Birdbooker Report 54

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. Darwin, Charles. The Voyage of the Beagle: Anniversary Edition. 2009. National Geographic. Hardbound: 466 pages. Price: $24.00 U.S. [Amazon: $16.32]. SUMMARY: This reprint of the 1845 edition features an introduction by David Quammen. According to Quammen, Darwin was hinting at his idea of evolution by natural selection in this revised edition, especially in the chapter about the Galapagos Islands. To quote Quammen: "Natural selection was the answer in his mind, but he wasn't yet ready to speak its name. This was just a wink, across time, from him to you."
2. Perrin, William F., Bernd Wursig and J.G.M. Thewissen (editors). Encyclopedia of Marine Mammals (second edition). 2009. Academic Press. Hardbound: 1316 pages. Price: $145.00 U.S. [Amazon: $116.00]. SUMMARY: This book's encyclopedic coverage of marine mammals has been fully revised and updated. Despite its size, it is easy to use. I recommend this book for anyone interested in marine mammals!
3. Taylor, Thomas N., Edith L. Taylor and Michael Krings. Paleobotany: The Biology and Evolution of Fossil Plants (second edition). 2009. Academic Press. Hardbound: 1230 pages. Price: $125.00 U.S. [Amazon: $97.45]. SUMMARY: This book presents the most up-to-date and comprehensive treatment of the subject available, including more than 2100 illustrations and images. Also covered are fungi, bacteria and lichens. Paleobiologists and others in related fields will find this book very useful.