Pigeons: the fascinating saga of the world's most revered and reviled bird
Author:
Publisher:
Varies, see individual formats and editions
Pub. Date:
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Language:
English
Accelerated Reader:
IL: UG - BL: 7.7 - AR Pts: 11
Description
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
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Grouping Information
Grouped Work ID | 74885a0e-8401-7b70-8801-eb71c024e175 |
---|---|
Grouping Title | pigeons the fascinating saga of the worlds most revered and reviled bird |
Grouping Author | andrew d blechman |
Grouping Category | book |
Grouping Language | English (eng) |
Last Grouping Update | 2022-05-17 02:08:33AM |
Last Indexed | 2022-05-17 02:44:37AM |
Novelist Primary ISBN | none |
Solr Details
accelerated_reader_interest_level | UG | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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accelerated_reader_point_value | 11 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
accelerated_reader_reading_level | 7.7 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
author | Blechman, Andrew D | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
author2-role | hoopla digital | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
author_display | Blechman, Andrew D | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
available_at_catalog | Galt | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
detailed_location_catalog | Galt | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
display_description | 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 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
format_catalog | Book eBook | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
format_category_catalog | Books eBook | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
id | 74885a0e-8401-7b70-8801-eb71c024e175 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
isbn | 9780802118349 9781555846008 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
item_details
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itype_catalog | Adult Book Non-Fiction | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
last_indexed | 2022-05-17T09:44:37.239Z | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
lexile_score | -1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
literary_form | Non Fiction | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
literary_form_full | Non Fiction | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
local_callnumber_catalog | 598.65 B646 2006 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
owning_library_catalog | Sacramento Public Library | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
owning_location_catalog | Galt | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
primary_isbn | 9780802118349 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
publishDate | 2006 2007 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
publisher | Grove Atlantic Grove Press, Grove/Atlantic, Inc., | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
record_details
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recordtype | grouped_work | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
scoping_details_catalog
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subject_facet | Electronic books Pigeons | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
title_display | Pigeons : the fascinating saga of the world's most revered and reviled bird | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
title_full | Pigeons : the fascinating saga of the world's most revered and reviled bird / Andrew D. Blechman Pigeons : the fascinating saga of the world's most revered and reviled bird [electronic resource] / Andrew D. Blechman Pigeons The Fascinating Saga of the World's Most Revered and Reviled Bird | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
title_short | Pigeons | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
title_sub | the fascinating saga of the world's most revered and reviled bird | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
topic_facet | Electronic books History Nature Nonfiction Pigeons |