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Pigeons : The Fascinating Saga of the World's Most Revered and Reviled Bird by Andrew D. Blechman (2007, Perfect)
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Charles Darwin relied heavily on pigeons to help formulate and support his theory of evolution. 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.
- Buy It NowPigeons: The Fascinating Saga of the World's Most Revered and Reviled Bird
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About this product
Product Identifiers
PublisherGROVE/Atlantic, Incorporated
ISBN-100802143288
ISBN-139780802143280
eBay Product ID (ePID)59782190
Product Key Features
Book TitlePigeons : the Fascinating Saga of the World's Most Revered and Reviled Bird
Number of Pages256 Pages
LanguageEnglish
TopicBirdwatching Guides, Animals / Birds
Publication Year2007
GenreNature
AuthorAndrew D. Blechman
FormatPerfect
Dimensions
Item Height0.7 in
Item Weight10.6 Oz
Item Length8.2 in
Item Width5.5 in
Additional Product Features
Intended AudienceTrade
Dewey Edition22
Dewey Decimal598.6/5
SynopsisPigeons have been worshipped as fertility goddesses and revered as symbols of peace. Domesticated since the dawn of man, they've 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. Charles Darwin relied heavily on pigeons to help formulate and support his theory of evolution. Yet today they are reviled as "rats with wings." Author Andrew D. Blechman 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. Blechman 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 , Blechman tells for the first time the remarkable story behind this seemingly unremarkable bird., Pigeons have been worshipped as fertility goddesses and revered as symbols of peace. Domesticated since the dawn of man, they've 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. Charles Darwin relied heavily on pigeons to help formulate and support his theory of evolution. Yet today they are reviled as "rats with wings." Author Andrew D. Blechman 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. Blechman 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," Blechman tells for the first time the remarkable story behind this seemingly unremarkable bird., Pigeons have been worshipped as fertility goddesses and revered as symbols of peace. Domesticated since the dawn of man, they've 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. Charles Darwin relied heavily on pigeons to help formulate and support his theory of evolution. Yet today they are reviled as rats with wings." Author Andrew D. Blechman 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. Blechman 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 , Blechman tells for the first time the remarkable story behind this seemingly unremarkable bird., Pigeons are athletes of the highest caliber. While racehorses receive all the glory with their 35 mph sprints around a one-mile racetrack, homing pigeons--a mere pound of flesh and feathers--routinely fly more than five hundred miles in a single day at speeds exceeding 60 mph, finding their way home from a place they've never been before, without stopping. Pigeon racing is an internationally popular sport that can count the Queen of England among its enthusiasts. Winning birds can bring home millions of dollars in prize money and fetch tens of thousands of dollars at auction. Although we all share a universal bond with this ubiquitous bird, there are some of us whose lives revolve around the bird in more profound--and often humorous--ways. I met trainers who ran around their backyards with whistles in tow, barking orders at their racing pigeons as if conditioning a team of professional soccer players; militant members of a New York City pigeon-underground, who prowl city streets in search of pigeon poachers; and backyard geneticists who toyed with the cellular composition of pigeons in their quest to create a bird more akin to a Dresden figurine than a child of nature.
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Ratings and Reviews
Most relevant reviews
- Nov 10, 2020
Great read for anyone interested in pigeons.
This is a brilliant book about pigeons and how they currently fit into our world, with a bit of a history lesson and a few tear-inducing tales of pigeon heroics. I really enjoyed reading about the pigeon races and Blechman's adventures with pigeon enthusiasts and activists. His wit and humor had me smiling, laughing, and reading parts aloud to my family. The chapters about squab processing and pigeon shoots were absolutely infuriating and heartwrenching but necessary to relate to readers the hatred and indifference that a lot of people around the world have toward pigeons. I found this book after adopting two rescue pigeons on a whim (didn't even know pigeons needed rescuing!) And I loved it. I learned a lot more from this book than I thought I would and it inspired me to track down works by some of the people mentioned throughout. Pigeons are so soothing and fun to be around and I can't recommend adopting enough. For me, all it took was one look at their expressive little faces to in love with my pigeons - but this book will prove to anyone even mildly interested in pigeons that there is much more to them than most would have you believe.Verified purchase: YesCondition: Pre-owned
- Sep 07, 2021
Fascinating Book
lots of infoVerified purchase: YesCondition: Pre-owned
