'Birkhead has combined ingenuity and perseverance to produce an evocative portrait of a great pioneer in the scientific study of birds' Literary Review

'Birkhead has combined ingenuity and perseverance to produce an evocative portrait of a great pioneer in the scientific study of birds' Literary Review Francis Willughby lived and thrived in the midst of the scientific revolution of the seventeenth century. Along with his Cambridge tutor John Ray, Willughby was determined to overhaul the whole of natural history and impose order on its complexity. It was exhilarating, exacting and exhausting work. Yet before Willughby and Ray could complete their monumental encyclopaedia of birds, Ornithology, Willughby died. In the centuries since, Ray’s reputation has grown, obscuring that of his collaborator. Now, for the first time, Willughby’s own story and genius are given the attention they deserve. Tim Birkhead celebrates how Willughby’s endeavours set a standard for the way birds and natural history should be studied. Rich with glorious detail, The Wonderful Mr Willughby is a fascinating insight into a thrilling period of scientific history and a lively biography of a man who lived at its heart.

"In this engrossing biography of "the first true ornithologist", Birkhead takes us on imaginative journey to the time of Charles II, when there was no classification of animals, birds and plants; when men such as Willughby often endured great hardship in order to make ground-breaking discoveries" - Daily Mail

"Energetically pursuing his quarry, Birkhead has combined ingenuity and perseverance to produce an evocative portrait of a great pioneer in the scientific study of birds" - Literary Review

"A joint celebration of two of the great scientific brains of the Age of Reason … [An] engaging study’" - Country Life

"[A] precise and rigorously told biography … There’s a quiddity about [Birkhead's] writing that follows in his subject's steps" - New Statesman

"Fascinating " - Big Issue

"Francis Willughby is an ideal subject for a biography … An entertaining and informative book, packed with well-explained scientific detail" - Spectator

"The story of Willughby’s short life, elegantly and engagingly told by Tim Birkhead" - London Review of Books

"If you ever thought the history of natural history might be dull, this wonderful book, a masterpiece of biographical sleuthing, will quickly dispel that illusion … The author’s passion for his subjects, both human and avian, shine through as he brings history to life and relates past to present" - BBC Wildlife

"Birkhead’s approach to writing – hard, clear sentences; deep, revelatory looking – has the same effect as his microscope, bringing objects to light that were previously hidden, making us see the familiar with new eyes … After reading The Most Perfect Thing, you’ll never dip your morning soldiers without a shiver of wonder at the complexity and resgourcefulness of the humble egg" - Observer