A pleasure to read and as uplifting as listening to a blackbird or robin in full voice, birdsong is woven into our culture, emotions and landscapes. Smyth asks what it is about birdsong that we so love and explores the myriad ways in which it has influenced literature, music, science and our very ideas of what it means to be British. His nuanced investigation shows that what we hear says as much about us, our dreams and desires, as it does about the birds and their songs. With a magpie-like curiosity for his subject that considers East-End bird catching alongside the Romantics and current bioacoustics research, Smyth has taught himself to hear and for us to listen a little closer to birdsong. He includes curious and apt descriptions, mixing history, science and personal anecdotes in a blended chorus of tasting notes. 190pp, line art.
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