I Watch and Listen (1957) -Nancy Price | A book mainly concerned with the courtship and song of birds

There’s something so beautifully tender about this 1957 first edition by Nancy Price, a whole book devoted not to ornithology in the scientific sense, but to the courtship and song of birds. It feels like opening a little window into a slower, softer world, where noticing becomes its own kind of love.

The cover alone is a dream: swirling green vines, swooping birds, and that wonderful pop of rosy pink. Inside, Price writes with such gentleness, the kind of voice that makes you breathe a bit deeper. She isn’t interested in ticking off species or collecting facts; she’s tuned into the romance of it all. The rituals, the nest-building, the way a single song can change the whole feeling of a morning.

It’s the sort of book you read with a cup of tea nearby, letting the pages remind you to pause, to look up, to listen, to take in the wild little moments happening all around us.

Details:
– First edition, 1957
– The Bodley Head, London
– Illustrated dust jacket full of charm and delicacy
– Light, honest foxing throughout
– A quietly magical piece of vintage nature writing

A tender, romantic treasure for anyone who loves birds, slow mornings, or the poetry of everyday life. This one really feels like a companion.