Pigeon expert, countryman and MENSA member Jim Emerton has been a leading light in the pigeon world for several decades. In retirement, his main aim is to share his experience and skill with fellow pigeon enthusiasts young and old. Jim In Conversation is a collection of his interviews with other prominent figures from the Fancy, interspersed with some profound personal thoughts of his own.

Jim Emerton bred and raced birds for 40 years and had birds return to the loft from as far as 879 miles away. Now in retirement from active racing, he devotes his time and energies to sharing his experiences, his observations and his expertise with the rest of the fancy. Here in one volume is a comprehensive collection of his thoughts about pigeons and pigeon racing, ranging from short pieces originally written for the leading fanciers' magazines to full-length articles and interviews. "What unites us in principle is the common good of the sport, and with this in mind I do what I can for others - it all oils the cogs of the sport. Some will see me as a know-all, yet I am a quiet little man making my mark, that's all. What is true is that I have made a life study of pigeons, and as a teacher I like to impart knowledge and experience...My aim is purely to tell it as it is to me, and if this is illuminating to others, then so be it."

Champion pigeon racer, lover of wild creatures and wild places, MENSA member, philosopher -in retirement Jim Emerton now devotes his time and energies to sharing his experiences, his observations and his expertise with others who share his interests and concerns. This is a collection of Jim's more philosophical writings as originally published in MENSA publications, including the members' periodical Cognito. They are in general his attempts, as he puts it, to 'verbalise the unknowable'. "I have had a great life...I have travelled a lot, run a business, been a salesman, I was a record-breaking shot and until I was 30 I had never been beaten at arm wrestling. Over the years I have developed my own personal belief system fusing science and art in philosophy."

Jim Emerton is one of the most respected figures in pigeon racing, having bred and raced birds for 40 years and had birds return to the loft from as far as 879 miles away. Now he writes on the subject for magazines and websites, sharing his expertise and his musings with all who enjoy this absorbing hobby. This comprehensive collection of his writings on pigeons covers everything from feed regimes and choosing stock to his experiences with racing from many exotic locations around the world. "We are a motley crew of mad monks, illuminated by a shared dream...It is an extension of the old, traditional values, of the old sage, pipe in mouth, corn tin in hand, sunning himself in a deckchair in his rose garden. That is how the iconic birds in folklore and history were raced."

Jim Emerton is a lifelong lover of the wilderness and the creatures of the countryside. Though he is best known for his prowess as a breeder of racing pigeons, Jim is also a great enthusiast of wildlife and in his day was a keen wildfowler. In this book he recalls the joys of an innocent childhood in the Lincolnshire Wolds spent watching and sometimes hunting for the wild birds and animals that fascinated him and some of the great country characters he came to know. He also reflects on the new and more philosophical perspective on nature and the wild which the years have given him.

A MENSA member who is on a constant quest for new understanding of everything about him, Jim Emerton, who describes himself as a writer, poet and philosopher, has travelled much of the world, from Nepal to Turkey and from Russia to the USA. In the world of international long-distance pigeon racing, he has been a byword for more than thirty years. His adventures have given him plenty of material for verse and philosophical observations covering every subject from the mysteries of the universe to life, death and love. Now for the first time Jim has assembled all his writings in one volume. "As a reflective, poetic and deeply philosophical person, I work from the inner nature of my mind. As an introverted thinker, it becomes a pure way of being."