As Kingfishers Catch Fire

A magical book: an inimitable fusion of ornithology, literary anthology and autobiography.

Neil Gower is a genius. It is as simple as that. - Bill Bryson

A writer of boundless talent - GQ on Alex Preston

As Kingfishers Catch Fire is both a joyful and a wondrous book, one that successfully captures the otherness of birds, while celebrating our yearning to transcend our lot, our yearning to touch the unknowable … Each bird illustrated by Gower in a mixture of gouache and watercolour that brings to mind both William Morris and Eric Ravilious - the Observer

As Kingfishers Catch Fire is a memoir/gallimaufry of ornithological obsession by Alex Preston. He watches birds in the sky and on the page darting between myths, stories and memoir like a swift. The characterful illustrations by Neil Gower add a whole new dimension to this gorgeous book. - Damian Barr, Guardian Best Books of 2017

Alex Preston, better known for his novels, joined forces with artist Neil Gower to produce the delightful As Kingfishers Catch Fire, an original look at the literature inspired by Britain’s birdlife. - Guardian Best Nature Books of 2017

His pages light up with feathered magic - Evening Standard

I can see it under the Christmas tree of every family with a bird feeder and a copy of the RSPB Handbook … Preston captures his birds beautifully - The Times