The secret life of the owl

There is something about owls. They feature in every major culture from the Stone Age onwards.

They are creatures of the night, and thus of magic. They are the birds of ill-tidings, the avian messengers from the Other Side.

But owls - with the sapient flatness of their faces, their big, round eyes, their paternal expressions - are also reassuringly familiar.

We see them as wise, like Athena's owl, and loyal, like Hedwig.

Human-like, in other words. No other species has so captivated us. John Lewis-Stempel explores the legends and history of the owl. And in vivid, lyrical prose, he celebrates all the realities of this magnificent creature, whose natural powers are as fantastic as any myth.