Featured Title

1) Vinicombe, Keith, Alan Harris, and Laurel Tucker. The Helm Guide to Bird Identification. 2014. Helm/Bloomsbury. Paperback: 369 pages. Price: $42.95 U.S.
PUBLISHER'S SUMMARY: This book covers difficult identification issues by looking at tricky species pairs or groups of birds, and comparing and contrasting their respective features. Designed as a field companion, it supplements the standard field guides and provides much additional information. As well as detailed texts, the books include extensive illustrations of all relevant ages and plumages of the species concerned.

$42.95

The Helm Guide to Bird Identification

The Helm Guide to Bird Identification

The Helm Guide to Bird Identification

RECOMMENDATION: I see this book as a supplement to the Birds of Europe published by Collins/Princeton University Press. Birders on BOTH sides of the Atlantic Ocean will find this book useful!

New Title

1) Foley, Charles et al..  A Field Guide to the Larger Mammals of Tanzania. 2014. Princeton University Press/WILDGuides.  Paperback: 320 pages. Price: $29.95 U.S.                                            
PUBLISHER'S SUMMARY: Home to the Serengeti National Park, Ngorongoro Crater, and Mount Kilimanjaro, Tanzania offers some of the finest big game watching in the world, from elephants and rhinos to chimpanzees and lions. This field guide covers all the larger mammals of Tanzania, including marine mammals and some newly discovered species. Detailed accounts are provided for more than 135 species, along with color photos, color illustrations of marine mammals, and distribution maps. Accounts for land species give information on identification, subspecies, similar species, ecology, behavior, distribution, conservation status, and where best to see each species. The guide also features plates with side-by-side photographic comparisons of species that are easily confused, as well as first-time-ever species checklists for every national park. This book features:

• The definitive, most up-to-date field guide to the larger mammals of Tanzania, including marine mammals
• Features detailed species accounts and numerous color photos throughout
• Provides tips on where to see each species
• Includes species checklists for every national park

RECOMMENDATION: Anyone with an interest in the mammals of Tanzania will want this book.

New Title

1) Tolkien, J.R.R.. Beowulf: A Translation and Commentary. 2014. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. Hardbound: 425 pages. Price: $28.00 U.S.
PUBLISHER'S SUMMARY: The translation of Beowulf by J.R.R. Tolkien was an early work, very distinctive in its mode, completed in 1926: he returned to it later to make hasty corrections, but seems never to have considered its publication. This edition is twofold, for there exists an illuminating commentary on the text of the poem by the translator himself, in the written form of a series of lectures given at Oxford in the 1930s; and from these lectures a substantial selection has been made, to form also a commentary on the translation in this book.
      From his creative attention to detail in these lectures there arises a sense of the immediacy and clarity of his vision. It is as if he entered into the imagined past: standing beside Beowulf and his men shaking out their mail-shirts as they beached their ship on the coast of Denmark, listening to the rising anger of Beowulf at the taunting of Unferth, or looking up in amazement at Grendel’s terrible hand set under the roof of Heorot.
     But the commentary in this book includes also much from those lectures in which, while always anchored in the text, he expressed his wider perceptions. He looks closely at the dragon that would slay Beowulf "snuffling in baffled rage and injured greed when he discovers the theft of the cup"; but he rebuts the notion that this is "a mere treasure story", "just another dragon tale". He turns to the lines that tell of the burying of the golden things long ago, and observes that it is "the feeling for the treasure itself, this sad history" that raises it to another level. "The whole thing is sombre, tragic, sinister, curiously real. The ‘treasure’ is not just some lucky wealth that will enable the finder to have a good time, or marry the princess. It is laden with history, leading back into the dark heathen ages beyond the memory of song, but not beyond the reach of imagination."
     Sellic spell, a "marvellous tale", is a story written by Tolkien suggesting what might have been the form and style of an Old English folk-tale of Beowulf, in which there was no association with the "historical legends" of the Northern kingdoms. 
RECOMMENDATION: Fans of Tolkien's work or of Beowulf should enjoy this book.

