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Birdbooker Report 51

By grrlscientist on February 1, 2009.

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"One cannot have too many good bird books"
--Ralph Hoffmann, Birds of the Pacific States (1927).

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. Couzens, Dominic. Top 100 Birding Sites of the World. 2008. University of California Press. Hardbound: 320 pages. Price: $45.00 U.S. [Amazon price: $29.70]. SUMMARY: This coffee table book describes the 100 best birding sites on the planet. The bird photography highlight this book.
  2. Gibbons, Alan. Charles Darwin. 2008. Kingfisher. Hardbound: 64 pages. Price: $17.95 U.S. [Amazon price: $14.00]. SUMMARY: This children's book follows Charles Darwin on his voyage on the HMS Beagle as seen through the eyes of the fictional ship's boy James Kincaid.
  3. Kerlinger, Paul. How Birds Migrate (2nd edition). 2009. Stackpole Books. Paperback: 230 pages. Price: $21.95 U.S. [Amazon price: $14.93]. SUMMARY: Kerlinger's introduction to the biology of bird migration has been updated. I recommend this book for beginning birders interested in learning more about bird migration.
  4. Littlepage, Dean. Steller's Island: Adventures of a Pioneer Naturalist in Alaska. 2006. The Mountaineers Books. Paperback: 240 pages. Price: $17.95 U.S. [Amazon price: $14.36]. SUMMARY: Georg Wilhem Steller (1709-1746) was a German naturalist and explorer who worked in Russia. He accompanied Vitus Bering on his second expedition (1738-1742) to Alaska and Kamchatka. This book describes this expedition.
  5. Reader, John. Potato: A history of the propitious esculent. 2009. Yale University Press. Hardbound: 315 pages. Price: $28.00 U.S. [Amazon price: $18.48]. SUMMARY: Here's a trivia question for you: The original name of the potato in Quechua, the language of the Inca, is:
    a. Tapas
    b. Papa
    c. Pate
    d. Tater
    In this "biography" of the spud, you'll learn the answer to this question and to many more questions about the potato you wouldn't have thought of! GrrlScientist comment: Okay, I admit it: this book looks utterly fascinating!
  6. Siegel, Deborah C. and Storrs L. Olson. The Birds of the Republic of Panama, Part 5: Gazetteer and Bibliography. 2008. Buteo Books. Hardbound: 516 pages. Price: $45.00 U.S. SUMMARY: This final volume of Alexander Wetmore's multi-volume work on the birds of Panama describes and locates all place names used by Wetmore and also contains a comprehensive bibliography. Available through Buteo Books.
Tags
The Birdbooker Report
animals
birdbooker report
birds
Books
ecology
environment
evolution
Natural History
Plants
Science

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A couple of years ago I learned that in Africa "our" potato is called the "Irish potato" (this distinguishes it from the yam, the sweet potato). Amusing how the regional attachment shifts.