Pigeons: the fascinating saga of the world's most revered and reviled bird
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Publisher:
Varies, see individual formats and editions
Pub. Date:
Varies, see individual formats and editions
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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ISBN:
9780802118349
9781555846008
9781555846008
Accelerated Reader:
UG
Level 7.7, 11 Points
Level 7.7, 11 Points
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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 | 2024-03-29 02:17:20AM |
Last Indexed | 2024-03-29 02:28:02AM |
Solr Fields
accelerated_reader_interest_level
UG
accelerated_reader_point_value
11
accelerated_reader_reading_level
7.7
author
Blechman, Andrew D.
author_display
Blechman, Andrew D.
available_at_catalog
Rancho Cordova
detailed_location_catalog
Rancho Cordova
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
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
eBook
format_category_catalog
Books
eBook
eBook
id
74885a0e-8401-7b70-8801-eb71c024e175
isbn
9780802118349
9781555846008
9781555846008
itype_catalog
Adult Book Non-Fiction
last_indexed
2024-03-29T09:28:02.545Z
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
Rancho Cordova
primary_isbn
9780802118349
publishDate
2006
2007
2007
publisher
Grove Atlantic
Grove Press
Grove Press
recordtype
grouped_work
subject_facet
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
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
History
Nature
Nonfiction
Pigeons
Nature
Nonfiction
Pigeons
Solr Details Tables
item_details
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ils:.b17993179 | .i51981920 | Rancho Cordova | 598.65 B646 2006 | 1 | false | false | On Shelf | ranag | |||||
overdrive:688871bc-5cef-4291-86a9-c96a17ecfd02 | -2 | Online OverDrive Collection | Online OverDrive | eBook | eBook | 1 | false | true | OverDrive | Available Online |
record_details
Bib Id | Format | Format Category | Edition | Language | Publisher | Publication Date | Physical Description | Abridged |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
ils:.b17993179 | Book | Books | English | Grove Press | c2006 | 239 p. ; 24 cm. | ||
overdrive:688871bc-5cef-4291-86a9-c96a17ecfd02 | eBook | eBook | English | Grove Atlantic | 2007 |
scoping_details_catalog
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overdrive:688871bc-5cef-4291-86a9-c96a17ecfd02 | -2 | Available Online | Available Online | false | true | true | false | false | false |