New Title

1) Evans, Arthur V.. Beetles of Eastern North America. 2014. Princeton University Press. Paperback: 560 pages. Price: $35.00 U.S.
PUBLISHER'S SUMMARY: Beetles of Eastern North America is a landmark book--the most comprehensive full-color guide to the remarkably diverse and beautiful beetles of the United States and Canada east of the Mississippi River. It is the first color-illustrated guide to cover 1,406 species in all 115 families that occur in the region--and the first new in-depth guide to the region in more than forty years. Lavishly illustrated with over 1,500 stunning color images by some of the best insect photographers in North America, the book features an engaging and authoritative text by noted beetle expert Arthur Evans.
     Extensive introductory sections provide essential information on beetle anatomy, reproduction, development, natural history, behavior, and conservation. Also included are tips on where and when to find beetles; how to photograph, collect, and rear beetles; and how to contribute to research. Each family and species account presents concise and easy-to-understand information on identification, natural history, collecting, and geographic range. Organized by family, the book also includes an illustrated key to the most common beetle families, with 31 drawings that aid identification, and features current information on distribution, biology, and taxonomy not found in other guides.
     An unmatched guide to the rich variety of eastern North American beetles, this is an essential book for amateur naturalists, nature photographers, insect enthusiasts, students, and professional entomologists and other biologists.
     This book includes:

• Provides the only comprehensive, authoritative, and accessible full-color treatment of the region's beetles
• Covers 1,406 species in all 115 families east of the Mississippi River
• Features more than 1,500 stunning color images from top photographers
• Presents concise information on identification, natural history, collecting, and geographic range for each species and family
• Includes an illustrated key to the most common beetle families

 

RECOMMENDATION: This well illustrated guide is a MUST have for anyone with an interest in the beetles of the region.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          

The Weekly Birdbooker Report

                                           Photo copyright: Joe Fuhrman


My WEEKLY Birdbooker Report can be found here: http://www.scilogs.com/maniraptora/birdbooker-report-322/

New Title

1) Aldhous, Chris. Ghosts of Gone Birds. 2013. Bloomsbury. Paperback:  256 pages. Price: $42.95 U.S.
PUBLISHER'S SUMMARY: A visual record of the first four Ghosts of Gone Birds exhibitions, this book introduces the ideas behind this unique art and conservation project, providing a platform for the artists to tell us why they got involved, and how they approached the brief – to “breathe life back into the birds we have lost – so we don’t lose any more”.
     Featuring the work of more than 180 artists and writers, Ghosts of Gone Birds captures the dazzling diversity of gone birds that exist beyond the familiar shape of the Dodo, and re-introduces the world to the delights of species like the Red-moustached Fruit Dove, the Snail-eating Coua and the Laughing Owl. 
RECOMMENDATION: An interesting collection of bird art and essays relating to extinct species.

New Title

1) Birkhead, Tim. The Red Canary: The Story of the First Genetically Engineered Animal. 2003 (2014). Bloomsbury.  Paperback: 268 pages. Price: $17.00 U.S.
PUBLISHER'S SUMMARY: The creation of Dolly the sheep in the 1990s was for many people the start of a new era: the age of genetically modified animals. However, the idea was not new, for in the 1920s an amateur scientist, Hans Duncker, decided to genetically engineer a red canary.
     Favored originally for their voice, by the middle of the nineteenth century canaries had become so popular that millions were exported from Europe to the United States to satisfy demand. During the 1870s, English canary breeders caused a scandal by feeding their birds red peppers to turn them orange. In the 1930s, Duncker’s genetics efforts caught the attention of the Nazi regime who saw him as a champion of their eugenic policies, even though his ingenious experiments were not successful.
     Nonetheless, Duncker’s work paved the way thirty years later for an Englishman, Anthony Gill, and an American, Charles Bennett, to succeed, after recognizing that the red canary would need to be a product of both nature and nurture. In Tim Birkhead’s masterful hands, this highly original narrative reveals how the obsession of bird keepers turned the wild canary from green to red, and in the process, heralded exciting but controversial developments in genetic manipulation.

The creation of Dolly the sheep in the 1990s was for many people the start of a new era: the age of genetically modified animals. However, the idea was not new, for in the 1920s an amateur scientist, Hans Duncker, decided to genetically engineer a red canary.

Favored originally for their voice, by the middle of the nineteenth century canaries had become so popular that millions were exported from Europe to the United States to satisfy demand. During the 1870s, English canary breeders caused a scandal by feeding their birds red peppers to turn them orange. In the 1930s, Duncker’s genetics efforts caught the attention of the Nazi regime who saw him as a champion of their eugenic policies, even though his ingenious experiments were not successful.


Nonetheless, Duncker’s work paved the way thirty years later for an Englishman, Anthony Gill, and an American, Charles Bennett, to succeed, after recognizing that the red canary would need to be a product of both nature and nurture. In Tim Birkhead’s masterful hands, this highly original narrative reveals how the obsession of bird keepers turned the wild canary from green to red, and in the process, heralded exciting but controversial developments in genetic manipulation. - See more at: http://www.bloomsbury.com/us/the-red-canary-9781620407578/#sthash.LtIpBX9m.dpuf

The creation of Dolly the sheep in the 1990s was for many people the start of a new era: the age of genetically modified animals. However, the idea was not new, for in the 1920s an amateur scientist, Hans Duncker, decided to genetically engineer a red canary.

