Pigeon
Distributed for Reaktion Books
- Contents
- Review Quotes

1 Pigeon or Dove?
2 Heaven-sent: Religion and Mythology
3 An Uneasy Relationship: Medicine, Meat and Messengers
4 Loved or Loathed: Portrayals in Literature, Art and Culture
5 Exploitation or Conservation: Our ’Feathered Conscience’
Conclusion
Timeline
References
Bibliography
Associations and Websites
Acknowledgements
Photo Acknowledgements
Index
“Joining a pleasingly diverse menagerie that also includes the cockroach and the oyster, this latest addition to Reaktion’s Animal series aims to rehabilitate the much-maligned birds that Woody Allen infamously referred to as ‘rats with wings’ . . . Barbara Allen constructs a detailed portrait of the cultural, spiritual and scientific significance of the pigeon . . . engaging and illuminating.” —Observer
“Allen’s elegantly written book might not convert you to pigeon-fancying, but it could induce a little more sympathy with the flying crapper.” —Guardian
“We also find that our much-maligned avian ‘rats’ have an awful lot going for them, with some scientists rating them as intelligent as three-year old humans . . . So next time you moan about the clutter of urban pigeons . . . spare a thought for the good contributions these animals make to our lives.” —BBC Wildlife Magazine
“Reaktion’s Animal series is unfailingly fascinating, but rarely this challengingly and powerfully told.” —Times Literary Supplement
Biological Sciences: Natural History
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