Sunday, November 27, 2022

New Titles

 


1) Myers, Susan. The Bird Name Book: A History of English Bird Names. 2022. Princeton University Press. Hardbound: 416 pages. Price: $39.95 U.S.

PUBLISHER’S SUMMARY: The Bird Name Book is an alphabetical reference book on the origins and meanings of common group bird names, from “accentor” to “zeledonia.” A cornucopia of engaging facts and anecdotes, this superbly researched compendium presents a wealth of incisive entries alongside stunning photos by the author and beautiful historic prints and watercolors. Myers provides brief biographies of prominent figures in ornithology―such as John Gould, John Latham, Alfred Newton, and Robert Ridgway―and goes on to describe the etymological history of every common group bird name found in standardized English. She interweaves the stories behind the names with quotes from publications dating back to the 1400s, illuminating the shared evolution of language and our relationships with birds, and rooting the names in the history of ornithological discovery.

     Whether you are a well-traveled birder or have ever wondered how the birds in your backyard got their names,
The Bird Name Book is an ideal companion.

RECOMMENDATION: A must have for those with an interest in ornithological etymology!

 


2) De Roy, Tui. A Pocket Guide to Birds of Galápagos. 2022. Princeton University Press. Flexibound: 136 pages. Price: $17.95 U.S.

PUBLISHER’S SUMMARY: A lifelong resident of Galápagos, Tui De Roy has been observing, studying, and photographing the islands’ astonishing birdlife for sixty years. In A Pocket Guide to Birds of Galápagos, she distills everything she has learned to create a one-of-a-kind field guide that every birder visiting the archipelago will want to carry with them wherever they go.

     A compact yet comprehensive combination of field guide and natural history, the book features more than 600 of De Roy’s superb photographs and is packed with detailed, easy-to-access information in bullet-point format. Every resident bird species is fully described and abundantly illustrated, showing different aspects of their life cycle, habitat, and behavior. And the islands’ most iconic bird group―Darwin’s Finches―is given special attention. With precise descriptions including plumage and beak variations, the book corrects many common identification errors about this group.

     Unique in design and content,
A Pocket Guide to Birds of Galápagos is a must-have for all wildlife enthusiasts traveling to this fabled archipelago―and anyone who wants to better understand its spectacular birds.

  • A compact yet comprehensive photographic identification guide
  • Covers all resident species and frequent migrants
  • Features more than 600 of Tui De Roy’s superb color photographs
  • Includes distribution maps and easy-to-find information for identifying and understanding each species, including life cycles, habits, range, and conservation status

RECOMMENDATION: Also available from Princeton University Press is: Galápagos: A Natural History (Second Edition) by John Kricher and Kevin Loughlin. Both these titles are a must have for any naturalist interested in the Galapagos Islands!

 


 

3) O’Connor, Jingmai. When Dinosaurs Conquered the Skies: The incredible story of bird evolution. 2022. words & pictures. Hardbound: 64 pages. Price: $

PUBLISHER’S SUMMARY: What are birds, and where did they come from? Discover fascinating facts about bird evolution, including:

  • How the oldest bird fossils are about 150 million years old.
  • That birds evolved from a group of meat-eating dinosaurs called theropods. That’s the same group that Tyrannosaurus Rex belonged to, although birds evolved from small theropods. 
  • How these ancient birds looked quite a lot like small, feathered dinosaurs and they had much in common. Their mouths still contained sharp teeth.
  • That over time, birds lost their teeth and evolved beaks.
      And more! The story of bird evolution is fascinating, and When Dinosaurs Conquered the Skies explores this incredible history in a digestible, accessible way. This book from the successful Incredible Evolution series proves that fact can definitely be stranger and more exciting than fiction! Can you imagine coming face-to-face with a toothy pigeon?!

      Through
digestible information and absorbing illustrations, young readers will be given an insight into how dinosaurs evolved flight and conquered the skies.

