The Charm of Birds by Sir Edward Grey

‘…a small but very special masterpiece.’ Stephen Moss

First published in 1927, The Charm of Birds was an immediate bestseller, and combined an amateur ornithologist’s keen eye with enthusiasm and a remarkably modern sensibility and style. In particular Grey, much better known as the statesman who guided British Foreign Policy in the early decades of the 20^th century, broke with the traditions of an earlier age which saw shooting as indivisible from a love of nature. Grey’s delight in the birds he found around both his home in Northumberland and his Hampshire cottage shines from every page. Nearly 100 years after the first publication of The Charm of Birds a whole new generation of readers is rediscovering Grey’s unique perspective, and appreciating again the freshness of the prose. This new edition has an introduction by the best-selling nature writer Stephen Moss and a foreword by the author Conor Jameson.

Published in paperback in February 2026