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| Leather-bound - Minstrelsy of The Woods |
ALTHOUGH thing have changed in the 21st Century, the profile of women in ornithology has historically been almost non-existent with very few having had their writings published.
However, one exception is Susan Waring whose work, The Minstrelsy of the Woods, was published by Harvey and Darton, in 1832.
Ms Waring had a rare moment in the sun this week when a rare copy of her book was one of the lots in a sale conducted by Gloucestershire-based auction house Dominic Winter.
The pre-sale estimate was that it would fetch between £150 and £200 but, in the event, the bidding reached £320 before the hammer fell.
The identity of the buyer is not known but he or she has certainly not overpaid.
Minstrelsy is an endlessly enchanting celebration - in prose and poetry and art - of a whole range of bird species from golden eagle to woodlark.
By modern standards, Waring's writing is sentimental but it is also refreshingly full of detail, particularly on the nature of a bird's plumage and on the mysteries of migration.
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| Not perfect, but there's something enchanting about this yellow wagtail |
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| Keep on yaffling - everybody loves a green woodpecker |
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| Song thrush - but is that an unidentifiable bird on the branch behind? |
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| The author has a lot - all of it good - to say about the goldfinch |
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