Cuervos

Ravens inhabit almost every part of the globe and have long sought the company of humans. They used to follow the Vikings, feeding on the aftermath of battles, and have been associated with death ever since. These corvids are keen observers—calculating probabilities and assessing the behavior of their prey—and are increasingly moving into cities to escape the industrialized exploitation of the countryside. Regarding the raven's presence in art and culture, this book traces a journey from the Lascaux caves—taking in one of Van Gogh’s final paintings and Edgar Allan Poe’s famous poem—to Alfred Hitchcock’s film *The Birds* and contemporary cultural depictions of the raven.