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Jonathan Livingston Seagull: A Story | 
 enlarge | Author: Richard Bach
Creator: Russell Munson
Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers Ltd
Category: Book
List Price: £5.99
Buy New: £1.74
You Save: £4.25 (71%)
New (35) Used (17) Collectible (1) from £1.43
Rating:  69 reviews
Sales Rank: 498
Media: Paperback
Edition: New Ed
Pages: 96
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.1
Dimensions (in): 6.5 x 4.9 x 0.3
ISBN: 0006490344
Dewey Decimal Number: 813
EAN: 9780006490340
ASIN: 0006490344
Publication Date: August 22, 1994
Availability: Usually dispatched within 1-2 business days
Condition: Brand new book dispatched from stock in the UK
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Amazon.co.uk Review
"Most gulls don't bother to learn more than the simplest facts of flight--how to get from shore to food and back again," writes author Richard Bach, in this allegory about a unique bird named Jonathan Livingston Seagull. "For most gulls it is not flying that matters, but eating. For this gull, though, it was not eating that mattered, but flight." Flight is indeed the metaphor that makes the story soar. Ultimately this is a fable about the importance of seeking a higher purpose in life, even if your flock, tribe or neighbourhood finds your ambition threatening. (At one point our beloved gull is even banished from his flock.) By not compromising his higher vision, Jonathan gets the ultimate pay-off: transcendence. Ultimately, he learns the meaning of love and kindness. The dreamy seagull photographs by Russell Munson provide just the right illustrations--although the overall packaging does seem a bit dated (keep in mind that it was first published in 1970). Nonetheless, this is a spirituality classic and an especially engaging parable for adolescents. --Gail Hudson
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| Customer Reviews: Read 64 more reviews...
 Really, really hated this book.. July 3, 2008
Yep, 'hated'. It's a very strong word and I being the pale-faced egalitarian liberal that I am, is one I rarely use.
At best it's self-help drivel that will make those with low self-esteem feel (briefly) better about themselves. At worst, it's dangerous right-wing elitist fiction masquerading as a children's allegory.
I have no problem with self-help drivel - I choose not to read it. I do have problems with books that try and pretend to be something else.
A friend sent me a copy of this book a few years ago, which I read in a few minutes and it left me literally shaking with anger. The memory of this book is still etched in my mind..
Burn every copy you find. ;-)
 Is Johnathan the true son of the Great Gull? January 22, 2008
A beautiful story that took 1 hour to read.Behind the words is the message that we are poweful beings whose thoughts are powerful and that we need to step away from the crowd and search for higher realms.
I much prefer Richard Bachs book illusions which is more profound.
The message that should be taken very seriously is that our thoughts are truely powerful,this is why the Law of Attraction is such a powerful force in our lives.
 A True Bond December 30, 2007
0 out of 1 found this review helpful
This book is Richard Bach's finest work. A simple story told with complex texture, the bird symbolises the ineffable longings within humanity for a transcendental epiphany; a neon in the night of our stumblings; flash! I see! I hear! I fly! Valleys of failure and hills of hope are the topographic text through which the tale travels, and white-winged and wide are our stretchings towards self-actualization. This is a work of singular vision, aided by a slight editorial suggestion offered by his friend, Sean Connery. During a recent interview on 'Parkinson', Connery said, "Bach had just finished the final draft and we were sitting together on Brighton Pier, feeding bread to the gathering gulls. Hundreds of the wretched creatures, all squawking and pecking and flapping. It was like being in the centre of a feathery blizzard and we were covered in gull-goo and crumbs. Fearing for our lives and an exorbitant dry-cleaning bill, we decamped to the safety of a nearby bar. After a dozen or so fortifying flagons, Bach unwrapped the splattered manuscript and showed me the title. Something about it wasn't quite right, so I propped the stupefied scribbler back into his chair and said, 'Richie, sure the bird idea's got legs, but Jonathan Livingston TURKEY? When those flocking gulls disappear, take a stumble along the beach and see what else you can come up with.'"
The Essence of life in a book...or a bird....or you. November 17, 2007
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
This book beautifully shows us why it is difficult to break out of the crowd mentality and that allows us to be compassionate with ourselves when we get stuck. It shows us where the crowd mentality comes from which gives us greater understanding of our fellow souls that seem intent on keeping us in the crowd and from that understanding we can be more compassionate towards them. But most importantly it shows us how to break free of the crowd and how we bless ourselves and the whole of creation by doing so.
The greatest gift that you can give the world is to heal yourself.
The story is short and yet so deep that you may never see the bottom, therefore it speaks to everyone on all levels. As folk point out, you can read it in one afternoon and it will be with you forever.
What have you got to lose?
Passing it on... November 10, 2007
I read this book as a 'troubled teen' and it changed my life. I adore it, re-read it regularly and it has become a friend. Now my 21 year old son has hit some difficult times and I bought this most recent copy for him. It seems to be helping - at least he keeps picking it up and reading it and he does seem calmer and more at peace with himself than he has for some time.
We can talk and share and be there for our loved ones as much as possible, but sometimes we have to leave them to sort things out for themselves - but that doesn't mean we have to leave them 'alone'. My son is not the first person I have shared this friend with, though perhaps he is the closest, and everyone I have passed it on to has come back to tell me it helped, and many have since passed it on to others.
I would recommend this book to anyone and suggest that it be the first Richard Bach book you give to someone you care about, but not the last!
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