The Raven – Facts and Myths

Bengt-Erik Engholm & Lina Blixt

Do you want to know everything about ravens? Then this book is for you. It approaches the subject from a historical, biological, sociological, psychological, and even religious perspective. Some people have considered the raven to be the creator of the universe, while for some the raven seemed a bird of evil omen.

The reader will learn where and how ravens live, what they look like, what skills they have, how they build their nests, and mate. We get to join the journey from the magical moment when the eggs are laid and hatch, to the moment when the young fly through the woods in vociferous adolescent gangs, and eventually find a mate to live the rest of their lives with.

The raven is a very social creature, and it collaborates in a way few other birds do. Even though the raven has during some times been viewed as a vermin, it is one of the smartest animals in the world. Ravens play almost all the time, but why do they play? And do they play because they’re smart, or do they become smart because they play? By the way, it is never bad to have a ravens heart in your pocket if you don’t want to be deceived in business. Keep that in mind…

Bengt-Erik Engholm is an author who has written a number of non-fiction books on various subjects: skeletons, bats, blood, vikings, and also the bestseller From Apes to Homo Sapiens about the history of mankind.

Lina Blixt is an illustrator who has mostly worked with books for children and young adults, often involving darkness, mystery, and horrors. One of her earlier books published by Natur & Kultur is The Monster Bestiary.

Winner of the Carl von Linné plaque 2023, The jury’s praise:
“Bengt-Erik Engholm and Lina Blixt are awarded the Carl von Linné plaque for The Raven – Facts and Myths. The many nuances of the raven are presented in an extraordinary collaboration, with gorgeous grayscale illustrations. The book presents both myths and facts about the raven’s present and history. The text is fluent and partly humorous. Clear headings and short paragraphs make the niche subject easily accessible. By avoiding being generic, the book appeals to a target group that is drawn to the gothic and mysterious – a target group that is rarely prioritized in non-fiction books. The evocative images suit the gothic theme extremely well. The Raven, with its fierce and bold illustrations, is a non-fiction book that addresses many aspects of a single, albeit multi-faceted, bird.”

Press voices

“Storytelling and fairytale atmosphere at its best” BTJ

”Bengt-Erik Engholm is educational and at the same time he is engaged and with a personal address, which makes it hard to put the book down. It is interesting and very exciting. Linda Blixt powerful illustrations are perfect to this book. They are mystical, magical, suggestive and dramatical and managed to capture everything that make the raven fascinating, that the raven has so many sides and that it is a special bird is noticeable, even in the illustrations. This is a book you can enjoy for a long time.” Barnboksbloggen

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