Favored originally for their voice, by the middle of the nineteenth century canaries had become so popular that millions were exported from Europe to the United States to satisfy demand. During the 1870s, English canary breeders caused a scandal by feeding their birds red peppers to turn them orange. In the 1930s, Duncker’s genetics efforts caught the attention of the Nazi regime who saw him as a champion of their eugenic policies, even though his ingenious experiments were not successful.


Nonetheless, Duncker’s work paved the way thirty years later for an Englishman, Anthony Gill, and an American, Charles Bennett, to succeed, after recognizing that the red canary would need to be a product of both nature and nurture. In Tim Birkhead’s masterful hands, this highly original narrative reveals how the obsession of bird keepers turned the wild canary from green to red, and in the process, heralded exciting but controversial developments in genetic manipulation. - See more at: http://www.bloomsbury.com/us/the-red-canary-9781620407578/#sthash.LtIpBX9m.dpuf

The creation of Dolly the sheep in the 1990s was for many people the start of a new era: the age of genetically modified animals. However, the idea was not new, for in the 1920s an amateur scientist, Hans Duncker, decided to genetically engineer a red canary.

Favored originally for their voice, by the middle of the nineteenth century canaries had become so popular that millions were exported from Europe to the United States to satisfy demand. During the 1870s, English canary breeders caused a scandal by feeding their birds red peppers to turn them orange. In the 1930s, Duncker’s genetics efforts caught the attention of the Nazi regime who saw him as a champion of their eugenic policies, even though his ingenious experiments were not successful.


Nonetheless, Duncker’s work paved the way thirty years later for an Englishman, Anthony Gill, and an American, Charles Bennett, to succeed, after recognizing that the red canary would need to be a product of both nature and nurture. In Tim Birkhead’s masterful hands, this highly original narrative reveals how the obsession of bird keepers turned the wild canary from green to red, and in the process, heralded exciting but controversial developments in genetic manipulation. - See more at: http://www.bloomsbury.com/us/the-red-canary-9781620407578/#sthash.LtIpBX9m.dpuf

RECOMMENDATION: First published in the USA as A Brand New Bird. A new preface has been added for this edition.

New Title

1) Schilthuizen, Menno. Nature's Nether Regions:  What the Sex Lives of Bugs, Birds, and Beasts Tell Us About Evolution, Biodiversity, and Ourselves. 2014. Viking. Hardbound: 245 pages. Price: $28.95 U.S.
PUBLISHER'S SUMMARY: What’s the easiest way to tell species apart? Check their genitals. Researching private parts was long considered taboo, but scientists are now beginning to understand that the wild diversity of sex organs across species can tell us a lot about evolution.
      Menno Schilthuizen invites readers to join him as he uncovers the ways the shapes and functions of genitalia have been molded by complex Darwinian struggles: penises that have lost their spines but evolved appendages to displace sperm; female orgasms that select or reject semen from males, in turn subtly modifying the females’ genital shape. We learn why spiders masturbate into miniature webs, discover she dungflies that store sperm from attractive males in their bellies, and see how, when it comes to outlandish appendages and bizarre behaviors, humans are downright boring.
      Nature’s Nether Regions joyfully demonstrates that the more we learn about the multiform private parts of animals, the more we understand our own unique place in the great diversity of life. 
RECOMMENDATION: An introduction to a topic that most people don't spend much time thinking about!

The Weekly Birdbooker Report

                                          Photo copyright: Joe Fuhrman


My WEEKLY Birdbooker Report can be found here: http://www.scilogs.com/maniraptora/birdbooker-report-320-1/

New Title

1) Raffaele, Herbert A. and James W. Wiley. Wildlife of the Caribbean. 2014. Princeton University Press. Paperback: 304 pages. Price: $19.95 U.S.
PUBLISHER'S SUMMARY: This is the first comprehensive illustrated guide to the natural world of the Caribbean islands. It contains 600 vivid color images featuring 451 species of plants, birds, mammals, fish, seashells, and much more. While the guide primarily looks at the most conspicuous and widespread species among the islands, it also includes rarely seen creatures--such as the Rhinoceros Iguana and Cuban Solenodon--giving readers a special sense of the region's diverse wildlife.
     Each species is represented by one or more color photos or illustrations; details regarding its identification, status, and distribution; and interesting aspects of its life history or relationship to humans. In addition, an introductory section focuses on the unique characteristics of the Caribbean's fauna and flora, the threats faced by both, and some of the steps being taken to sustain the area's extraordinary natural heritage.
    Wildlife of the Caribbean is the essential field guide for learning about the living wonders in this area of the world.
    This book features:

• The only guide of its kind for the Caribbean islands
• 600 detailed color images feature 451 amazing species
• Straightforward descriptions suitable for general audience
• Compact size makes the guide easy to carry        

RECOMMENDATION: A well illustrated introduction to the wildlife (and plants) of the region.

