Pigeons: The Fascinating Saga of the World's Most Revered and Reviled Bird
Dec 2007 · Open Road + Grove/Atlantic
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3 reviews
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256
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About this ebook
A "quirky, endlessly entertaining" look at the surprising history of the pigeon (Simon Winchester).
Domesticated since the dawn of man, pigeons have been used as crucial communicators in war by every major historical superpower from ancient Egypt to the United States and are credited with saving thousands of lives. They have been worshipped as fertility goddesses and revered as symbols of peace. Charles Darwin relied heavily on pigeons to help formulate and support his theory of evolution. Yet today they are reviled as "rats with wings."
To research this lively history of the humble pigeon, the author traveled across the United States and Europe to meet with pigeon fanciers and pigeon haters in a quest to find out how we came to misunderstand one of mankind's most helpful and steadfast companions. Pigeons captures a Brooklyn man's quest to win the Main Event (the pigeon world's equivalent of the Kentucky Derby), as well as a convention dedicated to breeding the perfect bird. The author participates in a live pigeon shoot where entrants pay $150; he tracks down Mike Tyson, the nation's most famous pigeon lover; he spends time with Queen Elizabeth's Royal Pigeon Handler; and he sheds light on a radical "pro-pigeon underground" in New York City. In Pigeons, Andrew D. Blechman reveals for the first time the remarkable story behind this seemingly unremarkable bird.
"A quick and thoroughly entertaining read, Pigeons will leave readers chuckling at the quirky characters and pondering surprising pigeon facts." — Audubon Magazine
"Manages to illuminate not merely the ostensible subject of the book, but also something of the endearing, repellent, heroic, and dastardly nature of that most bizarre of breeds, Homo sapiens." —Salon.com
Domesticated since the dawn of man, pigeons have been used as crucial communicators in war by every major historical superpower from ancient Egypt to the United States and are credited with saving thousands of lives. They have been worshipped as fertility goddesses and revered as symbols of peace. Charles Darwin relied heavily on pigeons to help formulate and support his theory of evolution. Yet today they are reviled as "rats with wings."
To research this lively history of the humble pigeon, the author traveled across the United States and Europe to meet with pigeon fanciers and pigeon haters in a quest to find out how we came to misunderstand one of mankind's most helpful and steadfast companions. Pigeons captures a Brooklyn man's quest to win the Main Event (the pigeon world's equivalent of the Kentucky Derby), as well as a convention dedicated to breeding the perfect bird. The author participates in a live pigeon shoot where entrants pay $150; he tracks down Mike Tyson, the nation's most famous pigeon lover; he spends time with Queen Elizabeth's Royal Pigeon Handler; and he sheds light on a radical "pro-pigeon underground" in New York City. In Pigeons, Andrew D. Blechman reveals for the first time the remarkable story behind this seemingly unremarkable bird.
"A quick and thoroughly entertaining read, Pigeons will leave readers chuckling at the quirky characters and pondering surprising pigeon facts." — Audubon Magazine
"Manages to illuminate not merely the ostensible subject of the book, but also something of the endearing, repellent, heroic, and dastardly nature of that most bizarre of breeds, Homo sapiens." —Salon.com
A "quirky, endlessly entertaining" look at the surprising history of the pigeon (Simon Winchester).
Domesticated since the dawn of man, pigeons have been used as crucial communicators in war by every major historical superpower from ancient Egypt to the United States and are credited with savin...
Ratings and reviews
3 reviews
David Colborne
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May 24, 2019
An entertaining and moving portrait of the history of the pigeon, its role throughout human history, and the people that love and loathe them. I'll never look at a pigeon the same way again.
Luba B
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January 2, 2017
While I agree that this book is not fully an investigation and not just about the science of the bird, I found it to be lovely. Yes, he talks a lot about people but it helps see how pigeons are viewed in different places.
1 person found this review helpful
About the author
Andrew D. Blechman is the author Leisureville: Adventures in a World Without Children and Pigeons: The Fascinating Saga of the World's Most Revered and Reviled Bird. His writing has appeared in numerous publications including the Los Angeles Times, the New York Times, and the International Herald Tribune. He divides his time between Massachusetts and Germany.
Andrew D. Blechman is the author Leisureville: Adventures in a World Without Children and Pigeons: The Fascinating Saga of the World's Most Revered and Reviled Bird. His writing has appeared in numerous publications including the Los Angeles Times, the New York Times, and the International Herald...
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