Basil Ede’s Birds

I promised I would show you close-up’s of some of my prized bird books, so here is the first Basil Ede’s Birds.

You know how it goes sometimes – I walked into a National Trust Property one summer and went into an unassuming second-hand book ‘shed’ and it was one of those occasions where it was a treasure trove of beautiful unwanted books at cheap second-hand prices.

Basil Ede                  Nuthatch

My family will remind me that I bought two books – one very heavy – which we then had to carry on a walk around the lake which turned out to take 2-3 hours! Oops. Did you notice I said we carried… anyway I digress.

Basil Ede                   Blue Tit

It turns out that this book, which I bought for £1.20 because I liked the bird pictures, was illustrated by the Basil Ede , one of the worlds best bird artists. And it is utterly beautiful as you can see.

Basil Ede             Chaffinch

Basil Ede became a professional artist bit by bit, working at first at sea and then in London, he gradually grew his painting career by working part-time and being supported by his family (always a story I like to hear).

Basil Ede      Blackbird

In his sixties he suffered a stroke which left him paralysed down one side –  the side he painted with. Amazingly he re-taught himself over a few years to paint with his left hand just as well as he had with his right.

Beautifully inspiring painting and an inspiring life story too.