Highly illustrated, with images drawn from a wide range of\ncultures, historical periods and media, Paul Carter’s Parrotis a\nroller-coaster ride through parrots in literature, jokes, folklore,\nmythology, film, TV and children’s stories worldwide, as well as an\nexamination of parrot conservation, talking bird experiments and\nparrot portraiture. Parrotis a fascinating natural and cultural\nhistory. The book covers three broad areas: ‘Parrotics’ – the\nhistorical, cultural and scientific classifications of parrots;\n‘Parroternalia’ – the association of parrots with the different\nlanguages, ages, tastes and dreams of society; and ‘Parrotology’ –\nthe mimicry of parrots and what that can tell us about our own\nsystems of communication. This book differs from previous\nhistories, which have treated parrots as subjects of curiosity and\na pretext for elegy. A new kind of animal history, Parrotis\nphilosophical and poetic: it takes seriously the critical and\nironic mirror that parrots hold up to human society. Humorously\nwritten and wide-ranging in scope, Parrotwill have broad appeal,\nand will be of interest to parrot enthusiasts and specialists, as\nwell as a general readership.

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