Stephen Green-Armytage's fabulous hit book--a look at the bizarre and beautiful world of exotic ornamental chickens first released in Fall 2000--is back in a delightful new edition that can be kept in one's pocket. 157 full-color photos.

In a follow-up to his first book "Extraordinary Chickens," the photographer presents 61 breeds and 5 species. Through his exquisite photographs, he captures the surprising and expressive personality of these amazing creatures.

Through a series of letters, Sophie Brown, age twelve, tells of her family's move to her Great Uncle Jim's farm, where she begins taking care of some unusual chickens with help from neighbors and friends.

The author and photographer who opened a window into the world of exotic birds with his successful "Extraordinary Chickens" and its well-received follow-up, "Extraordinary Pheasants," continues his startling exploration with another singular and charming book.

How a Midwestern family with no agriculture experience went from a few backyard chickens to a full-fledged farm—and discovered why local chicks are better. When Lucie Amundsen had a rare night out with her husband, she never imagined what he’d tell her over dinner—that his dream was to quit his office job (with benefits!) and start a commercial-scale pasture-raised egg farm. His entire agricultural experience consisted of raising five backyard hens, none of whom had yet laid a single egg. To create this pastured poultry ranch, the couple scrambles to acquire nearly two thousand chickens—all named Lola. These hens, purchased commercially, arrive bereft of basic chicken-y instincts, such as the evening urge to roost. The newbie farmers also deal with their own shortcomings, making for a failed inspection and intense struggles to keep livestock alive (much less laying) during a brutal winter. But with a heavy dose of humor, they learn to negotiate the highly stressed no-man’s-land known as Middle Agriculture. Amundsen sees firsthand how these midsized farms, situated between small-scale operations and mammoth factory farms, are vital to rebuilding America’s local food system. With an unexpected passion for this dubious enterprise, Amundsen shares a messy, wry, and entirely educational story of the unforeseen payoffs (and frequent pitfalls) of one couple’s ag adventure—and many, many hours spent wrangling chickens.

Flaunting their high-fashion plumage, chickens strut and pose like runway models for photographer Ernest Goh. These birds, with their all-too-human expressions, are both funny and poignant, as if they are commenting on our own foibles. From the proud Serama of Malaysia to the delightfully humorous Silkie, Goh’s portraits, shot on location throughout the world, convey not only the beauty and diversity of various breeds, but also capture the personality of each fowl. For sheer variety in size, color, feathering, and behavior, nothing beats the humble chicken, and no other bookcaptures this surprising phenomenon as well as the hilarious Chickens.

THE NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER “Izzard is one of the funniest people alive, a talented actor, a sharp cross-dresser, an experienced marathon runner, and a great writer. You will have to read this if only to find out what a jazz chicken is.”—The Philadelphia Inquirer With his brand of keenly intelligent humor that ranges from world history to historical politics, sexual politics, mad ancient kings, and chickens with guns, Eddie Izzard has built an extraordinary fan base that transcends age, gender, and race. Writing with the same candor and insight evident in his comedy, he reflects on a childhood marked by the loss of his mother, boarding school, and alternative sexuality, as well as a life in comedy, film, politics, running and philanthropy. Honest and generous, Believe Me is an inspired account of a very singular life thus far.

Archibald's Next Big Thing is the extraordinary adventure of an extra-ordinary chicken named Archibald Strutter. His three brothers and one sister have each found their "Big Thing" (including a brother chicken who impressively grows human hair) and the only Big Thing Archibald has planned is what he's eating for lunch. This all changes when he receives a mysterious blue card that reads "YOUR BIG THING IS HERE!" So, accompanied by a friendly bee named BEE, Archibald takes the card and heads off on a fantastic journey in hopes of finding his NEXT BIG THING. It's a story that reminds us that, while looking for the next big thing isn't a bad thing, we should always remember that big and beautiful things are all around us ... right NOW.

“I intend to stand firm and let the peacocks multiply, for I am sure that, in the end, the last word will be theirs.” —Flannery O’Connor When she was young, the writer Flannery O’Connor was captivated by the chickens in her yard. She’d watch their wings flap, their beaks peck, and their eyes glint. At age six, her life was forever changed when she and a chicken she had been training to walk forwards and backwards were featured in the Pathé News, and she realized that people want to see what is odd and strange in life. But while she loved birds of all varieties and kept several species around the house, it was the peacocks that came to dominate her life. Written by Amy Alznauer with devotional attention to all things odd and illustrated in radiant paint by Ping Zhu, The Strange Birds of Flannery O’Connor explores the beginnings of one author’s lifelong obsession. Amy Alznauer lives in Chicago with her husband, two children, a dog, a parakeet, sometimes chicks, and a part-time fish, but, as of today, no elephants or peacocks. Ping Zhu is a freelance illustrator who has worked with clients big and small, won some awards based on the work she did for aforementioned clients, attracted new clients with shiny awards, and is hoping to maintain her livelihood in Brooklyn by repeating that cycle.

This fully revised and expanded version of the classic volume The Fairest Fowl is a visual celebration of the wonder, peculiarity, and magnificence of championship chickens.