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Birdbooker Report 52

By grrlscientist on February 8, 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.

FEATURED TITLE:

Ruse, Michael and Joseph Travis. Evolution: The First Four Billion Years. 2009. Belknap/Harvard. Hardbound: 979 pages. Price: $39.95 U.S. [Amazon: $26.37]. SUMMARY: This book is divided into two sections. The first one is a series of essays that cover topics ranging from the history of evolutionary thought to American antievolutionism: retrospect and prospect. The second section is an encyclopedic "Alphabetical Guide" that covers people, concepts of evolution, taxonomic groups and books about evolution. GrrlScientist comment: On one hand, I strongly dislike Michael Ruse, but despite that, this seismosaur-sized tome sounds like it might be worthwhile, especially the section filled with essays about evolution.

New and Recent Titles:

  1. Benton, Michael J. and David A.T. Harper. Introduction to Paleobiology and the Fossil Record. 2009. Wiley-Blackwell. Paperback: 592 pages. Price: $79.95 U.S. [Amazon $48.62]. SUMMARY: This undergraduate level college textbook presents a comprehensive overview into the science of paleobiology, and the many analytical tools and latest techniques used to interpret the fossil record. These tools ranging from from multivariate investigations of biogeography and biostratigraphy to engineering analyses of dinosaur skulls, homeobox genes and cladistics. GrrlScientist comment: I know I sound like a perpetual university student, but this book sounds fascinating, don't you agree?
  2. Carroll, Sean B. Remarkable Creatures: Epic Adventures in the Search for the Origin of Species. 2009. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. Hardbound: 331 pages. Price: $26.00 U.S. [Amazon: $18.72]. SUMMARY: The author examines scientists who have played an important role in our understanding of evolution from Darwin's time to the present.. This book is divided into three parts:
    1. The Making of a Theory
    2. The Loveliest Bones
    3. The Natural History of Humans

    This book reads like a detective story that is set in the world of natural history. GrrlScientist comment: I love Sean Carroll's writing, so I am sure this book is everything promised, and more.

  3. Davis, James Luther. The Northwest Nature Guide: Where to go and what to see month by month in Oregon, Washington, and British Columbia. 2009. Timber Press. Paperback: 448 pages. Price: $24.95 U.S. [Amazon: $18.21]. SUMMARY: A travel guide designed for nature lovers traveling to or living in the Pacific Northwest that tells you about 170 places to go to enjoy everything nature has to offer from winter whale watching to autumn seabirding. The author shares insider tips, helpful maps, and his personal experience so readers know where they need to go to see nature at its peak every month of the year. GrrlScientist comment: Reading about this book makes me feel intensely homesick.
  4. Desmond, Adrian and James Moore. Darwin's Sacred Cause: How a Hatred of Slavery Shaped Darwin's Views on Human Evolution. 2009. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. Hardbound: 485 pages. Price: $30.00 U.S. [Amazon: $19.80]. SUMMARY: Desmond and Moore make the case that Charles Darwin's opposition to slavery influenced his scientific research into the origin of species, especially human origins. It is a reminder of just how much the issue of slavery loomed over everything in the nineteenth century, including even fields that were apparently far distant. This book will undoubtedly cause a stir among science historians!
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GrrlScientist comment: On one hand, I strongly dislike Michael Ruse, but despite that, this seismosaur-sized tome sounds like it might be worthwhile, especially the section filled with essays about evolution.

Well, he only edited it and wrote one chapter.

I just finished reading several chapters in this book, and since you've got the only review at ScienceBlogs, I'll comment here.

I was extremely impressed by the chapter on the origin of life (by Jeffrey L. Bada and Antonio Lazcano). It goes into some detail regarding the deficiencies of the "RNA World" hypothesis as an explanation for life's beginning (as opposed to an intermediate stage), and seems to me to be even-handed in criticizing all the current hypotheses. (I still don't like "RNA World" even as an intermediate stage, I prefer a DNA=>RNA world that arose out of some much more different system then invented proteins, but you can't ask for everything.)

The chapter on the evolution of the genome by Brian Charlesworth and Deborah Charlesworth was interesting and informative.

I'm looking forward to finishing the book, but as the chapters are pretty much independent, I thought I might as well report on what I've read.