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Bird Dream
by Matt Higgins"[R]iveting... a must-read. A highflying, electrifying story of a treacherous sport in which every triumph is an eye blink away from becoming a disaster." --Kirkus (STARRED)A heart-stopping narrative of risk and courage, Bird Dream tells the story of the remarkable men and women who pioneered the latest advances in aerial exploration--from skydiving to BASE jumping to wingsuit flying--and made history with their daring.Bird Dream shows that recent decades have witnessed an unprecedented revolution in human flight. By the end of the twentieth century BASE jumping was the most dangerous of all the extreme sports, with thrill-seeking jumpers parachuting from bridges, mountains, radio towers, and even skyscrapers. Despite numerous fatalities and legal skirmishes, BASE jumpers like Jeb Corliss of California thought they had discovered the ultimate rush. But all this changed for Corliss in 1999, when, high in the mountains of northern Italy, he and other jumpers watched in wonder as a stranger--wearing a cunning new jumpsuit featuring "wings" between the arms and legs--leaped from a ledge and then actually flew from the vertiginous cliffs. This dude's flying, thought Corliss with a start. This changes everything.What Corliss had witnessed was a wingsuit, an innovation more flying squirrel than bird or plane. Wingsuits were not new; they had fascinated men for centuries. Yet a modern design had improved safety and performance, allowing wingsuit pilots to leap from a helicopter or high cliff and soar for miles--using little more than their bodies--before deploying a parachute to reach the ground safely. The best pilots could fly close to the earth, rapidly navigating narrow canyons and mountain ranges. Still, colossal dangers remained, and the beauty of exploring human flight with such unprecedented grace would exact the ultimate cost for some pilots--they would pay with their lives.Drawing on intimate access to Corliss and other top pilots from around the globe, Bird Dream tracks the evolution of the wingsuit movement through the larger than life characters who, in an age of viral video, forced the sport onto the world stage. Their exploits--which entranced millions of fans along the way--defied imagination. They were flying; not like the Wright brothers, but the way we do in our dreams.Some dared to dream of going further yet, to a day when a wingsuit pilot might fly, and land, all without a parachute. A growing number of wingsuit pilots began plotting ways in which a human being might leap from the sky and land. A half dozen groups around the world were dedicated to this quest for a "wingsuit landing," conjuring the pursuit of nations that once inspired the race to first summit Everest.Given his fame as a stuntman, the brash, publicity-hungry Corliss remained the popular favorite to claim the first landing. Yet Bird Dream also tracks the path of another man, Gary Connery--a forty-two-year-old Englishman--who was quietly plotting to beat Corliss at his own game. Accompanied by an international cast of wingsuit devotees--including a Finnish magician, a parachute tester from Brazil, an Australian computer programmer, a gruff hang-gliding champion-turned-aeronautical engineer, a French skydiving champion, and a South African costume designer--Corliss and Connery raced to leap into the unknown, a contest that would lead to triumph for one and nearly cost the other his life.Based on five years of firsthand reporting and original interviews, Bird Dream is the work of journalist Matt Higgins, who traveled the world alongside these extraordinary men and women as they jumped and flew in Europe, Africa, Asia, and the Americas. Offering a behind-the-scenes take on some of the most spectacular and disastrous events of the wingsuit movement, Higgins's Bird Dream is a riveting, adrenaline-fueled adventure at the very edge of human experience.Library Journal (STARRED)"[A]ction-packed... An engrossing and exhaustively researched account of extremists who challenge failure and death on a regular basis. Highly recommended."SUSAN CASEY, autho...