      This book is from the Incredible Evolution series, a fascinating, informative collection of books which examine the development of life on earth. Other titles available include: When Plants Took Over the PlanetWhen We Became Humans, and When the Whales Walked.

RECOMMENDATION: For ages 8 - 12 years. A must read for any kid with an interest in dinosaurs and their relatives the birds!

 



4) Clavreul, Denis. In the Footsteps of Audubon. 2022. Princeton University Press. Hardbound: 242 pages. Price: $39.95 U.S.

PUBLISHER’S SUMMARY: In the nineteenth century, ornithologist and painter John James Audubon set out to create a complete pictorial record of North American birdlife, traveling from Louisiana and the Florida Keys to the Gulf of Saint Lawrence and the cliffs of the Yellowstone River. The resulting work, The Birds of America, stands as a monumental achievement in American art. Over a period of sixteen years, recording his own journey in journals and hundreds of original paintings, renowned French watercolorist Denis Clavreul followed in the naturalist’s footsteps.

     In the Footsteps of Audubon brings together some 250 of Clavreul’s stunning watercolors along with illuminating selections from Audubon’s journals and several of his paintings. With pencil and brush in hand, Clavreul turns his naturalist’s eye and painterly skill to the landscapes that Audubon encountered on his travels, and to the animals and plants that Audubon depicted in his art. A passionate ornithologist, Clavreul sketches birds in the wild with rare dexterity, bringing them vividly to life on the page. He documents his encounters along the way with people who live with nature, many of whom are passionately engaged in preserving it, drawing on his insights as both a biologist and an artist to connect the past, present, and future.

      A spellbinding, richly evocative journey,
In the Footsteps of Audubon is an invitation to see the natural world as Audubon saw it―and to see with new eyes what it has become today.

RECOMMENDATION: A must have for anyone with an in interest Audubon and/or bird art!

 




5) Wilson, Helen F.. Robin (Animal Series). 2022. Reaktion Books. Paperback: 196 pages. Price: $19.95 U.S.

PUBLISHER’S SUMMARY: The [European] robin is a small bird with a distinctive ruddy breast, at once a British national treasure and a bird with a global reputation. In this superbly illustrated account, Helen F. Wilson looks at many aspects of the cherished robin, from its status as a harbinger of seasonal change and, in the United Kingdom, an icon of Christmas, to its place in fairy tales, environmental campaigns, and scientific discovery. In moving between cultural and natural histories, Robin asks wide-ranging questions, such as how did the robin’s name travel the world? Why is the robin so melancholy? Who was Cock Robin? And how has the history of the color red shaped the robin’s ambivalent associations and unusual origin stories?

RECOMMENDATION: A must read for those with an interest in the European Robin.

 


6) Reid, Fiona A. and Gianfranco Gómez Zamora. Pocket Guide to the Mammals of Costa Rica. 2022.  Comstock Publishing Associates. Paperback: 286 pages. Price: $

PUBLISHER’S SUMMARY: Pocket Guide to the Mammals of Costa Rica is the first guide to provide comprehensive coverage of every currently known mammal species found in Costa Rica. From the Central American Silky Anteater to the West Indian Manatee, Fiona A. Reid and Gianfranco Gómez Zamora introduce readers to over 200 species inhabiting the country and its waters. This pocket guide features:

• 60 plates with full-color illustrations and over 100 photographs
• An illustrated introduction covering the history of mammalogy in Costa Rica, how to find mammals, and more
• Up-to-date species accounts, range maps, and natural history vignettes 

     Lavishly illustrated and highly portable, the Pocket Guide to the Mammals of Costa Rica is indispensable for biologists, eco-tourists, and naturalists eager to learn more about the mammalian fauna of this small but biologically rich country.

RECOMMENDATION: A must have for those with an interest in the mammals of Costa Rica!

 

 

7) Paul, Gregory S.. The Princeton Field Guide to Mesozoic Sea Reptiles. 2022. Princeton University Press. Hardbound: 208 pages. Price: $35.00 U.S.  

