{"product_id":"whistling-in-the-dark-9781836005711","title":"Whistling in the Dark","description":"\u003cp\u003eEminent and highly respected nature writer Richard Mabey regards \u003ci\u003eWhistling in the Dark\u003c\/i\u003e as one of his \u003cb\u003eTop Ten most significant books\u003c\/b\u003e. After being exceptionally well-received on publication, it remains the only title from his collection that is no longer in print, and the timing feels perfect to bring this \u003cb\u003echerished text back\u003c\/b\u003e into circulation as a classic edition.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eNightingales have acquired a newly high profile in the past couple of years, as a consequence of revelations about the collapse in their numbers and renewed interest on their cultural history. Each May there are now radio programmes broadcasting - sometimes live - songs and readings from woods in southern England.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThis \u003cb\u003enew and fully revised\u003c\/b\u003e edition of Whistling in the Dark promises to be richer than ever, featuring: \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cb\u003eNew first-hand accounts\u003c\/b\u003e of nightingale performances, capturing their ethereal beauty at home and across the globe. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cb\u003eInsightful explorations\u003c\/b\u003e into the bird's recent population changes, unveiling possible causes behind their mysterious decline. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cb\u003eA newly uncovered story\u003c\/b\u003e detailing how the nightingale's song featured in the iconic 1924 live BBC broadcast with cellist Beatrice Harrison was, in reality, the work of a remarkably talented human bird mimic.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\u003cul\u003e\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cb\u003eCutting-edge scientific and philosophical perspectives\u003c\/b\u003e on the profound relationship between birdsong and music.\u003c\/li\u003e\u003c\/ul\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003eWhistling in the Dark\u003c\/i\u003e will be accompanied by an enhanced audiobook adaptation with sound inserts - not just the nightingale's song itself, but also medieval songs inspired by the bird, the poignant BBC recording of a nightingale singing amid the roar of bombers during WWII, and Messiaen's evocative piano piece from \u003ci\u003eLes Oiseaux\u003c\/i\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003ePraise for Whistling in the Dark\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003eA book so delightful I must share it. It is poetry and prose, natural history, memoir, myth and music...and is full of the same darting rhythms as that mysterious bird.\u003cbr\u003eSimon Jenkins, \u003ci\u003eThe Times\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eA pure pleasure to read. It stimulates, nudges, tells stories, argues and gleefully offends...I cannot remember liking a book about nature as much as this for years...It is a small classic.\u003cbr\u003ePeter Levi, \u003ci\u003eSpectator\u003c\/i\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eWhat he accomplishes is exquisite and illuminating, itself a sort of nightingale's song, variously throttling back for a sub-theme, then ingeniously improvising or swelling to full measure.\u003cbr\u003eEuan Dunn, \u003ci\u003eThe Countryman\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eMabey's engaging book quests through fact, fantasy, zoological data...the contents move, inform and reward.\u003cbr\u003eNaomi Lewis, \u003ci\u003eObserver\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eMabey is one of our best nature writers and he has produced a delightful book, as enlightening as it is uplifting...he has come up with some extraordinary accounts of the nightingale's power to enchant.\u003cbr\u003eJohn Preston, \u003ci\u003eSunday Telegraph\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eBinding Type:\u003c\/b\u003e Hardcover\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/b\u003e Aurum\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublished:\u003c\/b\u003e 06\/10\/2025\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN:\u003c\/b\u003e 9781836005711\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePages:\u003c\/b\u003e 176\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eWeight:\u003c\/b\u003e 1.65lbs\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eSize:\u003c\/b\u003e 8.05h x 5.29w x 0.57d","brand":"Richard Mabey","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":45331886637237,"sku":"9781836005711","price":13.59,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0473\/0804\/6492\/files\/img_e5c97511-b7aa-4233-bb31-dd91f5fc65eb.jpg?v=1745938409","url":"https:\/\/pastforward.org\/products\/whistling-in-the-dark-9781836005711","provider":"Past Forward","version":"1.0","type":"link"}