Bird Dream
by Matt Higgins"[R]iveting... a must-read. A highflying, electrifying story of a treacherous sport in which every triumph is an eye blink away from becoming a disaster." --Kirkus (STARRED) A heart-stopping narrative of risk and courage, Bird Dream tells the story of the remarkable men and women who pioneered the latest advances in aerial exploration--from skydiving to BASE jumping to wingsuit flying--and made history with their daring. Bird Dream shows that recent decades have witnessed an unprecedented revolution in human flight. By the end of the twentieth century BASE jumping was the most dangerous of all the extreme sports, with thrill-seeking jumpers parachuting from bridges, mountains, radio towers, and even skyscrapers. Despite numerous fatalities and legal skirmishes, BASE jumpers like Jeb Corliss of California thought they had discovered the ultimate rush. But all this changed for Corliss in 1999, when, high in the mountains of northern Italy, he and other jumpers watched in wonder as a stranger--wearing a cunning new jumpsuit featuring "wings" between the arms and legs--leaped from a ledge and then actually flew from the vertiginous cliffs. This dude's flying, thought Corliss with a start. This changes everything. What Corliss had witnessed was a wingsuit, an innovation more flying squirrel than bird or plane. Wingsuits were not new; they had fascinated men for centuries. Yet a modern design had improved safety and performance, allowing wingsuit pilots to leap from a helicopter or high cliff and soar for miles--using little more than their bodies--before deploying a parachute to reach the ground safely. The best pilots could fly close to the earth, rapidly navigating narrow canyons and mountain ranges. Still, colossal dangers remained, and the beauty of exploring human flight with such unprecedented grace would exact the ultimate cost for some pilots--they would pay with their lives. Drawing on intimate access to Corliss and other top pilots from around the globe, Bird Dream tracks the evolution of the wingsuit movement through the larger than life characters who, in an age of viral video, forced the sport onto the world stage. Their exploits--which entranced millions of fans along the way--defied imagination. They were flying; not like the Wright brothers, but the way we do in our dreams. Some dared to dream of going further yet, to a day when a wingsuit pilot might fly, and land, all without a parachute. A growing number of wingsuit pilots began plotting ways in which a human being might leap from the sky and land. A half dozen groups around the world were dedicated to this quest for a "wingsuit landing," conjuring the pursuit of nations that once inspired the race to first summit Everest. Given his fame as a stuntman, the brash, publicity-hungry Corliss remained the popular favorite to claim the first landing. Yet Bird Dream also tracks the path of another man, Gary Connery--a forty-two-year-old Englishman--who was quietly plotting to beat Corliss at his own game. Accompanied by an international cast of wingsuit devotees--including a Finnish magician, a parachute tester from Brazil, an Australian computer programmer, a gruff hang-gliding champion-turned-aeronautical engineer, a French skydiving champion, and a South African costume designer--Corliss and Connery raced to leap into the unknown, a contest that would lead to triumph for one and nearly cost the other his life. Based on five years of firsthand reporting and original interviews, Bird Dream is the work of journalist Matt Higgins, who traveled the world alongside these extraordinary men and women as they jumped and flew in Europe, Africa, Asia, and the Americas. Offering a behind-the-scenes take on some of the most spectacular and disastrous events of the wingsuit movement, Higgins's Bird Dream is a riveting, adrenaline-fueled adventure at the very edge of human experience. Library Journal (STARRED) "[A]ction-packed... An engrossing and exhaustively researched account of extremists who challenge failure and death on a regular basis. High...
The Bird Man and the Lap Dancer: Close Encounters with Strangers (Vintage Departures)
by Eric HansenEric Hansen survives a cyclone on a boat off the Australian coast, cradles a dying man in Calcutta, and drinks mind-altering kava in Vanuatu. He helps a widower search for his wife's wedding ring amid plane-crash wreckage in Borneo and accompanies topless dancers on a bird-watching expedition in California. From the Maldives to Sacramento, from Cannes to Washington Heights, Eric Hansen has a way of getting himself into the most sacred ceremonies and the most candid conversations.
