Any good books on falconry...?

Question

Hey there,

I can't seem to locate any good-priced and informative books on falconry. The only one I obtained (from my library) is called "As the Falcon Her Bells", and I'm not sure how reliable it is (seeing as it was written in 1962--not what you'd call modern era).

Anyways, thanks for any recommendations.

-Phoenix

Answer 1

There's a lot of books on falconry out there- they're just really hard to find. Here's some that are on my shelves:

"North American Falconry and Hunting Hawks" by Frank L. Beebe and Harold M. Webster is a must have for anyone who is going for their license.

"The Compleat Falconer" by Frank L. Beebe

"The Art of Medieval Hunting: The Hound and the Hawk" by John Cummins is more of a historical book about falconry's influence and place in the Medieval era.

If you want to find out more about the birds:

"The Raptor Almanac" by  Scott Weidensaul

"Hawks, Eagles & Falcons of North America" by Paul A. Johnsgard (This book is recommended by NAFA)

"The Prairie Falcon" by Stanley H. Anderson and John R. Squires was my first book about raptor biology. It's extremely definitive about the Prarie Falcon.

I don't have these on my shelves, but these are classics that many falconers recognize:

"Buteos and Bushytails" by Gary L. Brewer

"The Goshawk" by T.H. White

"The Art of Falconry" by Emperor Fredrick II of Hohenstaufen (first major work published about falconry in the 11th century, it is a classic that can still be applied to modern falconry.)

Answer 2

Yes.  "The Red-tailed Hawk: The Great Unknown" was published just this year.