The Ravenmaster : my life with the ravens at the Tower of London / Christopher Skaife, Yeoman Warder of Her Majesty's Royal Palace and Fortress, the Tower of London.
2018
DA687.T7 S595 2018 (Mapit)
Available at General Collection
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Details
Title
The Ravenmaster : my life with the ravens at the Tower of London / Christopher Skaife, Yeoman Warder of Her Majesty's Royal Palace and Fortress, the Tower of London.
Edition
First edition.
ISBN
9780374113346 (hardcover)
0374113343 (hardcover)
0374113343 (hardcover)
Published
New York : Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2018.
Language
English
Description
viii, 241 pages, 8 unnumbered leaves of plates : illustrations, maps ; 22 cm
Call Number
DA687.T7 S595 2018
Dewey Decimal Classification
942.1/5 B
Summary
"A narrative by the Tower of London's official Ravenmaster about what it's like to live among the ravens at England's most famous national monument, woven together with insight from folklore, history, and contemporary behavioral science about this unusual bird"-- Provided by publisher.
"For centuries, the Tower of London has been home to a group of famous avian residents: the ravens. Each year they are seen by millions of visitors, and they have become as integral a part of the Tower as its ancient stones. But their role is even more important than that--legend has it that if the ravens should ever leave, the Tower will crumble into dust, and great harm will befall the kingdom. One man is personally responsible for ensuring that such a disaster never comes to pass--the Ravenmaster. The current holder of the position is Yeoman Warder Christopher Skaife, and in this fascinating, entertaining, and touching book he memorably describes the ravens' formidable intelligence, their idiosyncrasies, and their occasionally wicked sense of humor. Over the years in which he has cared for the physical and mental well-being of these remarkable birds, Christopher Skaife has come to know them like no one else. They are not the easiest of charges--as he reveals, they are much given to mischief, and their escapades have often led him into unlikely, and sometimes even undignified, situations. Now, in the first intimate behind-the-scenes account of life with the ravens of the Tower, the Ravenmaster himself shares the folklore, history, and superstitions surrounding both the birds and their home. [This] is a compelling, inspiring, and irreverent story that will delight and surprise anyone with an interest in British history or animal behavior."--Dust jacket.
"For centuries, the Tower of London has been home to a group of famous avian residents: the ravens. Each year they are seen by millions of visitors, and they have become as integral a part of the Tower as its ancient stones. But their role is even more important than that--legend has it that if the ravens should ever leave, the Tower will crumble into dust, and great harm will befall the kingdom. One man is personally responsible for ensuring that such a disaster never comes to pass--the Ravenmaster. The current holder of the position is Yeoman Warder Christopher Skaife, and in this fascinating, entertaining, and touching book he memorably describes the ravens' formidable intelligence, their idiosyncrasies, and their occasionally wicked sense of humor. Over the years in which he has cared for the physical and mental well-being of these remarkable birds, Christopher Skaife has come to know them like no one else. They are not the easiest of charges--as he reveals, they are much given to mischief, and their escapades have often led him into unlikely, and sometimes even undignified, situations. Now, in the first intimate behind-the-scenes account of life with the ravens of the Tower, the Ravenmaster himself shares the folklore, history, and superstitions surrounding both the birds and their home. [This] is a compelling, inspiring, and irreverent story that will delight and surprise anyone with an interest in British history or animal behavior."--Dust jacket.
Note
Maps on end caps.
Bibliography, etc. Note
Includes bibliographical references.
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Table of Contents
Silhouette
Ravenmaster
The rules
Roll call
Bird life
Tower Green
Biscuits and blood
The menagerie
Black birds
The raven spreads his wings
The great escape
Resistance to interrogation
Citizens of the world
Double-hatting
The story
Application
Speaking in Ravenish
Bird brains
Ravenology
The legend of the ravens at the Tower
Blood swept lands and seas of red
My mistress' eyes are raven black
Birds and books
Death and the raven
The ghosts of my life
And so to bed
Great traditions
Sentinels of the White Tor
Rising above.
Ravenmaster
The rules
Roll call
Bird life
Tower Green
Biscuits and blood
The menagerie
Black birds
The raven spreads his wings
The great escape
Resistance to interrogation
Citizens of the world
Double-hatting
The story
Application
Speaking in Ravenish
Bird brains
Ravenology
The legend of the ravens at the Tower
Blood swept lands and seas of red
My mistress' eyes are raven black
Birds and books
Death and the raven
The ghosts of my life
And so to bed
Great traditions
Sentinels of the White Tor
Rising above.