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From the cave walls at Lascaux to the last painting by Van Gogh, from the works of Shakespeare to those of Mark Twain, there is clear evidence that crows and ravens influence human culture. Yet this influence is not unidirectional, say the authors of this fascinating book: people profoundly influence crow culture, ecology and evolution as well. John Marzluff and Tony Angell examine the often surprising ways that crows and humans interact. The authors contend that those interactions reflect a process of 'cultural coevolution'. They offer a challenging new view of the human-crow dynamic, a view that may change our thinking not only about crows but also about ourselves. Featuring over 100 original drawings, the book takes a close look at the influences people have had on the lives of crows throughout history and at the significant ways crows have altered human lives.
John M. Marzluff is Denman Professor of Sustainable Resource Sciences and professor of wildlife science, College of Forest Resources, University of Washington. Tony Angell is an artist and writer living in Seattle, Washington. Together the authors combine more than 60 years of scientific and artistic fascination with crows and their bird relatives.
'Crows and people share similar traits and social strategies. To a surprising extent, to know the crow is to know ourselves.' from the Preface 'This is a work bursting with fresh ideas, rich in speculation, while also managing to survey, in highly accessible terms, the full spectrum of research into this fascinating bird group. BBC Wildlife Magazine '... engrossing...' Rebecca Solnit, London Review of Books '... a book rich in descriptive language and juicy with insight and biological detail.' New Scientist 'There is a wealth of folklore, biology and anecdote here about all species of crows - a cornucopia of corvid memorabilia. This is a well-researched, fascinating book to read, evocatively illustrated by Angell's charming idiosyncratic scraperboards.' Tim Birkhead, Times Literary Supplement"
