The Most Perfect Thing: Inside (and Outside) a Bird’s Egg - Softcover

Birkhead, Tim

Softcover

ISBN 10: 140885127X ISBN 13: 9781408851272

Publisher: Bloomsbury Paperbacks, 2017

Synopsis

'I think that, if required on pain of death to name instantly the most perfect thing in the universe, I should risk my fate on a bird's egg'
Thomas Wentworth Higginson, 1862

How are eggs of different shapes made, and why are they the shape they are? When does the shell of an egg harden? Why do some eggs contain two yolks? How are the colours and patterns of an eggshell created, and why do they vary? And which end of an egg is laid first - the blunt end or the pointy end?

These are just some of the questions A Bird's Egg answers, as the journey of a bird's egg from creation and fertilisation to its eventual hatching is examined, with current scientific knowledge placed within an historical context. Beginning with an examination of the stunning eggs of the guillemot, each of which is so variable in pattern and colour that no two are ever the same, acclaimed ornithologist Tim Birkhead then looks at the eggs of hens, cuckoos and many other birds, revealing weird and wonderful facts about these miracles of nature. Woven around and supporting these facts are extraordinary stories of the individuals who from as far back as Ancient Egypt have been fixated on the study and collection of eggs, not always to the benefit of their conservation.

Firmly grounded in science and enriched by a wealth of observation drawn from a lifetime spent studying birds,A Bird's Egg is an illuminating and engaging exploration of the science behind eggs and the history of man's obsession with them.

About this title

Review:

The title is also a perfect description of the book itself - full of wonder and surprise and beautifully written (Nick Davies, author of Cuckoo)

Birkhead's approach to writing - hard, clear sentences; deep, revelatory looking - has the same effect as his microscope, bringing objects to light that were previously hidden, making us see the familiar with new eyes . After reading The Most Perfect Thing, you'll never dip your morning soldiers without a shiver of wonder at the complexity and resourcefulness of the humble egg. (Alex Preston Observer)

Eye-opening . Thoroughly engaging, it also gives us a thrilling sense of the vast, unmapped territories that lie beyond, waiting to be discovered (Sunday Times)

Superb ... like having the top of your own head lifted off and its contents deliciously stirred: no one after reading this book could think it was possible to know too much, no one could think science removes us from feeling (Observer)

What Birkhead does is show to anyone interested in nature why any such object is a source of wonder and fascination . Innovative work. Birkhead has made birds' eggs interesting again, by giving us a new way of looking at them: not as commodities to be drooled over and collected, but as wonders of natural science . Birkhead answers all the basic questions with panache, but other, stranger facts caught my imagination even more . Yet it is the incredible mechanisms of the life-support system, which Birkhead lays bare with perfect clarity, that are the most wondrous (Michael McCarthy Independent)

Quirky and revealing . Many fascinating facts . Birkhead writes in a jaunty and compelling style, and is not afraid to deal head-on with the politics of eggs . This book is illustrated with a fine selection of photographs showing the extraordinary variety of shapes, sizes and colours of eggs . Tim Birkhead is one of Britain's leading zoologists, yet he skilfully bridges the gap between scientists and non-scientists . Impressive - an important contribution to our understanding of the world around us, and its extraordinary natural wonders (Stephen Moss Daily Mail)

Birkhead has made birds' eggs interesting again, by giving us a new way of looking at them: not as commodities to be drooled over and collected, but as wonders of natural science (Independent)

So full of fascinating facts. The author is to be congratulated on a major step forward in our understanding of eggs that in the past we just accepted and did not query. The reader will never look in eggs the same way again (Ray Collier Highland News Group)

He takes us on an epic journey, from the outer shell of an egg to its genetic core . It is a voyage packed with astonishing details (James Attlee Independent)

Justly acclaimed for his brilliance at explaining complex science in a beguilingly lively style . Though it is only April, I suspect that this beautifully written volume will end up the best bird book of 2016 (BBC Wildlife)

Book Description:

From the author of Bird Sense and The Wisdom of Birds, a revealing and enthralling book about the extraordinary creation that is a bird's egg

About this edition

• Publisher: Bloomsbury Paperbacks
• Publication date: 2017
• ISBN 10: 140885127X
• ISBN 13: 9781408851272
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 304