A wonderful book beautifully told. He packs his pages with fascinating, often hilarious anecdotes and information. A social history which is a surprise and a delight Val Hennessy, Daily Mail Critics Choice Scholarly, authoritative and above all supremely readable, Stephen Mosss book is the first to trace the fascinating history of how and why people have watched birds for pleasure, from the beginnings with Gilbert White in the eighteenth century through World War Two POWs watching birds from inside their prison camp all the way to todays twitchers with their bleeping pagers, driving hundreds of miles for a rare tick. Thoroughly researched and well-written Mark Crocker, Guardian Moss knows his subject intimately and writes about it with just the right mixture of affection and occasional quizzicality Jonathan Bate, Sunday Telegraph It would be difficult to imagine anyone producing a more comprehensive, thoughtful, intelligent and entertaining examination of how people have watched birds at each point in history. In fact, it is one of the few books which might prove such compulsive reading that even a dedicated twitcher might forego a day in the field to stay at home to finish it Bryan Bland, Birding World

This journey through the world of birdwatchers is "a wonderful book.... fascinating, often hilarious anecdotes and information" ( Daily Mail, Critic's Choice).
Scholarly, authoritative, and above all supremely readable, Stephen Moss's book is the first to trace the fascinating history of how and why people have watched birds for pleasure, from the beginnings with Gilbert White in the eighteenth century through World War II POWs watching birds from inside their prison camp and all the way to today's "twitchers" with their bleeping pagers, driving hundreds of miles for a rare bird.
"Proves that birdwatchers can be as instructive to watch as birds." - Sunday Times
"Thoroughly researched and well-written." - The Guardian
"Moss knows his subject intimately and writes about it with just the right mixture of affection and occasional quizzicality." - Sunday Telegraph
"It would be difficult to imagine anyone producing a more comprehensive, thoughtful, intelligent and entertaining examination of how people have watched birds at each point in history. In fact, it is one of the few books which might prove such compulsive reading that even a dedicated twitcher might forgo a day in the field to stay at home to finish it." - Birding World