contained within these pages. Bravo!

[Connor Clayton · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a really interesting book; it really highlighted the scale of bird species loss in the UK much more strongly than anything else I have read or seen. It's incredibly well researched and has a lot of interesting sections showing how ingrained birds were to society historically. Sometimes it reads a little bit like a list of facts and information, not all of which flow smoothly, at the expense of having an overarching narrative or argument. On the whole though, I would recommend this to anyone with an interest in wildlife in the UK. It's actually inspired me to get the binoculars out again and buy a bird feeder.