This book is absolutely wonderful! Not only does it contain beautiful, professional photographs of various breeds of chicken, but it also provides a fair bit of information about each breed. It begins with an essay by Ira Glass and leads into The World of Championship Chickens, with quotes from poultry fanciers, a listing of chicken breeds, and a handful of diagrams on physical features of a chicken that can make or break their championship career.



There is also an entire section on the American Standard of Perfection, what is considered the bible of show chickens. The rest of the book consists of elegant portraits of chickens against complimentary backdrops. Alas, this is no ordinary "coffee table" book, as it provides the name and description, the origin, standard weights, feather pattern, color pallet, AND the date of admittance to the Standard of Perfection for each bird. HIT ME WITH THAT KNOWLEDGE! Please find below a selection of a few of my favorite show chickens from this book:

The New Hampshire Bantam Cockerel:

The Dominique Large Fowl Cock:

Bearded Buff Laced Polish Large Fowl Hen:


Beautiful. Just gorgeous. I thoroughly enjoyed flipping through this book and learning the life of a poultry fancier. I have taken notes, and I look forward to the day I own a piece of suburbia large enough to accommodate a healthy brood of beautiful chickens to delicately care for and present at the admiration of those who appreciate the magnificence of this bird.

In closing:

Dat. Ass.