In this illuminating and charming book, Rosen shows us the poetry, the philosophy, and the history--natural and human--of the strange modern pastime of bird-watching.--Steven Pinker, author of The Language Instinct and The Stuff of Thought.

We are all birdwatchers. Over cities and jungles and open plains, the sky is animated by the flight of birds, and their presence reminds us of the wild element of life on earth that can never be suppressed. In "The Life of the Skies," Jonathan Rosen explores the significance of this timeless pursuit, chronicling his own birding adventures alongside those of John James Audubon, Teddy Rooseevelt, and others. In the process, he discovers the interconnections--literary, philosophical, sceintific, and spiritual--between life on the ground and life up above. Richly researched, lyrically written, "The Life of the Skies "is "a tribute to the natural world and man's place in it" ("Bloomberg News").