Bright Wings: An Illustrated Anthology of Poems about Birds

As a birder when I look at my large collection of bird books and guides, I frequently swear I'm not buying another book on birds, about birds, or to view birds! Then along comes a book like Bright Wings: An Illustrated Anthology of Poems About Birds and my resolutions not to add another birding book to the shelf is forgotten as I view the poetry and wonderful art work. Billy Collins, a former US Poet Laureate choose over 100 poems to include in this lovely little volume about birds. David Allen Sibley of the Sibley bird guides is the illustrator. That winning combination alone would make this wonderful volume of bird-related poetry and art a must for a birder! The book contains both classical and modern poems by poets/writers as diverse as Keats, Plath, Nemerov, and Thoreau. Sixty or so illustrations lovingly picture birds along side the poetry. Best of all, the book will inspire you to look at birds, even the every day ones like the Grackle with new eyes. You may even feel the muse of poetry or art fall upon you and you'll be inspired to pick up your pencil and try your hand at writing poetry or sketching the birds you see in your back yard!

Everything about this book is appropriate to the fleeting beauty of the subject. The poems are lovely, the images true, and the overall effect warming to the heart. Its appeal is not limited to either poetry lovers or birdwatchers; anyone who loves a beautiful book will enjoy it.

As a birder i love the book,as a latent poet i love the book.No more to say

I received this book as a gift since I love birds. I expected I would just browse the poetry, look at the pretty pictures and keep it on my coffee table. Instead, after being pulled in by the engaging introduction, I read it nearly cover-to-cover, which is unusual for a book of poetry! There's a wide and interesting variety without too many "old standards." Rather than gloss over half the poems, I was intrigued by how each one fit into the broader work. The pictures are more than merely beautiful: for me, the visual complemented and enhanced the metaphorical. This is a highly recommended book and a lovely gift!

Put together three greats, and you get something wonderful. Billy Collins is a two time poet laureate of the United States and author of a number of books of poetry, including my favorite,Questions About Angels: Poems (Pitt Poetry Series). David Allen Sibley has spent years studying and drawing birds, and The Sibley Guide to Birds is an essential part of our backyard bird feeding arsenal. The Columbia University Press almost invariably produces beautifully edited books, on high quality paper and with excellent binding. The three have produced a very pretty and inspiring book. The poems are carefully chosen, the 58 color illustrations are carefully suited to the poems, the editorial comments add scientific information to deepen the readers understanding. As Columbia writes: "the result is literary, pictorial, and scientific." One example: "The Cardinal" by Henry Carlile "Not to conform to any other color is the secret of being colorful. He shocks us when he flies like a red verb over the snow. "He sifts through the blue evenings to his roost. He is turning purple. Soon he'll be black. "In the bar's dark I think of him. There are no cardinals here. Only a woman in a red dress." When I received Columbia's email about this book, I ordered a copy for my wife as a small thank you for so many things. When it arrived, I was lost in several hours of joy all my own. It has become as essential as Sibley in our backyard bird watching arsenal. Robert C. Ross 2009