There is a tiny introduction by the narrator which sets the scene nicely without getting in the way of the work. We count ourselves very fortunate to hear some he mentions such as the nightingale, nightjar, turtle dove and even the cuckoo. White may not have had an instant pictorial record, but he did leave us with a sound-scape of the many songs of birds. The narration is clear and measured and the production is very good. White notes the bird’s first appearance on 16 May. The house is larger, by a wing, now than when White lived in it. The observations in the letters are not just natural history but also give a facinating glimpse of life, human and animal, in the English countryside in the 18th century. Selborne is an old family house that has grown by additions, and has roofs of nature’s colouring, and creeping plants on walls that have not been driven by scarcity of ground to mount into the air. birds, Gilbert White Vicar of Selborne, Natural History of Selborne English birds, commemorative windows Gascoyne and Hinks, St Francis and the birds.

The book is actually a series of different letters written over a period of time so each one forms a discreet package and none of them dwells too long on any one subject. The narrator manages to give the perfect feel to the work and the words themselves are beautifully written and sound like they could have been produced yesterday.There is very little archane langauge and the pace is crisp and clear. From the first few words it is a complete joy to listen to. My concern was that a 220+ year old book by a country parson talking about swallows and spiders might not be that rivetting or translate well to audio.

Also this work has been quoted as an influence by several respected naturalists and scientists so I wanted to see what the fuss was about. I live near Selborne and have visited Gilbert White's house several times and that always helps to make a work more interesting. I have been looking for this on audio for a while.

Birds of Selborne by Gilbert White