The Most Perfect Thing

January 18, 2016
British ornithologist Birkhead (Bird Sense: The Wisdom of Birds) uses an inaccurate TV segment that he saw on the eggs of guillemots (the name for several species of seabird) as a reason to reinvestigate the hows and whys of guillemot eggs while explaining their popularity with enthusiasts. The eggs are “seductively beautiful—large, brightly and infinitely variable in color and pattern, and... very oddly shaped.” Collections of eggs are often considered incomplete without them. Birkhead also seizes the opportunity to examine birds’ eggs in general. He works step-by-step “from the outside of the egg towards its genetic center,” with chapters covering egg’s shape, the composition of the shell, and the coloring. Spotting and shading, for instance, help camouflage in the wild, protecting them from would-be predators. Birkhead then moves onto (or into) the albumen, or egg white—“absolutely remarkable, mysterious stuff role in the developing egg is vital”—and the yolk, before concluding with sections on laying, incubating, and hatching. This measured approach makes the overall discussion accessible. Adhering to this framework, Birkhead manages to contain what could have become an unwieldy topic, and readers with little familiarity in guillemot eggs specifically will still find the material fascinating. Agent: Felicity Bryan, Felicity Bryan Associates (U.K.).

Starred review from January 15, 2016
A thrilling voyage through what most of us think of as an ordinary item sold at the supermarket. Birkhead (Animal Behavior and History of Science/Univ. of Sheffield; Bird Sense: What It's Like to Be a Bird, 2012, etc.), an expert in the reproductive biology of birds, takes readers on an outside-to-inside journey through an egg. Before launching his trip, the erudite and entertaining British author introduces egg collecting, a now-forbidden pastime that began in the 17th century with wealthy amateurs filling private cabinets with beautiful eggshells, many of them plundered from guillemot nests on the cliffs of Skomer of South Wales. Turning to eggs themselves, Birkhead tells how the outside is formed and what lovely shapes and beautiful colors shells can make. Each chapter moves inward, focusing next on the protective albumin and then the huge, food-filled yolk. Finally, the author provides a chapter on the laying of the egg, its incubation, and the hatching of the chick. This is no basic biology text, however. Birkhead, an accomplished popular science writer, is also an authority on the history of science. The journey through the egg is full of side trips into earlier times and related stories. It seems that even Aristotle and William Harvey found eggs puzzling, and although researchers today, equipped with scanning electron microscopes, have revealed many of the egg's mysteries, the remaining gaps in knowledge are significant. What makes this book such a pleasure is not just the author's breadth of knowledge--he has researched guillemots for more than 40 years--but his unbridled enthusiasm and the clarity of his explanations. The black-and-white illustrations are simple and clear, and the backmatter includes a helpful glossary for general readers as well as extensive notes, a bibliography, and a list of birds mentioned in the text. One doesn't have to be a bird enthusiast to relish this book, but it would be the most perfect gift for anyone who is.

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Starred review from April 1, 2016
Ornithologist Birkhead (Bird Sense, 2012) proves his literary chops once again with this fascinating study of the bird egg. What begins as a search to explain exactly why the guillemot has an oddly shaped egg evolves into a look at the history of egg collecting, the science behind egg colors, a nerve-racking experience with the few remaining eggs of the now-extinct great auk, and the study of microbes in eggs. Birkhead wows with breathtaking descriptions of the escapades of climmers dangling over the Bempton Cliffs of Yorkshire in search of eggs to sell to obsessed collectors, then takes readers into the laboratory, where the study of fertilization and egg development is conducted on microscopic levels. Birkhead's curiosity is contagious, and his deep respect for this most ubiquitous of nature's creations gives his words a degree of reverence that is both admirable and welcome. To say that one will never look at an egg the same again (in the refrigerator or otherwise) is an understatement. Bernd Heinrich and Andrea Wulf fans will appreciate Birkhead's attention to detail and portraits of egg fanatics. Absolutely delightful!(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2016, American Library Association.)