Bird Milk & Mosquito Bones: A Memoir
by Priyanka MattooFrom a wry, insightful, and very funny new voice, here is one woman&’s search for home, from Kashmir to England to Saudi Arabia to Michigan to Rome and, finally, to Los Angeles—standalone essays that together form a sweeping portrait of a peripatetic life."I would follow Priyanka Mattoo to the ends of the earth, because she would know what to eat there, and how to make a friend, and then sit me down and tell me a story." —Emma StraubPriyanka Mattoo was born into a wooden house in the Himalayas, as were most of her ancestors. In 1989, however, mounting violence in the region forced Mattoo&’s community to flee. The home into which her family poured their dreams was reduced to a pile of rubble.Mattoo never moved back to her beloved Kashmir—because it no longer existed. She and her family just kept packing and unpacking and moving on. In forty years, Mattoo accumulated thirty-two different addresses, and she chronicles her nomadic existence with wit, wisdom, and an inimitable eye for light within the darkest moments. She takes us from her grandparents&’ sprawling home in Srinagar, where her boisterous aunties raced through the halls, to Saudi Arabia, where friendships were gained and lost behind the sandstone walls of a foreigners&’ compound. We witness her courtship with a nice Jewish boy, now her husband, and her efforts to replicate her mother&’s rogan josh recipe via Zoom. And we are with her as she settles into her unlikely new homeland, Los Angeles, where she sets off on what is perhaps her most meaningful journey: that of becoming a writer.Through these astonishingly poignant and often laugh-out loud essays, Mattoo has given us an openhearted, frank, revealing glimpse into a journey of almost constant motion, as well as a journey of self-discovery.
A Birder's West Indies: An Island-by-Island Tour
by Roland H. WauerThe West Indies offer so much more than sun, sand, and shopping. This sweeping arc of islands, which runs from Cuba to Grenada and includes the Virgin Islands, teems with a rich diversity of plant and animal life. Up to 40 percent of the plants in some forests are found nowhere else on earth, while the West Indian flyway is a critical link in the migratory routes of many birds. In A Birder's West Indies, Roland Wauer takes you on an island-by-island journey of discovery. He describes the unique natural features of each island and recounts his often fascinating experiences in seeking out the nearly 400 species of birds known in the West Indies. His accounts give insight into the birds' habitats, status, and ecology and record some of the threats posed by human activities. For readers planning trips to the West Indies, Wauer also includes helpful, up-to-date facts about the best times to travel, the kinds of entry and customs systems to expect, the money exchange services available, and general information about weather, food, and accommodations. Filling a unique niche among current guides, A Birder's West Indies offers both professional ornithologists and avocational bird watchers a chance to compare notes and experiences with an expert observer. And for readers who haven't yet visited the islands, Wauer's fluid prose and lovely color photographs will be the next-best thing to being there-and an irresistible invitation to go.
Birdfinding in British Columbia
by Russell Cannings Richard CanningsFrom Canada's top birding team comes the definitive guide to finding birds in British Columbia.Veteran naturalist and birdfinder Richard Cannings and his son, Russell, a gifted birder in his own right, use their combined knowledge and expertise to guide readers to the best birding sites in the province. The book is divided into eleven regions, from Vancouver Island to the Far North, providing bird lovers with detailed information about how to reach the best sites to look for birds, when to look for them, and what they might find.Packed with descriptions of the natural history, ecosystems, and diverse landscapes of British Columbia and accompanied by numerous maps, this thorough guide is enhanced by Donald Gunn's charming line drawings and the authors' infectious enthusiasm, making it a must-have for novice and expert birders alike.
Birding Indonesia
by Paul Jepson Rosie OunstedBirding Indonesia is the first guide to bird-watching in Indonesia. The archipelago contains 17% of the world's bird species, of which 381 are found nowhere else on earth. Written by the world's leading authorities on Indonesian birds, this book directs you in search of these specialities, to sites as varied as the environs of Jakarta to Arfak Mountains in Irian JayaPracticalities: Travel information geared to every budget, including details of transport, accommodations, dining prices, as well as specialist information relevant to birdersInformation: Essays on bird families, a history of Indonesian ornithology, today's conservation efforts, and much more. A complete checklist of Indonesian birds, with common and scientific names(along with the areas in which the birds are found), and a bibliography.Photography and Maps: More than 130 color photographs showing some of Indonesia's top birds and birding sites and 28 maps (some with bird habitats marked in color)
Birding Under the Influence: Cycling Across America in Search of Birds and Recovery
by Dorian Anderson"One hell of a ride."—Nick Offerman, actor, woodworker, New York Times bestselling author "Candid and often moving reflections . . . make for absorbing reading. . . . [This is] a memoir of a journey that was more than just a chase after numbers."—Booklist (starred) At a personal and professional crossroads, a man resets his life and finds sobriety, love, and 618 bird species, cycling his way to a very Big Year. In Birding Under the Influence, Dorian Anderson, a neuroscience researcher on a pressure-filled life trajectory, walks away from the world of elite institutions, research labs, and academic publishing. In doing so, he falls in love and discovers he has freed himself to embrace his lifelong passion for birding. A North American Big Year—a continent-spanning adventure in which a birder attempts to see as many species as possible in twelve months—is a massive undertaking under any circumstances. But doing it on a bike while maintaining sobriety? That’s next level. As Dorian pedals across the country, describing the birds he sees, he confronts the challenges of long-distance cycling: treacherous weather, punctured tires, speeding cars, and injury. He encounters eccentric characters, blistering blacktop, dreary hotel rooms, snarling dogs, and an endless sea of smoking tailpipes. He also confronts his past struggles with alcohol, drugs, and risky behaviors that began in high school and followed him into adulthood. Birding Under the Influence is a candid, honest look at Dorian’s double life of academic accomplishment and addiction. While his journey to recovery is simultaneously poignant and inspiring, it is ultimately his love of birds and nature that provides the scaffolding to build a new and radically different life.
