Literary Chickens - Hardcover

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0789213095 ISBN 13: 9780789213099

Publisher: Abbeville Press, 2018

Synopsis

From the best-selling photographer of Ancient Trees, an arresting collection of black-and-white chicken portraits paired with quotations from classic literature

Fierce, funny, and flamboyant, fifty-two heritage-breed chickens assess the camera with a keen gaze. By focusing on the faces of her avian subjects, Beth Moon reveals them to us not just as beautiful and exotic creatures, but as individuals in their own right.
Moon’s intimate portraits capture a startling range of emotions and personalities, underscored by excerpts from literature. A martial Spanish White Face is flanked by a passage from Beowulf; a fantastical Buff-Laced Polish, by a line from Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland; and a refined Blue Polish, by a character sketch from Swann’s Way.

An essay by chicken keeper and best-selling author Melissa Caughey and cultural critic Collier Brown sheds additional light on this fresh and remarkable body of work, which will appeal to animal lovers and literature buffs alike.

About this title

About the Author:

Collier Brown is an internationally-recognized photography critic and poet.

Beth Moon is a photographer based in New York who has gained international recognition for her large-scale, richly toned platinum prints. Her prints are held in numerous public and private collections and have appeared in more than sixty solo and group exhibitions in the United States, Italy, England, France, Israel, Brazil, Dubai, Singapore, and Canada, receiving widespread critical acclaim.

Isabella Rossellini is a noted actress, filmmaker, and philanthropist.

Jane Goodall is a British primatologist and anthropologist, and the world's foremost expert on chimpanzees.

Melissa Caughey is a backyard chicken keeper, beekeeper, gardener, and cook who pens the award-winning blog, Tilly's Nest.

Review:

Featured in The Wall Street Journal, The Associated Press Holiday Gift Guide, Bustle, The Santa Fe New Mexican, and more

"Chickens have never looked grander."
—The Wall Street Journal

"[One of the] most interesting books I've seen this season."
—The Toronto Star

“Gorgeous.”
—The Associated Press

"...Sure to raise a few eyebrows in your home."
—Bustle

“Each image deftly showcases the hen's individuality and personality while acting as a powerful statement to respect and revere the animals we share this earth with.”
—Photo-eye

"Beth Moon is a gifted photographer with abundant creative insight and an eye for unconventional subject matter. Literary Chickens delights the eye and arouses the mind."
—New York Journal of Books

“These striking portraits illustrate a sophistication in poultry that often goes unnoticed.”
—Community Chickens

“Magnificent. . .a truly unique pairing that I could have never put together myself . . .”
—Under a Tin Roof

“Her luminous portraits and landscapes are enigmatic, atmospheric images...”
—Santa Fe New Mexican

About this edition

• Publisher: Abbeville Press
• Publication date: 2018
• ISBN 10: 0789213095
• ISBN 13: 9780789213099
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 144