H Is for Hawk

* Winner the 2014 Samuel Johnson Prize
* #1 Bestseller in the UK
* A Guardian and Economist Best Book of the Year

When Helen Macdonald's father died suddenly on a London street, she was devastated. An experienced falconer—Helen had been captivated by hawks since childhood—she'd never before been tempted to train one of the most vicious predators, the goshawk. But in her grief, she saw that the goshawk's fierce and feral temperament mirrored her own. Resolving to purchase and raise the deadly creature as a means to cope with her loss, she adopted Mabel, and turned to the guidance of The Once and Future King author T.H. White's chronicle The Goshawk to begin her challenging endeavor. Projecting herself "in the hawk's wild mind to tame her" tested the limits of Macdonald's humanity and changed her life.

Heart-wrenching and humorous, this book is an unflinching account of bereavement and a unique look at the magnetism of an extraordinary beast, with a parallel examination of a legendary writer's eccentric falconry. Obsession, madness, memory, myth, and history combine to achieve a distinctive blend of nature writing and memoir from an outstanding literary innovator.

1116147356
H Is for Hawk

* Winner the 2014 Samuel Johnson Prize
* #1 Bestseller in the UK
* A Guardian and Economist Best Book of the Year

When Helen Macdonald's father died suddenly on a London street, she was devastated. An experienced falconer—Helen had been captivated by hawks since childhood—she'd never before been tempted to train one of the most vicious predators, the goshawk. But in her grief, she saw that the goshawk's fierce and feral temperament mirrored her own. Resolving to purchase and raise the deadly creature as a means to cope with her loss, she adopted Mabel, and turned to the guidance of The Once and Future King author T.H. White's chronicle The Goshawk to begin her challenging endeavor. Projecting herself "in the hawk's wild mind to tame her" tested the limits of Macdonald's humanity and changed her life.

Heart-wrenching and humorous, this book is an unflinching account of bereavement and a unique look at the magnetism of an extraordinary beast, with a parallel examination of a legendary writer's eccentric falconry. Obsession, madness, memory, myth, and history combine to achieve a distinctive blend of nature writing and memoir from an outstanding literary innovator.

26.0 Out Of Stock
H Is for Hawk

H Is for Hawk

by Helen MacDonald
H Is for Hawk

H Is for Hawk

by Helen MacDonald

Hardcover

(Not eligible for purchase using B&N Audiobooks Subscription credits)
$26.00 
  • SHIP THIS ITEM
    Temporarily Out of Stock Online
  • PICK UP IN STORE

    Your local store may have stock of this item.

Related collections and offers


Overview


* Winner the 2014 Samuel Johnson Prize
* #1 Bestseller in the UK
* A Guardian and Economist Best Book of the Year

When Helen Macdonald's father died suddenly on a London street, she was devastated. An experienced falconer—Helen had been captivated by hawks since childhood—she'd never before been tempted to train one of the most vicious predators, the goshawk. But in her grief, she saw that the goshawk's fierce and feral temperament mirrored her own. Resolving to purchase and raise the deadly creature as a means to cope with her loss, she adopted Mabel, and turned to the guidance of The Once and Future King author T.H. White's chronicle The Goshawk to begin her challenging endeavor. Projecting herself "in the hawk's wild mind to tame her" tested the limits of Macdonald's humanity and changed her life.

Heart-wrenching and humorous, this book is an unflinching account of bereavement and a unique look at the magnetism of an extraordinary beast, with a parallel examination of a legendary writer's eccentric falconry. Obsession, madness, memory, myth, and history combine to achieve a distinctive blend of nature writing and memoir from an outstanding literary innovator.


Product Details

ISBN-13: 9780802123411
Publisher: Grove Atlantic
Publication date: 03/03/2015
Pages: 288
Sales rank: 135,958
Product dimensions: 5.90(w) x 8.30(h) x 1.20(d)

About the Author

Helen Macdonald is a writer, poet, illustrator and naturalist, and an affiliated research scholar at the Department of History and Philosophy of Science at the University of Cambridge. She is the author of the bestselling H Is for Hawk , as well as a cultural history of falcons, titled Falcon , and three collections of poetry, including Shaler's Fish. Macdonald was a Research Fellow at Jesus College, Cambridge, has worked as a professional falconer, and has assisted with the management of raptor research and conservation projects across Eurasia. She now writes for the New York Times Magazine. Twitter: @HelenJMacdonald

Table of Contents

Part I

1 Patience 3

2 Lost 12

3 Small worlds 20

4 Mr White 34

5 Holding right 46

6 The box of stars 56

7 Invisibility 64

8 The Rembrandt interior 74

9 The rite of passage 82

10 Darkness 90

11 Leaving home 99

12 Outlaws 107

13 Alice, tailing 120

14 The line 133

15 For whom the bell 144

16 Rain 153

17 Heat 158

Part II

18 Flying free 167

19 Extinction 178

20 Hiding 185

21 Fear 195

22 Apple Day 205

23 Memorial 214

24 Drugs 221

25 Magical places 232

26 The flight of time 242

27 The new world 249

28 Winter histories 258

29 Enter spring 269

30 The moving earth 276

Postscript 281

Notes 285

Acknowledgements 299

From the B&N Reads Blog

Customer Reviews

Explore More Items