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The Penguin Book of Penguins

An Expert’s Guide to the World’s Most Beloved Bird
By Lisa Fretwell and Peter Fretwell
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Brief Description
A charming and beautifully illustrated book about the world's most beloved birds, written by a leading scientist at the British Antarctic Survey and illustrated by his wife. 'Electrifyingly charismatic' - DAN SNOW, author of On This Day in History 'The world's best-loved bird from the world's... Read More
Format: Hardback
$4000
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Book Hero Magic formatted this description to make it easier to read. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Description

A charming and beautifully illustrated book about the world's most beloved birds, written by a leading scientist at the British Antarctic Survey and illustrated by his wife.

'Electrifyingly charismatic' - DAN SNOW, author of On This Day in History

'The world's best-loved bird from the world's best-known publisher - what's not to like?' - STEPHEN MOSS, author of The Bird Biography series

'Simply wonderful. If you like feeling joy, you'll love this book' - Tristan Gooley, author of How to Read a Tree

'Beautifully written and illustrated' - MATT MERRITT, Editor of Bird Watching

The Penguin Book of Penguins is a charming and beautifully illustrated book about the world's most beloved bird, written by Peter Fretwell, a leading scientist at The British Antarctic Survey, and illustrated by Lisa Fretwell.

There's something about penguins that makes them irresistible. Maybe it's their comical waddle, their black-and-white 'tuxedo' plumage, or their apparent cheerfulness in the face of extreme weather conditions. Whatever the reason, their cult following around the globe is indisputable. Penguins can tell us so much about the world we live in - and what the future of both our species might look like.

In The Penguin Book of Penguins, leading British Antarctic scientist Peter Fretwell introduces us to eighteen charismatic species of penguin and the fascinating lives they lead - their evolution, behaviours and habitats, and their history with humans. From the fact that emperor penguins dive twice as deep as any other bird, to the story of a king penguin called Sir Nils Olav III who was made a Major General by the Norwegian Army, we discover through fascinating first-hand encounters (and even penguin jokes and emojis!) why penguins matter so greatly to all of us.

Book Details

INFORMATION

ISBN: 9780241732069

Publisher: Penguin Books Ltd

Format: Hardback

Date Published: 18 September 2025

Country: United Kingdom

Imprint: Viking

Audience: General / adult, Tertiary education, Professional and scholarly

DIMENSIONS

Spine width: 23.0mm

Width: 133.0mm

Height: 204.0mm

Weight: 325g

Pages: 288

Collections

Education & Reference Lisa Fretwell Non-Fiction Penguin Books Peter Fretwell Science & Nature

About the Author

DR PETER FRETWELL is an award-winning cartographer and lead scientist at the British Antarctic Survey, renowned for being a world expert in emperor penguins. He pioneered the use of satellite imagery to find and monitor polar wildlife, which led to him discovering more than half of the world's emperor penguin colonies. He is a fellow of the Royal Geographical Society and has completed six field seasons in Antarctica. In 2020, he published the award-winning book Antarctic Atlas, which was a Financial Times Book of the Year. LISA FRETWELL has been a working artist and teacher for over twenty-five years. She has exhibited her work in the Smith's Gallery in London and in New York. She produced the line drawings and edited the book Antarctic Atlas alongside Peter.

Also by Peter Fretwell

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  • Antarctic Atlas
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    Antarctic Atlas
    A leading cartographer from the British Antarctic Survey maps the continent in ways never seen before, revealing a landscape as alien as it is vital to our very existence. One of the least-known places on the planet, the only continent on earth with no indigenous population, Antarctica is a world apart. From a leading cartographer with the British Antarctic Survey,...
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    A leading cartographer from the British Antarctic Survey maps the continent in ways never seen before, revealing a landscape as alien as it is vital to our very existence. One of the least-known places on the planet, the only continent on earth with no indigenous population, Antarctica is a world apart. From a leading cartographer with the British Antarctic Survey,...
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