Birds in a Cage

November 30, 2012 By John E. Riutta in Newly Noted Books Tags: Biography, Birds, book, cage, History, niemann, ornithology, pow, short, war, world

No sooner had a drawn the copy of Derek Niemann‘s new book Birds in a Cage out of the package from Short Books in which it arrived than I found myself plopped on the sofa in the library thoroughly engrossed in reading it. After all, the text on the cover alone is enough to hook just about anyone interested in ornithology, history (of both World War II as well as natural history), or simply books that have a high probability of being, as James Mustich was fond of calling them, a “thumping good read.” I could say more but at this point I don’t think it’s necessary (besides, I want to get back to reading this book).

John E. Riutta

Founder and publisher of The Well-read Naturalist. Inveterate autodidact. Has repeatedly been found out standing in many fields. Plays well with otters.

→ John E. Riutta

Recent Reviews

The Marvelously Multifaceted Mr. Newton
January 22, 2023
Most of us likely first heard the name Isaac Newton when we were in primary school. For some, it may have been in a classroom; for others it may have been while viewing a television program – most likely a cartoon. However, in most all instances, I’d be willing to wager that the name was […]
Then There Were Dragons
November 20, 2022
The phrase “here there be dragons,” so famously seen on old maps indicating places where there were great and mysterious dangers to be found, was not so very long ago not simply a metaphor. In fact, no less an authority on natural philosophy (what would later become known as natural history) than Linnaeus himself included […]
Meeting Your Local Spiders
October 9, 2022
When it comes to lists of common phobias, arachnophobia – the fear of spiders – almost always makes the top ten, and more often than not, the top five. Some have even argued that the fear of spiders, like the fear of snakes, is an innate fear – people are simply born with it thanks […]