Birding Without Borders: An Obsession, a Quest, and the Biggest Year in the World
by Noah StryckerThe story of how the associate editor of Birding magazine set himself a lofty goal: to become the first person to see half the world&’s birds in one year.In 2015, for 365 days, with a backpack, binoculars, and a series of one-way tickets, Noah Strycker traveled across forty-one countries and all seven continents, eventually spotting 6,042 species—by far the biggest birding year on record. This is no travelogue or glorified checklist. Noah ventures deep into a world of chronic sleep deprivation, airline snafus, breakdowns, mudslides, floods, war zones, ecologic devastation, conservation triumphs, common and iconic species, and scores of passionate bird lovers around the globe. By pursuing the freest creatures on the planet, he gains a unique perspective on the world they share with us—and offers a hopeful message that even as many birds face an uncertain future, more people than ever are working to protect them.&“Birding Without Borders is light-hearted and filled with stories of exotic birds, risky adventures, and colorful birding companions.&”—New York Times Book Review &“Highly recommended for anyone interested in travel, natural history, and adventure.&”—Library Journal &“Even readers who wouldn&’t know a marvellous spatuletail from a southern ground hornbill will be awed by Strycker&’s achievement and appreciate the passion with which he pursues his interest.&”—Publishers Weekly
Birds of Australia: A Photographic Guide
by Iain Campbell Sam Woods Nick LesebergThe best photographic field guide to Australia's birdsAustralia is home to a spectacular diversity of birdlife, from parrots and penguins to emus and vibrant passerines. Birds of Australia covers all 714 species of resident birds and regularly occurring migrants and features more than 1,100 stunning color photographs, including many photos of subspecies and plumage variations never before seen in a field guide. Detailed facing-page species accounts describe key identification features such as size, plumage, distribution, behavior, and voice. This one-of-a-kind guide also provides extensive habitat descriptions with a large number of accompanying photos. The text relies on the very latest IOC taxonomy and the distribution maps incorporate the most current mapping data, making this the most up-to-date guide to Australian birds.Covers all 714 species of resident birds and regularly occurring migrantsFeatures more than 1,100 stunning color photosIncludes facing-page species accounts, habitat descriptions, and distribution mapsThe ideal photographic guide for beginners and seasoned birders alike
Birds of Belize (Corrie Herring Hooks Series)
by H. Lee Jones&“Fills a major gap in the bird identification literature . . . A must for birders planning a trip to this friendly patch of Central America.&” —The Curious Naturalist With nearly six hundred identified species of birds—and an average of five &“new&” species discovered annually—Belize is becoming a birding hotspot for amateur and professional birders from around the globe. Thousands of birders visit the country each year to enjoy Belize&’s amazing abundance and variety of both temperate and tropical birds in natural habitats that remain largely unspoiled. But until now, despite the growing need for an authoritative identification guide, birders have had to rely on regional field guides that offer only limited information on Belizean birds. Birds of Belize provides the first complete guide to the identification of all currently known species—574 in all. The birds are grouped by families, with an introduction to each family that highlights its uniquely identifying characteristics and behaviors. The species accounts include all the details necessary for field identification: scientific and common names, size, plumage features, thorough voice descriptions, habitat, distribution, and status in Belize. Full color, expertly drawn illustrations by noted bird artist Dana Gardner present male and female, juvenile and adult, and basic and alternate plumages to aid visual identification throughout the year, while 234 range maps show the birds&’ distribution and seasonality in Belize. A comprehensive bibliography completes the volume. &“A first-class book that will enable users to identify any bird they encounter in Belize.&” —Victor Emanuel, President, Victor Emanuel Nature Tours
