Victoria Roberts. An up to date book describing the many breeds available has long been needed by anyone interested in "the Fancy". Now we can learn about their origins, appearance and characteristics and how to look after them.'- Her Grace, the Duchess of Devonshire. What Chicken to choose; how the breeds developed, what makes a good specimen and the particular uses and characteristics of each breed. The Victorians were great poultry enthusiasts, and developed or imported many of the more exotic breeds. POULTRY FOR ANYONE describes 44 breeds, giving the colors of plumage available, the history of the breed, what makes a good specimen, utility and special requirements in terms of husbandry, and its character-some emerging as being decidedly eccentric. Reading their different personalities and looking at the wonderful photographs taken by Mike Corrigan (90 of them, specially commissioned) makes you want to keep all of them: there's the incredibly prolific Rhode Island Red, which lays 260 eggs a year, the sturdy and ancient fierce Old English Game, the Stately Brahams, the diminutive 'chain mail' Sebright bantams, the storybook farmyard Welsummers with terracotta eggs, the fashionably tousled Frizzels and Polands with their outrageous millinery. Worldwide characters range from the friendly tea-cosy cute Pekin bantams through the independent 'tartan' Scots Greys the determinedly airborne Appenzellers, the aristocratic and ticklish Indian Game and the 'virtually unkillable' Fayoumi. The book not only describes the breeds, but it also lists their egg production and practical uses, gives hints on preparation for showing plus a section on housing and management, all based on the author's lifelong practical experience. 90 full color photos, 144 pgs, Hardcover