This historical survey tells the remarkable story of the development of bird art through the centuries. From the early, skilfully executed and decorative but often fanciful images of birds, to scientific illustrations produced during the ages of exploration, to modern approaches to capturing the essence of these freest of all creatures on the page or canvas. The outstanding selection of images from the unrivalled collection at the Natural History Museum includes exquisitely crafted works from some of the most famous natural history artists ever published including Audubon, Gould, MacGillivray, and Bauer. They are complemented by detailed, lively text, which interweaves ornithological science, art history, biography and travel. With fascinating details of the lives of both the artists and the birds they painted, a vivid picture is revealed. This landmark book will fascinate anyone interested in birds, natural history and art, and it is relaunched in a striking new format for autumn 2013.

"...for a truly special gift, I would recommend Jonathan Elphick's Birds: The Art of Ornithology...In this beautifully produced and sumptuously illustrated work, Elphick tells the story of how bird art developed from the earliest images scratched on the walls of prehistoric caves to the present day, with the main focus on that golden age of avian illustration and portraiture, the 19th century. If no one takes the hint, then you can always buy it for yourself." Stephen Moss - Guardian " - Jonathan Elphick's meticulously researched and sumptuously illustrated book - there are over 200 colour plates - narrates how bird art has evolved...In a book that covers huge amounts of territory, Elphick also features the lesser known or neglected artists such as William MacGillivray and the Dutch painter John Keulemans. He also manages to blend analysis of their technique and style with tales from their often eventful lives...The benefit of Elphick's rounded approach is a work of scholarship that is also a pleasure to read. If you have space in your library for just one book on bird art, then I would heartily recommend this superb volume." Mark Cocker - BBC Wildlife Magazine

Jonathan Elphick is a natural history author, editor and consultant who specialises in ornithology. During a career spanning more than 40 years, he has worked on many books, including writing award-winning titles such as Birdwatcher's Handbook. Among many other projects, he spent four years as researcher for the acclaimed bestseller Birds Britannica, written by Mark Cocker. Jonathan has travelled extensively to study bird life and was elevated to Scientific Fellowship of the Zoological Society of London in recognition of his services to the popularisation of zoology. The Library of the Natural History Museum is a repository for one of the most exciting and comprehensive collections of natural history literature and artworks to be found anywhere in the world. It holds over half a million artworks, comprising one of Britain's biggest art collections and representing all the great natural history artists, and many thousands of books, including some richly illustrated volumes of great historical significance.