Birds of Hawaii
by George C. MunroBirds of Hawaii is not a drily scientific text, although it is clearly the product of scientific observation and study. It is enlivened by Mr. Munro's consuming pleasure in his subject and by his introduction of hundreds of interesting sidelights from his lifetime pursuit of knowledge concerning it.The book is divided into three sections: "Native Birds", "Stray Variants to the Hawaiian Islands" and "Imported Birds." Each bird is identified by its scientific name, its common name(or names), and in the case of native birds, by its Hawaiian name. These designations are followed by a description of the bird's essential characteristics, its habitat, its distinctive song or cry, and its habits. The descriptions are enhanced by vivid details from the author's own experience in observing his subjects.Twenty plates in full color, comprising illustrations of more than 150 different species of birds, together with a selection of black and white photographs, provide the reader with an easy means for identification of the birds described.
Birds of Hawaii
by George C. MunroBirds of Hawaii is not a drily scientific text, although it is clearly the product of scientific observation and study. It is enlivened by Mr. Munro's consuming pleasure in his subject and by his introduction of hundreds of interesting sidelights from his lifetime pursuit of knowledge concerning it.The book is divided into three sections: "Native Birds", "Stray Variants to the Hawaiian Islands" and "Imported Birds." Each bird is identified by its scientific name, its common name(or names), and in the case of native birds, by its Hawaiian name. These designations are followed by a description of the bird's essential characteristics, its habitat, its distinctive song or cry, and its habits. The descriptions are enhanced by vivid details from the author's own experience in observing his subjects.Twenty plates in full color, comprising illustrations of more than 150 different species of birds, together with a selection of black and white photographs, provide the reader with an easy means for identification of the birds described.
Birds of Maine
by Peter Vickery Charles Duncan Jeffrey V. Wells William J. SheehanA comprehensive and beautifully illustrated overview to the birds of Maine The first comprehensive overview of Maine’s incredibly rich birdlife in more than seven decades, Birds of Maine is a detailed account of all 464 species recorded in the Pine Tree State. It is also a thoroughly researched, accessible portrait of a region undergoing rapid changes, with southern birds pushing north, northern birds expanding south, and once-absent natives like Atlantic Puffins brought back by innovative conservation techniques pioneered in Maine.Written by the late Peter Vickery in cooperation with a team of leading ornithologists, this guide offers a detailed look at the state’s dynamic avifauna—from the Wild Turkey to the Arctic Tern—with information on migration patterns and timing, current status and changes in bird abundance and distribution, and how Maine's geography and shifting climate mold its birdlife. It delves into the conservation status for Maine's birds, as well as the state's unusually textured ornithological history, involving such famous names as John James Audubon and Theodore Roosevelt, and home-grown experts like Cordelia Stanwood and Ralph Palmer. Sidebars explore diverse topics, including the Old Sow whirlpool that draws multitudes of seabirds and the famed Monhegan Island, a mecca for migrant birds.Gorgeously illustrated with watercolors by Lars Jonsson and scores of line drawings by Barry Van Dusen, Birds of Maine is a remarkable guide that birders will rely on for decades to come.
