Anita Albus Book order

An illustrated natural history and a passionate account of extinct and endangered bird species from around the world Internationally renowned, award-winning author, Anita Albus, recounts the sad histories of several extinct bird species, including the passenger pigeon, the Carolina parakeet, and the great auk. She also gives a detailed account of seven rare birds: the hermit ibis, the elusive corncrake, the kookaburra, the Eurasian nightjar, the barn owl, the northern hawk owl, and the kingfisher. This visually stunning book is richly illustrated with the author's own artwork as well as that of well-known nature artists such as John James Audubon. Albus provides pictures of birds that the reader will never encounter in real life. Combining natural history and investigative reporting, the book also weaves in mythological and cultural material and, most of all, tells a compelling story. On Rare Birds shows that the extinction of these bird species is a great loss not only to the natural world but also to culture. With each species lost, a world is lost to human understanding—to our arts, mythology, and science. This exciting and provocative book will appeal to all those who love birds and care about their survival.

"There was a time, five hundred years ago, when science was regarded as an art, and art as a science. And in the contest between the senses, the ear, through which we had previously received all knowledge and the world of God, was conquered by the eye, which would henceforth be king. A new breed of painters aimed to reconcile the world of the senses with that of the mind, and their goal was to conceal themselves in the details and vanish away, like God. A new way of perceiving was born." "Anita Albus describes the birth and evolution of trompe-l'oeil painting in oils in the fifteenth, sixteenth, and seventeenth centuries, focusing her attention on works by northern European artists - both major and minor. As a scholar, she stands in the tradition of Panofsky; as a painter, she is able to see things others have not yet perceived; as a storyteller, she skillfully describes abstract notions in a vivid and exciting way. Like the multilayered technique of the Old Masters, her method assumes an ability to distinguish between the different levels, as well as a talent for synthesizing them."--Jacket