New Titles

1) Lister, Adrian. Darwin's Fossils: The Collection That Shaped the Theory of Evolution. 2018. Smithsonian Books. Paperback: 232 pages. Price: $19.95 U.S.
PUBLISHER'S SUMMARY: Darwin's Fossils is an accessible account of Darwin's pioneering work on fossils, his adventures in South America, and his relationship with the scientific establishment.
     While Darwin's research on Galápagos finches is celebrated, his work on fossils is less well known. Yet he was the first to collect the remains of giant extinct South American mammals; he worked out how coral reefs and atolls formed; he excavated and explained marine fossils high in the Andes; and he discovered a fossil forest that now bears his name. All of this research was fundamental in leading Darwin to develop his revolutionary theory of evolution. 
     This richly illustrated book brings Darwin's fossils, many of which survive in museums and institutions around the world, together for the first time. Including new photography of many of the fossils--which in recent years have enjoyed a surge of scientific interest--as well as superb line drawings produced in the nineteenth century and newly commissioned artists' reconstructions of the extinct animals as they are understood today, Darwin's Fossils reveals how Darwin's discoveries played a crucial role in the development of his groundbreaking ideas.
RECOMMENDATION: A well illustrated overview of the topic. 

2) Olina, Pietro. Pasta for Nightingales: A 17th-Century Handbook of Bird-Care and Folklore. 2018. Yale University Press. Hardbound: 133 pages. Price: $22.50 U.S.
PUBLISHER'S SUMMARY: The first-ever English translation of a seventeenth-century ornithology text, complete with historic watercolor illustrations.
     This beautifully illustrated book brings together the newly commissioned, first-ever English translation of one of the earliest studies in ornithology with the original watercolors, now part of the British Royal Collection, that provided the inspiration for its engraved illustrations. The watercolors, created for the “Paper Museum” of the seventeenth-century scholar and art collector Cassiano dal Pozzo, are here combined with the translated text of amateur naturalist Pietro Olina’s original Uccelliera of 1622 to create a new work that provides a fascinating glimpse of ornithology’s earliest days—a period when folklore informed natural history studies as much as science did.
     With meditations on the “epileptic” robin redbreast and a recipe for chickpea pasta meant to satisfy a nightingale and keep it in song, this work is an enchanting re-presentation of natural history literature. Retaining the character of Olina’s original design, this unique book describes over forty much-loved species, and is sure to please bird watchers, naturalists, and antiquarian book lovers alike.
RECOMMENDATION: For those with an interest in historical ornithological texts.

New Title

1) Howell, Steve N. G. and Brian L. Sullivan. Peterson Guide to Bird Identification―in 12 Steps. 2018. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. Hardbound: 152 pages. Price: $17.95 U.S.
PUBLISHER'S SUMMARY: Identifying birds can be overwhelming. Where and how do you start? The good news is that most people already know more than they realize about birds, which can greatly simplify the identification process.
     Written in a helpful, conversational style and illustrated with numerous photos, this “12-step program” starts with the basics and builds logically into a manageable framework that enables anyone to get into, or get more out of, the world of watching, identifying, and enjoying birds.
RECOMMENDATION: Best for beginning and intermediate level birders.

New Title

1) Lewis, Daniel. Belonging on an Island: Birds, Extinction, and Evolution in Hawai‘i. 2018.Yale University Press. Hardbound: 306 pages. Price: $45.00 U.S.
PUBLISHER'S SUMMARY: A lively, rich natural history of Hawaiian birds that challenges existing ideas about what constitutes biocultural nativeness and belonging.
     This natural history takes readers on a thousand-year journey as it explores the Hawaiian Islands’ beautiful birds and a variety of topics including extinction, evolution, survival, conservationists and their work, and, most significantly, the concept of belonging. Author Daniel Lewis, an award-winning historian and globe-traveling amateur birder, builds this lively text around the stories of four species—the Stumbling Moa-Nalo, the Kaua‘I ‘O‘o, the Palila, and the Japanese White-Eye.
     Lewis offers innovative ways to think about what it means to be native and proposes new definitions that apply to people as well as to birds. Being native, he argues, is a relative state influenced by factors including the passage of time, charisma, scarcity, utility to others, short-term evolutionary processes, and changing relationships with other organisms. This book also describes how bird conservation started in Hawai‘i, and the naturalists and environmentalists who did extraordinary work.
RECOMMENDATION: For those with an interest in Hawaiian birds.

New Title

1) Garcia-del-Rey, Eduardo. Birds of the Canary Islands. 2018. Helm. Paperback: 192 pages. Price: $28.00 U.S.
PUBLISHER'S SUMMARY: The Canary Islands are a popular destination for birders and travelers with an interest in wildlife and nature, and the one of the best places in the world to see several scarce species such as the Houbara Bustard. They also hold a number of endemic birds that occur nowhere else, such as the emblematic Blue Chaffinch.