The Birds of New Jersey: Status and Distribution
by William J. BoyleNew Jersey provides some of the most varied and exciting birding in North America, and more than 450 species have been recorded in the state. Yet there has been no comprehensive and readily available guide to the status and distribution of all these species--until now. The Birds of New Jersey is the most up-to-date and succinct guide for the birds of New Jersey and includes all species known to the state from historical times to the present. Featuring over 200 color photos of rarities and regular species, this book authoritatively provides individual entries that include a summary of status and seasonal distribution, and comments on changes over time. Detailed color-coded maps accompany species accounts, and for species recorded five or fewer times, dates and locations of each record are noted. The introduction examines the state's geography, the history of bird records, and background information to species accounts, and the extensive bibliography guides birders to original sources used in the book. This is the essential resource for birders, ornithologists, and nature enthusiasts interested in the birds of New Jersey and the greater surrounding region. Most up-to-date status and distribution guide for New Jersey and surrounding region All bird species known to the state Species accounts describe the preferred habitat and abundance of species Range maps in color detail seasonal distribution For migratory birds, spring and fall migration times indicated More than 200 color photographs of rare and common species
Birds of the Pacific Northwest: Timber Press Field Guide (A Timber Press Field Guide)
by John Shewey Tim BlountBirding in the Pacific Northwest has never been easier!Birds of the Pacific Northwest describes and illustrates more than 400 bird species commonly encountered in Oregon, Washington, Idaho, and British Columbia. This comprehensive, full-color guide is organized to follow the order in which groups and species are presented by the American Union. Range maps for each species provide valuable information for identification.
Birds of the Southwest Pacific
by Ernst MayrThis is the only book in the English language on the birds of the wide area between Fiji, New Caledonia and Micronesia. This practical handbook, by an acknowledged authority, intended primarily for the field student, tells him how to identify and name the birds which he encounters, and what kinds of birds he can expect to find on each island. There is also a condensed summary of the presentknowledge of distribution, geographical variation and habits. Whenever feasible, keys have been supplied to facilitate identification. These keys are simplyand clearly worked out for the beginner who may not know the difference between a curlew and a godwit, or a triller and a graybird.Three magnificent color plates show 39 species which include at least one representation of all of the prominent bird families of the southwest Pacific.A series of black and white drawings show additional species. These pictureswill be particularly valuable to bird students who have never seen awood swallow, a flower pecker, a white-eye or a triller.
The Birds That Audubon Missed: Discovery and Desire in the American Wilderness
by Kenn KaufmanRenowned naturalist Kenn Kaufman examines the scientific discoveries of John James Audubon and his artistic and ornithologist peers to show how what they saw (and what they missed) reflects how we perceive and understand the natural world.Raging ambition. Towering egos. Competition under a veneer of courtesy. Heroic effort combined with plagiarism, theft, exaggeration, and fraud. This was the state of bird study in eastern North America during the early 1800s, as a handful of intrepid men raced to find the last few birds that were still unknown to science. The most famous name in the bird world was John James Audubon, who painted spectacular portraits of birds. But although his images were beautiful, creating great art was not his main goal. Instead, he aimed to illustrate (and write about) as many different species as possible, obsessed with trying to outdo his rival, Alexander Wilson. George Ord, a fan and protégé of Wilson, held a bitter grudge against Audubon for years, claiming he had faked much of his information and his scientific claims. A few of Audubon&’s birds were pure fiction, and some of his writing was invented or plagiarized. Other naturalists of the era, including Charles Bonaparte (nephew of Napoleon), John Townsend, and Thomas Nuttall, also became entangled in the scientific derby, as they stumbled toward an understanding of the natural world—an endeavor that continues to this day. Despite this intense competition, a few species—including some surprisingly common songbirds, hawks, sandpipers, and more—managed to evade discovery for years. Here, renowned bird expert and artist Kenn Kaufman explores this period in history from a new angle, by considering the birds these people discovered and, especially, the ones they missed. Kaufman has created portraits of the birds that Audubon never saw, attempting to paint them in that artist&’s own stunning style, as a way of examining the history of natural sciences and nature art. He shows how our understanding of birds continues to gain clarity, even as some mysteries persist from Audubon&’s time until ours.
Birdwatchingwatching: One Year, Two Men, Three Rules, Ten Thousand Birds
by Alex HorneAlex Horne is not a birdwatcher. But his dad is, so with the prospect of fatherhood looming on his own horizon, Alex decided there was no better time to really get to know both his father and his father's favourite hobby. So he challenged his dad to a Big Year: from 1 January to 31 December they would each try to spot as many birds as possible; the one who spied the most species would be the victor. Along the way Alex would find out what makes his dad tick, pick up a bit of fatherly wisdom and perhaps even 'get into' birdwatching himself.Join Alex as he journeys from Barnes to Bahrain in this charming tale of obsession, manliness, fathers and sons, and the highly amusing twists and turns of a year-long bird race.
