Birdbooker Report 45

tags: Birdbooker Report, bird books, animal books, natural history books, ecology books

The Birdbooker Report is a special weekly report of a wide variety of science, nature and behavior books that currently are, or soon will be available for purchase. This report is written by one of my Seattle birding pals and book collector, Ian "Birdbooker" Paulsen, and is edited by me and published here for your information and enjoyment. Below the fold is this week's issue of The Birdbooker Report which lists ecology, environment, natural history and bird books that are (or will soon be) available for purchase.

New and Recent Titles:

1. Alt, David. Glacial Lake Missoula and Its Humongous Floods. 2001. Mountain Press Publishing Company. Paperback: 199 pages. Price: $15.00 U.S. [Amazon $10.20]. SUMMARY: Geologist J Harlen Bretz developed the idea that pleistocene floods formed the channeled scablands of eastern Washington State. This book follows the floodwaters that packed more than ten times the combined flow of all the modern rivers of the world after they were suddenly released from their source, the giant glacial Lake Missoula. These waters rushed from western Montana across the Idaho Panhandle, then scoured eastern Washington and rushed down the Columbia Gorge to the Pacific Ocean. GrrlScientist comment: I remember the astonishment I felt when I first learned of this occurrence -- I was a kid who was exploring these regions one summer, and actually standing on these floodplains really brought the experience to life as nothing else could. So as a result, I know I'd love to read and review this book on my blog.
2. Shulman, Seth. The telephone Gambit: Chasing Alexander Graham Bell's Secret. 2008. W.W. Norton. Paperback: 256 pages. Price: $14.95 U.S. [Amazon: $10.17]. SUMMARY: Who invented the telephone? The history books say Alexander Graham Bell did. While reading Bell's 1875-76 notebook, which the Library of Congress has made available in high-resolution digital form on the World Wide Web, the author, Shulman noticed a curious leap of inspiration after a 12-day hiatus in entries, a gap that coincided with an apparently sudden trip to Washington, D.C. This book follows Shulman as he investigates the untold history of the telephone. GrrlScientist comment: Okay, this book really appeals to my curiosity: I am converted from someone who hasn't thought much about telephones to being absolutely intrigued by this real-life mystery that promises to keep me awake all night, reading. I would love to read and review this book on my blog.
3. Stockton, Shreve. The Daily Coyote: A Story of Love, Survival, and Trust in the Wilds of Wyoming. 2008. Simon and Schuster. Hardbound: 293 pages. Price: $23.00 U.S. [Amazon: $15.64]. SUMMARY: Originally started as a subscription to a daily image of her pet coyote, which then morphed into a blog with the same name, this book chronicles the adventures the author had raising a coyote pup named Charlie. The author's stunning photography highlight this book.