The singing of birds is nature at its most sublime, and words are our medium for expressing this sublimity. In Aaaaw to Zzzzzd John Bevis offers a lexicon of the words of birds. It belongs in the bird lovers backpack and on the word lover's bedside table, an unexpected and sui generis pleasure. John Bevis is a writer, poet, and book artist living in London.
"Every bird lover should possess a copy of this book, but so should every bird. Both will learn the names we have for one another, and enjoy the gossip of our garden. Now, when you hear a call, you'll know who is on the line, and when you hear a song, why whee-oo wheet, and the same to you, my sweet." William Gass.
"A lexicography of surprise, subtlety, and sheer delight, Aaaaw to Zzzzzd shapes bird sound into comprehensive fabrics of sumptuous articulation." John R. Stilgoe, Harvard University.
"This is a most unusual compilation, surely a labor of love ... For me the most interesting parts are the sections before and after the catalogue where he discusses more generally the human response to bird song: the ingenious ways we have recorded and imitated it, the ways we have celebrated it in literature and music, and the ways we might properly compare it with our own language and song." Jeremy Mynott, author of Birdscapes --Book Jacket.
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