03001cam a2200325 i 4500 355761013 TxAuBib 20181005120000.0 180716s2018||||||||||||||||||||||||eng|u 2018016402 9780374113346 26.00 0374113343 26.00 eng rda TxAuBib rda Skaife, Christopher, 1965- The Ravenmaster [BOOK] : my life with the ravens at the Tower of London / Ravenmaster Christopher Skaife, Yeoman Warder of Her Majesty's Royal Palace and Fortress, the Tower of London. New York : Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2018. viii, 241 pages, 8 unnumbered pages of plates : color illustrations, map ; 22 cm. txt rdacontent n rdamedia nc rdacarrier Includes index. Silhouette -- Ravenmaster -- The rules -- Roll call -- Bird life -- Tower Green -- Biscuits and blood -- The menagerie -- Black birds -- The raven spreads his wings -- The great escape -- Resistance to interrogation -- Citizens of the world -- Double hatting -- The story -- Application -- Speaking in Ravenish -- Bird brains -- Ravenology -- The legend of the ravens at the Tower -- Blood swept lands and seas of red -- My mistress' eyes are raven black -- Birds and books -- Death and the raven -- The ghostsof my life -- And so to bed -- Great traditions -- Sentinels of the White Tor -- Rising above. The ravens at the Tower of London are of mighty importance: rumor has it that if a raven from the Tower should ever leave, the city will fall. The title of Ravenmaster, therefore, is a serious title indeed, and after decades of serving the Queen, Yeoman Warder Christopher Skaife took on the added responsibility of caring for the infamous ravens. In The Ravenmaster, he lets us in on his life as he feeds his birds raw meat and biscuits soaked in blood, buys their food at Smithfield Market, and ensures that these unusual, misunderstood, and utterly brilliant corvids are healthy, happy, and ready to captivate the four million tourists who flock to the Tower every year. A rewarding, intimate, and inspiring partnership has developed between the ravens and their charismatic and charming human, the Ravenmaster, who shares the folklore, history, and superstitions surrounding the ravens and the Tower. Shining a light on the behavior of the birds, their pecking order and social structure, and the tricks they play on us, Skaife shows who the Tower's true guardians really are-and the result is a compelling and irreverent narrative that will surprise and enchant. Provided by publisher. 20181005. Skaife, Christopher 1965- Yeomen Warders Biography. Tower of London (London, England.) Ravens England. Biographies.