Audiobook: Year with the Birds

William Warde Fowler was a true polymath; although his early studies focused on natural history, he became a well-known authority on the history and religious traditions of ancient Rome — recognized as a peer of James Frazer in the understanding and interpretation of Roman beliefs and their influence on the character of the Roman people. Additionally, Professor Frazer was celebrated as an expert in ornithology, served for a time as curator of the Parks and the Botanic Garden in Oxford, and in 1910 was appointed as the first lay Sub-Rector in Oriel college. Cherished by his students and respected by his colleagues, he remained a tutor at the college until 1910 and in 1920 was elected president of the Classical Association. Professor Frazer died in 1921 at the age of 74. "A Year with the Birds" is Professor Fowler's charming, personal record of his observations of bird life in and around Oxford, England and during his travels in the Alps. (Summary by Deborah Beach Giordano)