In Praise of Field Guides
Apps and ID websites are wonderful advances, but we think there’s nothing like a good old-fashioned field guide—a book to hold in hand, to throw into a backpack for a brief bird walk, and a place to record identifications from past adventures.
We love finding notes in old field guides. Was the owner a meticulous observer? Were they full of wonder? Were they excited about “collecting” the species? Were they list-building?
Dennis, one of our Book Recommendation Panelists and former National Parks Superintendent, prefers National Geographic Field Guide to the Birds of North America, Alderfer, Jonathan and Jon Dunn, National Geographic, 2017, 592 pages.
There’s a new guide to Turtle identification we’re excited about: Turtles of North America: An Illustrated Field Guide to the Turtles of the Continental United States and Canada, Kyle Horner, Firefly Books, 2024, 208 pages.
Here are some of our favorite field guides and reference books we’ve featured in past issues of our Nature Book Guide:
The Cloud Collector’s Handbook, Gavin Pretor-Pinney, Chronicle Books, 2011, 144 pages. This was featured in our Autumn 2023 issue.
We wrote: ‘Of all the nature field guides on the market, this is one of our favorites. The sky offers “nature” wherever you are--including the middle of a city--since observers can experience wonder and beauty by merely looking up. Stunning photographs, accessible and easy-to-understand text, and instructions on “collecting” clouds make this an engaging and amiable companion for the nature lover.’
Encyclopedia of Whales, Dolphins and Porpoises, Erich Hoyt, Firefly Books, 2023, 304 pages.
This one is too chunky to throw in a backpack, and you’d be challenged to use it on the sea anyway. No, this is one for your coffee or bedside table, a gorgeous volume to pick up when you want to escape to the sea. We wrote about it in our Winter 2023-2024 issue:
‘Award-winning author and whale researcher Erich Hoyt takes you “out into the field to observe, learn about, participate in, and enjoy the world of wild cetacean research.” With stunning photography, beautifully crafted illustrations, and engaging text, Hoyt’s 2023 update of Encyclopedia of Whales, Dolphins and Porpoises is a thrilling adventure. This is one of the most magnificent books we’ve seen on ocean life, and we know readers of all levels of interest will enjoy it--leafing through its gorgeous pages in awe or digging into the well-presented research.’
Do you prefer printed field guides or digital resources? Let us know your favorites!