Birdwing
by Rafe MartinA boy marked by physical difference--one arm is an enchanted wing--finds his strength and purpose in this stirring fantasy. A Washington Post Best Kids Book of 2005 and Book Sense Winter Pick. Once upon a time, a girl rescued her seven brothers from a spell that had turned them into swans. But one boy, Ardwin, was left with the scar of the spell's last gasp: one arm remained a wing. And while Ardwin yearned to find a place in his father's kingdom, the wing whispered to him of open sky and rushing wind. Marked by difference, Ardwin sets out to discover who he is: bird or boy, crippled or sound, cursed or blessed. But followed by the cold eye of a sorceress and with war rumbling at his kingdom's borders, Ardwin's path may lead him not to enlightenment, but into unimaginable danger.
Birmingham
by J. D. WeeksBirmingham's surrounding hills comprise the only place in the world with a plentiful supply of all the ingredients for iron making. This spurred the city of Birmingham's charter in 1871 around the crossing of two railroads. The city's development into a leading industrial center is shown here in photographs and postcard views, some a century old.
Birmingham Food: A Magic City Menu (American Palate)
by Emily BrownBirmingham began as a boomtown filled with immigrants who held on to the best recipes from their homelands. More recently, locals like Frank Stitt and Carole Griffin helped transform the modern southern city into a foodie destination with the best of national trends. Andrew Zimmern visited with his show Bizarre Foods America to tout one of the city's most popular food trucks, Shindigs. Fast casual dining is done with care, and gems like Trattoria Centrale and Bettola are dedicated to local ingredients. Join food writer and restaurant enthusiast Emily Brown as she details the delectable history of food in the Magic City.
Birmingham in Vintage Postcards (Postcard History Series)
by J. D. WeeksAt the start of the 20th century, Birmingham was one of the fastest growing cities in the South, sometimes referred to as the "Magic City." It began as a town located at the intersection of two railroads and then quickly expanded and took in neighboring communities. Around this time, photographers traveled around the United States taking photographs of towns and cities and turning the photographs into postcards. The postcards collected here show historic Birmingham's downtown, hospitals, parks, communities, schools, hotels, and industries. These images serve as a record of everyday life in this bustling Southern city.
Birmingham's Highland Park
by Richard DabneyBirmingham's Highland Park originated in the 1880s when a grand boulevard was dug and three lush parks were planned at the northern foothills of Red Mountain. This boulevard was Highland Avenue, at the time the widest street in the South. The development, built within three miles of the center of Birmingham, included the construction of a resort hotel and lake. A dummy line rail system conveyed the populace of The Magic City" out to the beautiful Highland Park neighborhood, where in summer the air was both cooler and cleaner. Although Highland Avenue was lined with mansions of every architectural style, only 12 remain today. Indeed, some Highland Park dwellers have resided for generations in this neighborhood of true character and charm."
The Birth of the Jersey Shore: The Personalities & Politics that Built America's Resort
by Randall GabrielanAn encyclopedic collection of profiles of the people who shaped New Jersey&’s coastline—from architects and businessmen to sports figures and entertainers.The Jersey Shore evokes images of boardwalks and beach resorts, but its beginnings were far different. In the mid-nineteenth century, visionary entrepreneurs transformed the sleepy agrarian and maritime communities of the Garden State coast with a series of energetic new visitors and venues. Artists, politicians, athletes, entertainers and ordinary residents all played a hand in revitalizing the region. Major development of resorts began in Atlantic City in 1854, and it grew into &“America&’s Favorite Playground.&” Joel Hayward was principally responsible for the formation of Ocean County, and the Albert brothers popularized Pinelands folk music. In the twentieth century, construction became more residential, and beloved businesses like the Smithville Inn started to cater to long-term patrons. New Jersey historian Randall Gabrielan traces the stories of the people who turned the Jersey Shore into the summer and residential destination that it is today.