     This beautifully illustrated guide covers all the birds found in the islands, providing concise descriptions and images for easy identification of all species. It's the perfect guide for any visitor to these sun-kissed islands.
RECOMMENDATION: A must have for those birding the islands!

New Title

1) Leckie, Seabrooke and David Beadle. Peterson Field Guide to Moths of Southeastern North America. 2018. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. Paperback: 652 pages. Price: $29.00 U.S.
PUBLISHER'S SUMMARY: Southeastern North America is home to an incredible variety of moths, from drab browns to bright yellows and pinks, the small and simple to the flashy or bizarrely shaped. Just a few are common house and garden pests; thousands more harmless species live hidden in woods and meadows. This comprehensive guide of more than 1,800 common species is the best tool for identifying and appreciating these ubiquitous insects.
      With helpful tips and techniques for observing moths, range maps and graphs showing when and where to see them, and keys to identifying even the tough species, the Peterson Field Guide to Moths of Southeastern North America provides everything an amateur or experienced moth-watcher needs.
RECOMMENDATION: A must have for all MOTH-ers of the region!

New Title

1) Brooke, Michael. Far from Land: The Mysterious Lives of Seabirds. 2018. Princeton University Press. Hardbound: 249 pages. Price: $29.95 U.S.
PUBLISHER'S SUMMARY: Seabirds evoke the spirit of the earth's wildest places. They spend large portions of their lives at sea, often far from land, and nest on beautiful and remote islands that humans rarely visit. Thanks to the development of increasingly sophisticated and miniaturized devices that can track their every movement and behavior, it is now possible to observe the mysterious lives of these remarkable creatures as never before. This beautifully illustrated book takes you on a breathtaking journey around the globe to reveal where these birds actually go when they roam the sea, the tactics they employ to traverse vast tracts of ocean, the strategies they use to evade threats, and more.
     Michael Brooke has visited every corner of the world in his lifelong pursuit of seabirds. Here, he draws on his own experiences and insights as well as the latest cutting-edge science to shed light on the elusive seafaring lives of albatrosses, frigatebirds, cormorants, and other ocean wanderers. Where do puffins go in the winter? How deep do penguins dive? From how far away can an albatross spot a fishing vessel worth following for its next meal? Brooke addresses these and other questions in this delightful book. Along the way, he reveals that seabirds are not the aimless wind-tossed creatures they may appear to be and explains the observational innovations that are driving this exciting area of research.
     Featuring illustrations by renowned artist Bruce Pearson and packed with intriguing facts, Far from Land provides an extraordinary up-close look at the activities of seabirds.
RECOMMENDATION: For those with an interest in oceanic birds.

New Titles

1) Spawls, Steve et al.. Field Guide to East African Reptiles (2nd Edition). 2018. Bloomsbury. Paperback: 624 pages. Price: $50.00 U.S.
PUBLISHER'S SUMMARY: Field Guide to the Reptiles of East Africa remains the definitive work on this subject and is the only comprehensive guide to the extensive and diverse reptile fauna of Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, Rwanda, and Burundi. The second edition has been revised and updated to account for several significant discoveries made since the publication of the first book.

     The detailed introduction is followed by individual accounts of all the chelonians, lizards, worm-lizards, crocodiles, and snakes of the region. Each photographically illustrated account describes the biology, ecology, habits, and habitat of a species, and also includes a distribution map.
The new paperback format, as well as the revised text and all new photographs, make this edition the only single-source, practical field guide to east African reptiles.
RECOMMENDATION: A must have for those with an interest in the reptiles of the region.

2) Scott, Mairghread and Jacob Chabot. Science Comics: Robots and Drones: Past, Present, and Future. 2018. First Second. Paperback: 121 pages. Price: $12.99 U.S.
PUBLISHER'S SUMMARY: In factories! In the sky! In your cars and phones! In your own home! Robots are everywhere! And they have been for a lot longer than you might realize.

     From tea-serving robots in feudal Japan to modern rovers exploring Mars, robots have been humanity's partners, helpers, and protectors for centuries! Join one of the world's earliest robots, a mechanical bird named Pouli, as he explores where robots came from, how they work, and where they’re going in this informative and hilarious new book! Ever dreamt of building your own best friend? It might be easier than you think!
     Every volume of Science Comics offers a complete introduction to a particular topic―dinosaurs, coral reefs, the solar system, volcanoes, bats, flying machines, and more. These gorgeously illustrated graphic novels offer wildly entertaining views of their subjects. Whether you're a fourth grader doing a natural science unit at school or a thirty year old with a secret passion for airplanes, these books are for you!
RECOMMENDATION: For ages: 9-13.