Every year around Christmas I like to unburden myself of several fine books that I’ve been sent to review during the year. This season shall be no different. The rules remain the same, simply leave a comment below to be entered into a random drawing to win the book. I’ll post a list of winners on Jan. 4.
Today’s book is: The Princeton Encyclopedia of Birds, edited by Christopher Perrins (paperback, 656 pages).
This book, with 1,186 color illustrations, is for bird lovers! From the publisher:
The Princeton Encyclopedia of Birds is a comprehensive and lavishly illustrated reference to the world’s birds. Accessibly written by renowned biologists and conservationists, and illustrated in color throughout, the book provides authoritative and systematic accounts of every bird family, covering form and function, distribution, diet, social behavior, breeding biology, and conservation and status.
More than 1,000 superb color photos reveal the enormous diversity of birds in their natural habitats from arctic tundra to tropical rain forest, and a wealth of beautifully detailed color and line illustrations depict representative species from each family and highlight characteristic behaviors.
The main articles are complemented by detailed coverage of special topics, such as how ibises and spoonbills feed by touch, how pigeons find their way home, and how crows store food. And throughout the book, numerous “Factfile” panels with color distribution maps and scale drawings provide at-a-glance overviews of key data.
The Princeton Encyclopedia of Birds is the definitive one-volume reference–an essential guide for amateur bird enthusiasts and professional ornithologists alike.
Good luck, and be sure to check back tomorrow for another book.