“A delightful read from a masterful-and very funny-storyteller. witty and bewitching.” - Winnipeg Free Press Skaife’s conversational style and disarming candor make this a rollicking tale fit for nearly any armchair adventurer.” - Publishers Weekly Balancing fascinating tidbits with macabre details, titillates as he educates, rehabilitating the gloomy reputation of the raven.

“A natural storyteller, Skaife writes with affection and insight about these powerful, unpredictable and highly intelligent birds.” - Guardian (UK) Keeping the ravens requires constant negotiation with them, in which, as Skaife repeatedly observes, we learn not only about corvids but also our own role as human beings.” - Borix Sax, author of City of Ravens

“Christopher Skaife’s tales contain not only comedy but also tragedy, frustration, love, hubris, fear, foolishness, compassion, and uncertainty. “This is a charmer! Life with the legendary ravens at the Tower of London! Chock full of wild things you didn’t know.” - Margaret Atwood His knowledge and love of the ravens fly off the page in The Ravenmaster.” - Caitlin Doughty, author of Smoke Gets in Your Eyes “Christopher Skaife adores his birds with every fiber of his being. The Ravenmaster is a compelling, inspiring and irreverent story that will delight and surprise anyone with an interest in British history or animal behaviour.

The current holder of the position is Yeoman Warder Christopher Skaife, and in this fascinating, entertaining and touching book he memorably describes the ravens’ formidable intelligence, their idiosyncrasies and their occasionally wicked sense of humour. The responsibility for ensuring that such a disaster never comes to pass falls to one man: the Ravenmaster. But their role is even more important than that-legend has it that if the ravens should ever leave, the Tower will crumble into dust and great harm will befall the kingdom. Each year they are seen by millions of visitors, and they have become as integral a part of the Tower as its ancient stones. For centuries, the Tower of London has been home to a group of famous avian residents: the ravens.

The ravenmaster book