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Publisher: Christopher Helm, London

Publication Year: 2014

Binding: Hardback

ISBN Number: 9781408186183

Price: £ 19.99

A HISTORY OF BIRDWATCHING IN 100 OBJECTS

The BBC Radio 4 series, ’A History of the World in 100 Objects’ selected key items from the British Museum and used them to tell the story of human history. (http://www.bbc.co.uk/ahistoryoftheworld/about/british-museum-objects/)

This book sets out with the slightly more modest task of tracking the history of birdwatching through a brief description of 100 key objects chosen by the author. David Callahan offers an insight into the relationship between humans and birds by listing items from the Arnhemland rock painting through to a projection of what the future of birdwatching may bring.

The short sections make it an easy and entertaining read and some of the objects will bring back memories. I particularly liked the 1973 ‘mobile’ phone - a reminder of how quickly technology is changing and how this changes our experience of birding. The choice of items is necessarily a personal one but any book that includes BirdTrack and the BTO Atlas among its list of birding milestones must be worth a read! 

Book reviewed by Heather Pymar

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