Falconry is unlike almost any other pursuit you can read your way into, because in most places you legally cannot. It is a heavily regulated art that requires permits, facilities inspections, and a multi-year apprenticeship under a licensed sponsor. So read these books not as a substitute for that path but as the knowledge that makes you a serious, prepared apprentice — the reading complements mentorship and licensing, it never replaces them.
With that firmly understood, a good reading order moves from the spirit and reality of the art to the technical manuals and the animal-care knowledge on which a hawk's life depends.
Understand the art and its reality
Start with two very different books. My side of the mountain, though a children's novel, captures the romance of living with a wild raptor and is what draws many people in. The art of falconry, attributed to a medieval emperor, is the ancient foundational text that reveals how deep and old this tradition runs. Together they frame falconry as a serious, centuries-old commitment rather than a pastime.
The core manuals
Now the practical instruction. Falconry and hawking is one of the most comprehensive modern manuals on training and flying birds of prey, and Falconry is a respected, well-illustrated introduction to the craft's methods. A falconry manual offers a concise, structured overview of equipment, training, and husbandry. These are the texts an apprentice studies alongside hands-on time with a sponsor.
Raptor knowledge and specialization
Because a falconer is fully responsible for a living predator, deep bird knowledge is non-negotiable. Care and management of captive raptors is the essential reference on health, housing, and husbandry — arguably the most important book here for the bird's welfare. The Complete Falconer and North American falconry and hunting hawks cover species, equipment, and technique in depth, while A Hawk for the Bush is a classic on training the shortwings favored by many beginners. The Passage Hawk rounds out the tradition with its focus on wild-caught birds and the lore around them.
Read in this order and you arrive at your apprenticeship informed and ready. Follow the full path from the spirit of falconry to the hard knowledge of keeping a raptor well.