New Title

1) Foster, Steven and James A. Duke. Peterson Field Guide to Medicinal Plants and Herbs of Eastern and Central North America, Third Edition. 2014. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. Paperback: 456 pages. Price: $21.00 U.S.
PUBLISHER'S SUMMARY: Medicinal plants are increasingly well regarded as supplements and sometimes as alternatives for prescription drugs. Steven Foster and James A. Duke have used recent advances in the study of medicinal plants and their combined experience of over 100 years to completely update the Peterson Field Guide to Medicinal Plants. The clear and concise text identifies the key traits, habitats, uses, and warnings for more than 530 of the most significant medicinal plants in the eastern and central United States and Canada including both native and alien species. Seven hundred plus images, the organization-by-color system, and simplified warnings make identifying medicinal plants fast and easy. 
RECOMMENDATION: A useful guide for those with an interest in the botany of the region.

The Weekly Birdbooker Report

                                            Photo copyright: Joe Fuhrman


My WEEKLY Birdbooker Report can be found here: http://www.scilogs.com/maniraptora/birdbooker-report-319/

Website

HBW ALIVE. Josep del Hoyo (director). Website: http://www.hbw.com/
WEBSITE SUMMARY:  HBW Alive is an online comprehensive reference resource for all the birds of the world. It contains the contents of the acclaimed 17-volume Handbook of the Birds of the World (HBW) Series.
      The print version of the HBW series was launched in 1992 and was completed in June 2013, with a total of 13,367 pages written by 277 authors, c. 15 million words, 1030 plates painted by 33 artists, 20,617 figures, 10,200 maps and c. 100,000 bibliographical references.
      Now as an online project, HBW Alive is a living resource, a new way of learning and interacting with ornithological information. All contents, including texts, maps and artwork are constantly updated through a combination of professional editors and moderated user participation.
Videos, photographs and sounds enlighten many concepts and data. A great number of audiovisual materials available on the internet complement the texts and the HBW Alive provides fast, organised access to a large number of them.
     HBW Alive provides a highly customizable format, with geographical filtering and personal notes which will meet every user’s needs and interests.
RECOMMENDATION: For those that couldn't afford the printed series, this should be a viable alternative. Subscription plans can be viewed here: http://www.hbw.com/subscription-plans 

New Title

1) Floyd, Ted and Brian E. Small. The American Birding Association Field Guide to Birds of Colorado. 2014. Scott & Nix, Inc. Flexibound: 281 pages. Price: $24.95 U.S.
PUBLISHER'S SUMMARY: From the tiny rufous hummingbird to the majestic bald eagle, Colorado is home to more than 496 types of birds, making it one of the finest birding destinations in the world. Preserved habitats created by local, state, and national authorities have helped foster and protect nesting sites for hundreds of species, 235 of which are featured in their natural habitats, from Great Plains to Rocky Mountains, in this ornithological guide. The birds are organized by type from waterfowl to finches and appear in beautiful color photographs accompanied by clear and concise introductions, identification tips, and habitat and birdsong descriptions. The book also includes a complete state bird checklist and a directory of birding destinations, making this field guide the perfect companion for anyone interested in learning more about the natural history of Colorado and the diversity of the state’s birds and where to see them. 
RECOMMENDATION: Beginning birders of the state will find this guide useful. A guide to the birds of New Jersey by Rick Wright is also available.

New Title

1) Thompson III, Bill. The New Birder's Guide to Birds of North America. 2014. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. Paperback: 368 pages. Price: $16.95 U.S.
PUBLISHER'S SUMMARY: What a new birder needs is a field guide that shows most of the birds he or she is going to see but doesn’t overwhelm with rarities unlikely to be seen. This is that book. Covering 300 of the most common birds in the United States and Canada, this guide has just the right amount of information about how to identify birds, where and when to look for them, what they sound like, and how they behave.
     The New Birder’s Guide includes easy-to-understand descriptions and maps, clear photos, drawings of common and interesting behaviors, and fun “Wow!” facts for each bird, plus expert advice on identification basics, how to get started, and how to improve your birding skills.
RECOMMENDATION: Beginning birders should find this book useful.