Compiled by an ardent bibliophile, this weekly report includes The Natural History of Canadian Mammals; Traveling the 38th Parallel: A Water Line Around the World; The Raptors of Iowa: Paintings by James F. Landenberger; and Handbook of Agricultural Entomology; all of which were recently published in North America and the UK
Books to the ceiling,
Books to the sky,
My pile of books is a mile high.
How I love them! How I need them!
I'll have a long beard by the time I read them.
~ Arnold Lobel [1933-1987] author of many popular children's books.
Compiled by Ian "Birdbooker" Paulsen, the Birdbooker Report is a weekly report that has been published online for years, listing the wide variety of nature, natural history, ecology, animal behaviour, science and history books that have been newly released or republished in North America and in the UK. The books listed here were received by Ian during the previous week, courtesy of various publishing houses.
Featured Title:
Naughton, Donna. The Natural History of Canadian Mammals. 2012. Canadian Museum of Nature and University of Toronto Press. Hardbound: 784 pages. Price: $69.95 U.S. [Guardian bookshop; Amazon UK; Amazon US].
SUMMARY: The Natural History of Canadian Mammals is a beautifully illustrated, up-to-date guide to all 215 known species of mammals in Canada. It features brand-new, full-colour images of each species, as well as stunning photographs from Canadian Geographic magazine's national photography competitions depicting the animals in their natural environments.
Along with being a visual treat, this book is jam-packed with information accessible to readers at all levels. Detailed descriptions are provided of each mammal's appearance, habitat, and behavior, while colour maps show their full distribution across Canada, North America, and globally. The book also includes practical guides on tracking and identification for readers who would like to learn how to spot mammals in the wild. Among its most special features is a series of colour plates with vignettes of the Canadian representatives of each group, sized relative to one another for easy comparison and linked to the full species accounts later in the book.
Comprehensive and immensely valuable, The Natural History of Canadian Mammals will become a treasured companion for scientific researchers, animal lovers, and all those wishing to gain a greater appreciation of Canada's natural wonders. The Canadian Museum of Nature, Canada's national natural history museum, continues to author these wonderful books in its goal to inspire a greater understanding of the natural environment.
IAN'S RECOMMENDATION: A MUST have for those with an interest in Canadian mammals! It will be useful in other parts of North America too.
New and Recent Titles:
Carle, David and Janet Carle. Traveling the 38th Parallel: A Water Line Around the World. 2013. University of California Press. Hardbound: 287 pages. Price: $29.95 U.S. [Guardian bookshop; Amazon UK/kindle UK; Amazon US/kindle US].
SUMMARY: Between extremes of climate farther north and south, the 38th North parallel line marks a temperate, middle latitude where human societies have thrived since the beginning of civilization. It divides North and South Korea, passes through Athens and San Francisco, and bisects Mono Lake in the eastern Sierra Nevada, where authors David and Janet Carle make their home. Former park rangers, the authors set out on an around-the-world journey in search of water-related environmental and cultural intersections along the 38th parallel. This book is a chronicle of their adventures as they meet people confronting challenges in water supply, pollution, wetlands loss, and habitat protection. At the heart of the narrative are the riveting stories of the passionate individuals -- scientists, educators, and local activists -- who are struggling to preserve some of the world's most amazing, yet threatened, landscapes.
Traveling largely outside of cities, away from well-beaten tourist tracks, the authors cross Japan, Korea, China, Turkmenistan, Turkey, Greece, Sicily, Spain, Portugal, the Azores Islands, and the United States -- from Chesapeake Bay to San Francisco Bay. The stories they gather provide stark contrasts as well as reaffirming similarities across diverse cultures. Generously illustrated with maps and photos, Traveling the 38th Parallel documents devastating environmental losses but also inspiring gains made through the efforts of dedicated individuals working against the odds to protect these fragile places.
IAN'S RECOMMENDATION: An interesting travelogue centered around a water theme.
Landenberger, James F.. The Raptors of Iowa: Paintings by James F. Landenberger. 2013. University of Iowa Press. Paperback: 103 pages. Price: $29.95 U.S. [Amazon UK; Amazon US].
SUMMARY: This long-awaited collection of James Landenberger's (1938-2003) paintings of Iowa birds of prey presents thirty-two full-page, full-color species, from the common turkey vulture to the red-shouldered hawk of Mississippi River woodlands to the little northern saw-whet owl. Four naturalists who have devoted their lives to conserving wilderness habitats and species have written essays to complement the paintings.
Thanks to state and federal laws and a shift in public attitude, birds of prey are no longer seen as incarnations of ferocity but as creatures superbly attuned to their lives and surroundings. Although Iowa unfortunately leads the way in the amount of wildlife habitat that has been destroyed, conservation organizations and state agencies have also led the way toward successful raptor restoration projects, among them a roadside nest box program for the American kestrel, a project to restore peregrine falcons to their historic eyries, and a relocation program that should ensure a sustainable population of ospreys. The recent spectacular recovery of the bald eagle, whose nests had vanished from the state for seventy years, is particularly encouraging.
There can be no substitute for seeing thousands of broad-winged hawks soaring high overhead during migration, a great horned owl perching in silhouette at dusk, or a Cooper's hawk plunging toward its prey along the roadside. But Jim Landenberger's meticulously detailed paintings go a long way toward conveying the remarkable beauty of the American kestrel and other falcons, the grace of the swallow-tailed kite, the immaculate mystery of the snowy owl and its fellow owls, the glistening head feathers of an adult bald eagle, and the piercing defiance so characteristic of our larger hawks.
IAN'S RECOMMENDATION: For those with an interest in the birds of Iowa, raptors in general, or bird art.
van Emden, Helmut F.. Handbook of Agricultural Entomology. 2013. Wiley-Blackwell. Hardbound: 312 pages. Price: $129.95 U.S. [Guardian bookshop; Amazon UK/kindle UK; Amazon US/kindle US].
SUMMARY: Handbook of Agricultural Entomology by Helmut van Emden is a landmark publication for students and practitioners of entomology applied to agriculture and horticulture. It can be used as a reference and as a general textbook.
The book opens with a general introduction to entomology and includes coverage of the major insects (and mites) that cause harm to crops, livestock and humans. The important beneficial species are also included. Organisms are described in a classification of insect Orders and Families. The emphasis is on morphological characters of major taxonomic divisions, "spot characters" for the recognition of Families, and the life histories, damage symptoms and economic importance of the various pest species.
The book is beautifully illustrated in full colour with more than 400 figures showing both the organisms and the damage caused to plants with diagnostic characters indicated by arrows. Coverage is world-wide and includes much material stemming from the vast personal experience of the author.
A companion website with additional resources is available here.
IAN'S RECOMMENDATION: For those with a technical interest on the subject.
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Ian "Birdbooker" Paulsen is an avid book collector who is especially well-known to the publishing world. Mr Paulsen collects newly-published books about nature, animals and birds, science, and history, and he also collects children's books on these topics. Mr Paulsen writes brief synopses about these books on his website, The Birdbooker Report.
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