Birdbooker Report 55

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 evolution, ecology, environment, natural history and bird books that are (or will soon be) available for purchase.

FEATURED TITLE:

1. Mynott, Jeremy. Birdscapes: Birds in Our Imagination and Experience. 2009. Princeton University Press. Hardbound: 367 pages. Price: $29.95 U.S. [Amazon: $19.77]. SUMMARY: What do our interactions with birds reveal about ourselves? The author explores this question in this well written book. Birders will find this book both informative and entertaining!

New and Recent Titles:

1. Burleigh, Nina. Mirage: Napoleon's Scientists and the Unveiling of Egypt. 2008. Harper Perennial. Paperback: 286 pages. Price: $14.99 U.S. [Amazon: $10.19]. SUMMARY: In 1798, Napoleon invaded Egypt. Along with his army, Napoleon was accompanied by 151 French engineers, artists, doctors and scientists who studied Egypt. This book follows their adventures as they laid the groundwork for what became Egyptology.
2. Darsie, Richard F., Jr. and Ronald A. Ward. Identification and Geographical Distribution of the Mosquitoes of North America, North of Mexico. 2005. University Press of Florida. Hardbound : 384 pages. Price: $85.00 U.S. [Amazon: $63.69]. SUMMARY: This book includes 12 new species that have since been added to the North American mosquito fauna, revised distribution maps of all species, and revised and completely illustrated identification keys for the adult females and fourth instar larvae of all 174 species and subspecies known to occur in North America, north of Mexico. Because of the occurrence of mosquito-borne diseases and the widespread distribution of mosquitoes as pests to humans, professionals must know how to identify them. Anyone studying mosquitoes will want this book!



3. Dunne, Pete. Prairie Spring: A Journey Into the Heart of a Season. 2009. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. Hardbound: 274 pages. Price: $24.00 U.S. [Amazon: $16.32]. SUMMARY: In this first of four seasonal narratives, Pete Dunne depicts both the prairie spring and the colorful people he meets there.
4. Keith, Allan R. and Stephen A. Spongberg. Island Life: A Catalog of the Biodiversity on and around Martha's Vineyard. 2008. Self-published. Paperback: 255 pages. Price: $40.00 U.S. [Available through Amazon]. SUMMARY: This book is made up of a series of annotated lists covering the flora and fauna of Martha's Vineyard, Massachusetts. Anyone interested in island biogeography or in the history and geology of Martha's Vineyard will enjoy this book.
5. Werth, Barry. Banquet at Delmonico's: Great Minds, the Gilded Age, and the Triumph of Evolution in America. 2009. Random House. Hardbound: 362 pages. Price: $27.00 U.S. [Amazon: $17.82]. SUMMARY: This book follows the history of Social Darwinism in the United States between the years 1871 to 1882. The story culminates in the 1882 U.S. tour of Herbert Spencer, the father of Social Darwinism and the farewell dinner in his honor at Delmonico's in New York City.