Whistling in the Dark: In Pursuit of the Nightingale

Eminent and highly respected nature writer Richard Mabey regards Whistling in the Dark as one of his Top Ten most significant books. After being exceptionally well-received on publication, it remains the only title from his collection that is no longer in print, and the timing feels perfect to bring this cherished text back into circulation as a classic edition.

Nightingales have acquired a newly high profile in the past couple of years, as a consequence of revelations about the collapse in their numbers and renewed interest on their cultural history. Each May there are now radio programmes broadcasting - sometimes live - songs and readings from woods in southern England.

This new and fully revised edition of Whistling in the Dark promises to be richer than ever, featuring:

New first-hand accounts • of nightingale performances, capturing their ethereal beauty at home and across the globe.

Insightful explorations • into the bird’s recent population changes, unveiling possible causes behind their mysterious decline.

A newly uncovered story • detailing how the nightingale’s song featured in the iconic 1924 live BBC broadcast with cellist Beatrice Harrison was, in reality, the work of a remarkably talented human bird mimic. Cutting-edge scientific and philosophical perspectives • on the profound relationship between birdsong and music.

Whistling in the Dark will be accompanied by an enhanced audiobook adaptation with sound inserts – not just the nightingale’s song itself, but also medieval songs inspired by the bird, the poignant BBC recording of a nightingale singing amid the roar of bombers during WWII, and Messiaen’s evocative piano piece from Les Oiseaux.

Praise for Whistling in the Dark A book so delightful I must share it. It is poetry and prose, natural history, memoir, myth and music...and is full of the same darting rhythms as that mysterious bird. Simon Jenkins, The Times

A pure pleasure to read. It stimulates, nudges, tells stories, argues and gleefully offends...I cannot remember liking a book about nature as much as this for years...It is a small classic. Peter Levi, Spectator

What he accomplishes is exquisite and illuminating, itself a sort of nightingale's song, variously throttling back for a sub-theme, then ingeniously improvising or swelling to full measure. Euan Dunn, The Countryman

Mabey's engaging book quests through fact, fantasy, zoological data...the contents move, inform and reward. Naomi Lewis, Observer

Mabey is one of our best nature writers and he has produced a delightful book, as enlightening as it is uplifting...he has come up with some extraordinary accounts of the nightingale's power to enchant. John Preston, Sunday Telegraph

© 2025 Aurum (Ebook): 9781836005728

Release date

Ebook: April 10, 2025