PUBLISHER'S SUMMARY: New discoveries are revealing that many ancient oceangoing reptiles were energetic animals capable of inhabiting an array of watery habitats and climates, including polar winters. The Princeton Field Guide to Mesozoic Sea Reptiles provides the most up-to-date and comprehensive coverage of the great Mesozoic groups that commanded the seas for tens of millions of years. This incredible field guide covers 435 species and features stunning illustrations of swimming reptiles ranging in size from little lizards to others with great necks longer than their bodies. It discusses the history of sea reptiles through 185 million years of the Mesozoic, their anatomy, physiology, locomotion, reproduction and growth, and extinction, and even gives a taste of what it might be like to travel back to the Mesozoic. This one-of-a-kind guide also challenges the common image of these reptiles as giants of the prehistoric waters, showing how the largest weighed far less than today’s biggest whales.

  • Features detailed species accounts of 435 different kinds of sea reptiles, with the latest size and mass estimates
  • Written and illustrated by the acclaimed researcher and artist who helped to redefine our understanding of dinosaur anatomy
  • Describes placodonts, plesiosaurs, ichthyosaurs, mosasaurs, sea snakes, sea turtles, marine crocs, and more
  • Covers everything from biology to the colorful history of sea reptile paleontology
  • Includes dozens of original skeletal drawings and full-color life scenes

RECOMMENDATION: A must have for anyone with an interest in these extinct marine reptiles!

 


8) Darwin, Charles. On The Origin of Species: Evolutionary Edition. 2014. Simon Phillipson. Paperback: 964 pages. Price: $27.00 Euros (about $28.00 U.S.).

PUBLISHER’S SUMMARY: This "evolutionary edition" is a typographic inspired variorum edition of On the Origin of Species that highlights all the linguistic changes Charles Darwin introduced to the book since its first publication in 1859, by presenting them alongside the complete sixth and final edition of the book later published in 1872. The evolutionary format of this book allows you to compare all the alterations Darwin made over thirteen years due to his further understanding and testing on his own theories.

     The book is printed on 30gsm semi-translucent ‘bible paper’. The text is printed with black and special metallic bronze ink. The special double fold-out of Charles Darwin’s ‘Tree of Life’ diagram that was included in the original book from 1872 also features in this book.

RECOMMENDATION: A must have for anyone with an interest in Darwin's writings! The book can be ordered here.

 



9) Bashford, Alison. The Huxleys: An Intimate History of Evolution. 2022. University of Chicago Press. Hardbound: 529 pages. Price: $30.00 U.S.

PUBLISHER’S SUMMARY: Two hundred years of modern science and culture told through one family history.

     This momentous biography tells the story of the Huxleys: the Victorian natural historian T. H. Huxley (“Darwin’s Bulldog”) and his grandson, the scientist, conservationist, and zoologist Julian Huxley. Between them, they communicated to the world the great modern story of the theory of evolution by natural selection. In The Huxleys, celebrated historian Alison Bashford writes seamlessly about these omnivorous intellects together, almost as if they were a single man whose long, vital life bookended the colossal shifts in world history from the age of sail to the Space Age, and from colonial wars to world wars to the cold war.

      The Huxleys’ specialty was evolution in all its forms—at the grandest level of species, deep time, the Earth, and at the most personal and intimate. They illuminated the problems and wonders of the modern world and they fundamentally shaped how we see ourselves, as individuals and as a species.

      But perhaps their greatest subject was themselves. Bashford’s engaging, brilliantly ambitious book interweaves the Huxleys’ momentous public achievements with their private triumphs and tragedies. The result is the history of a family, but also a history of humanity grappling with its place in nature. This book shows how much we owe—for better or worse—to the unceasing curiosity, self-absorption, and enthusiasms of a small, strange group of men and women.
RECOMMENDATION: A must have for anyone with an interest in the history of science!