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jillannlim's review
4.0
If you are really into birds and history and the path of discovery, you may love this book like I did. It was a little slow to read for me in some parts where it reads like a textbook.
jackb's review
4.0
Pretty early on in this, he talks about eggs being overtly sexual so buckle up! Very interesting all the way through and accessible. I now know TOO MUCH about eggs.
theuntrainedlibrarian's review
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
sad
medium-paced
4.0
merricatct's review
5.0
I'm genuinely sad that this book is over. Partly because it's a fascinating topic, written about in an accessible way; but mostly because it felt like the author had fun writing the book, which made it just as fun to read. Birkhead's passion and respect for his chosen field of study is almost tangible, and his enthusiasm in sharing his knowledge about one of nature's most perfect things is infectious. I loved this read!
2016 reading challenge: a book from your comfort zone
2016 reading challenge: a book from your comfort zone
oldtom's review
4.0
Had a difficult time getting into this book. The author is not merely interested in eggs; he’s obsessed with guillemot eggs. But once into the book I discovered some interesting things. And while not as obsessed as the author guillemot eggs are quite different from their odd shape (pointed end) to the amazing variety of colors and markings.
mariya_jang's review
3.0
2.5 stars. It turns out I’m not as interested in this topic as I wanted to be.
scaly's review
2.0
Enthusiastically told, but didn't grab me as much as I wanted it to. The stories of the various eccentric figures from history who have contributed to our understanding (and misunderstanding) of eggs were my favourite, and the adventure ends on a wonderful note. I will be looking out for Birkhead's research in future.
halfmanhalfbook's review
4.0
Way back in the 1950’s the Egg Marketing Board recommended that we should ‘go to work on an egg’. It was something that the nation took to heart and nowadays we consume over 11 billion hen’s eggs in the UK. They are a healthy nutritious food; though in my household most of them end up in cakes…
Tim Birkhead has been fascinated by birds and eggs for his entire career. In this book, he seeks to answer a variety of questions. Such as how are eggs formed, how are their colours and shapes created, is the pointed end laid first and are some designed to roll in a circle on a cliff face. Using information from his own scientific research and examples from museum collections and from a whole variety of different birds Birkhead sets about answering some of these by beginning from the moment of fertilisation to the point where the unborn chick makes that first chip in the shell.
We learn how the eggs are made in the oviduct, how the shells are strong enough to be sat upon during incubation and weak enough to allow the chick to escape. There is masses of detail explaining how they breathe, whilst still having a protective layer against water and microbes and explains the purpose of the yolk and albumen. As well as the science, he looks at the history and mankind’s fascination, and sometimes obsession, with eggs bringing alive all sort of weird and wonderful facts. There is details on the parasitic birds like the cuckoo who have the ability to mimic other birds shells almost exactly, as well as lots of his passion for the guillemot and their beautifully patterned eggs.
It is a fascinating account of what you would think is a simple entity. He writes well, managing to get the balance between details, clarity and scientific jargon just about right. Throughout the book, he regularly points out that answering one question frequently prompts two more and tells us where more research is needed as we simply do not know the answers. What makes this particularly special is his boundless enthusiasm for his subject, not just in his own research, but also for the history behind this most perfect of things. 4.5 stars
Tim Birkhead has been fascinated by birds and eggs for his entire career. In this book, he seeks to answer a variety of questions. Such as how are eggs formed, how are their colours and shapes created, is the pointed end laid first and are some designed to roll in a circle on a cliff face. Using information from his own scientific research and examples from museum collections and from a whole variety of different birds Birkhead sets about answering some of these by beginning from the moment of fertilisation to the point where the unborn chick makes that first chip in the shell.
We learn how the eggs are made in the oviduct, how the shells are strong enough to be sat upon during incubation and weak enough to allow the chick to escape. There is masses of detail explaining how they breathe, whilst still having a protective layer against water and microbes and explains the purpose of the yolk and albumen. As well as the science, he looks at the history and mankind’s fascination, and sometimes obsession, with eggs bringing alive all sort of weird and wonderful facts. There is details on the parasitic birds like the cuckoo who have the ability to mimic other birds shells almost exactly, as well as lots of his passion for the guillemot and their beautifully patterned eggs.
It is a fascinating account of what you would think is a simple entity. He writes well, managing to get the balance between details, clarity and scientific jargon just about right. Throughout the book, he regularly points out that answering one question frequently prompts two more and tells us where more research is needed as we simply do not know the answers. What makes this particularly special is his boundless enthusiasm for his subject, not just in his own research, but also for the history behind this most perfect of things. 4.5 stars