The Secret Life of the Owl

Book excerpt: The perfect gift for nature lovers - The Book of the Owl is a beautifully illustrated small format hardback exploring the legend and history of the owl. A true celebration of this magnificent creature - its natural powers and its mythical glory. Fans of Stephen Moss and Fiona Stafford will not be disappointed. 'In this short, beautiful little book, the farmer and nature writer introduces us to the wisdom of owls.. every question you might ask ... is answered with economy and insight and the cultural references and quotations are as rich as you would expect from this brilliant writer.' -- Daily Mail 'John Lewis-Stempel is one of the best nature writers of his generation' -- Country Life 'One of our finest nature writers with an essay length portrait of a bird that has fascinated humans for millennia.' -- Mail on Sunday 'An absolute pleasure to read' -- ***** Reader review 'Hypnotic reading' -- ***** Reader review 'Absolutely fascinating' -- ***** Reader review 'Hard to put down once opened, it is finished all too quickly' -- ***** Reader review ******************************************************************************* 'Dusk is filling the valley. It is the time of the gloaming, the owl-light. Out in the wood, the resident tawny has started calling, Hoo-hoo-hoo-h-o-o-o.' There is something about owls. They feature in every major culture from the Stone Age onwards. They are creatures of the night, and thus of magic. They are the birds of ill-tidings, the avian messengers from the Other Side. But owls - with the sapient flatness of their faces, their big, round eyes, their paternal expressions - are also reassuringly familiar. We see them as wise, like Athena's owl, and loyal, like Harry Potter's Hedwig. Human-like, in other words. No other species has so captivated us.