Pros: You'll never see chickens the same way again.
Cons: Absolutely none. Except I want more.
The Bottom Line: The quality of photography in this book merits its placement on anybody's coffee table, and the exotic breeds are guaranteed to spark conversation -- and laughter.
wovengold's Full Review: Stephen Green-Armytage - Extraordinary Chickens Bo...
What could be more ordinary than a chicken?
You know what a chicken looks like, don't you? I mean, that's an easy question: A chicken is a large, roundish sort of bird found on farms; usually it is white, brown or black, with a beak, wattles and a comb. The hen lays eggs. The rooster crows at dawn. That's about all there is to it.
Well, I'm here to say you don't know the half of it. Don't believe me? Pick up a copy of Extraordinary Chickens by writer/photographer Stephen Green-Armytage and you'll see for yourself just how extraordinary chickens can be. Here you will find chickens in all shapes, sizes and colors, wearing an amazing array of combs, wattles, topknots, beards and even spurs. These birds' feathers are patterned with delicate beauty; their bodies may be elegant and streamlined or downright bulldog stocky. And "cackleberries" aren't just white. Chickens lay a rainbow of eggs: white, brown, cream, green, blue, pink, turquoise, maroon, speckled… all in different shapes and sizes, many pictured here.
I might as well admit it now: I am a chicken nut. I raise my own chickens, mostly as pets but also for their eggs. I've been to my share of state fairs and chicken fanciers' club meetings, I've read tons of chicken books, and I've seen almost every breed there is, either alive or in photos. Even so, the portraits in this book impressed me.
Extraordinary Chickens is the first coffee table-type book I've ever seen dedicated to revealing the beauty of exotic poultry. You don't have to be a chicken fancier to place this one on your coffee table, either. I guarantee that even those who care nothing at all about chickens and would rather not be reminded where their dinner meat or their breakfast eggs come from can appreciate this book.
Knowing how difficult it is to get a chicken to stand still or do almost anything else you want, including cross a road, I am particularly impressed by Green-Armytage's photographs. He captures roosters crowing, hens looking pensive (probably contemplating the egg), chicks cavorting -- and never a feather amiss. The photographs are exquisite.
Green-Armytage's talents as photographer are matched by his appreciation for the magnificence, variety, dignity and even humor of his subject. Scattered throughout the book are "Mutt and Jeff" spreads: a standard-sized chicken of a particular breed posing beside the miniaturized bantam of the same breed, or a fluffy cochin contrasted with a lean, mean-looking modern game bird.
There is also text, and it is well worth reading. Green-Armytage writes a concise history of the hobby of breeding exotic poultry and provides a list and description of each of the breeds featured in the photos. The text and photos examine an impressive array of the exotic breeds. Reading it made me appreciate even more the amount of work that went into this labor of love: the travels to distant places and the uncounted rolls of film that went into getting just the right shot of just the right bird for Extraordinary Chickens.
I particularly appreciate the way the book is organized. Open it to any page and the information is presented in such a way that you'll probably learn something without even realizing it. I especially enjoyed the sections illustrating the variety of body forms (legs, feet and spurs; beards, muffs, and whiskers; and "striking heads," which includes photos of the most interesting comb formations, including straight, rose and split combs).
If none of that sounds interesting, pick up Extraordinary Chickens just to look at the pictures of the frizzles, sultans, Polish and silkies. (Take a look at the picture on the dust jacket: a crowing white Polish rooster.) I know you'll laugh just looking at these breeds with their Beethoven hairdos, electrified feathers and Cousin It "fur."
[Just in case you're curious and want to see what my sweetest banty rooster, Bambi, looks like, turn to page 19 and take a gander at the partridge cochin bantam. Now imagine this little rooster riding on my shoulder, crowing in my ear, or landing on my head after an unsuccessful flight up to the top perch.]
Extraordinary Chickens includes 179 photos -- all top-notch -- including 176 in full color.
Stephen Green-Armytage's fabulous hit book--a look at the bizarre and beautiful world of exotic ornamental chickens first released in Fall 2000--is ba...More at HotBookSale
Stephen Green-Armytage s fabulous hit book--a look at the bizarre and beautiful world of exotic ornamental chickens first released in Fall 2000--is ba...More at Buy.com Marketplaces
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