Whistling in the Dark

<P>Eminent and highly respected nature writer Richard Mabey regards <I>Whistling in the Dark</I> as one of his <B>Top Ten most significant books</B>. After being exceptionally well-received on publication, it remains the only title from his collection that is no longer in print, and the timing feels perfect to bring this <B>cherished text back</B> into circulation as a classic edition.</P><P>Nightingales have acquired a newly high profile in the past couple of years, as a consequence of revelations about the collapse in their numbers and renewed interest on their cultural history. Each May there are now radio programmes broadcasting - sometimes live - songs and readings from woods in southern England.</P><P>This <B>new and fully revised</B> edition of Whistling in the Dark promises to be richer than ever, featurin</P><ul><li><B>New first-hand accounts</B> of nightingale performances, capturing their ethereal beauty at home and across the globe.<br><br></li><li><B>Insightful explorations</B> into the bird’s recent population changes, unveiling possible causes behind their mysterious decline.<br><br></li><li><B>A newly uncovered story</B> detailing how the nightingale’s song featured in the iconic 1924 live BBC broadcast with cellist Beatrice Harrison was, in reality, the work of a remarkably talented human bird mimic.</li></ul><ul><li><B>Cutting-edge scientific and philosophical perspectives</B> on the profound relationship between birdsong and music.</li></ul><P><I>Whistling in the Dark</I> will be accompanied by an enhanced audiobook adaptation with sound inserts – not just the nightingale’s song itself, but also medieval songs inspired by the bird, the poignant BBC recording of a nightingale singing amid the roar of bombers during WWII, and Messiaen’s evocative piano piece from <I>Les Oiseaux</I>.</P><P><B>Praise for Whistling in the Dark</B><br>A book so delightful I must share it. It is poetry and prose, natural history, memoir, myth and music...and is full of the same darting rhythms as that mysterious bird.<br>Simon Jenkins, <I>The Times</I></P><P>A pure pleasure to read. It stimulates, nudges, tells stories, argues and gleefully offends...I cannot remember liking a book about nature as much as this for years...It is a small classic.<br>Peter Levi, <I>Spectator</I> </P><P>What he accomplishes is exquisite and illuminating, itself a sort of nightingale's song, variously throttling back for a sub-theme, then ingeniously improvising or swelling to full measure.<br>Euan Dunn, <I>The Countryman</I></P><P>Mabey's engaging book quests through fact, fantasy, zoological data...the contents move, inform and reward.<br>Naomi Lewis, <I>Observer</I></P><P>Mabey is one of our best nature writers and he has produced a delightful book, as enlightening as it is uplifting...he has come up with some extraordinary accounts of the nightingale's power to enchant.<br>John Preston, <I>Sunday Telegraph</I></P>