dgraham@kean.ucs.mun.ca (David Graham) (08/29/90)
The last thing I want to do is start another argument about the merits of different field guides, but I'd be grateful for reactions to any or all of the following (titles taken from the latest catalogue of the Birds & Natural History Book Society): Birds by Character: The Fieldguide to Jizz Identification. Rob Hume, ill. by Ian Wallace, Darren Rees, John Busby, Peter Partington. Macmillan, 12.75 pounds. Bills itself as "The most important new fieldguide for decades" (!). Sounds useful if well done. Kingfisher Field Guide to the Birds of Britain and Europe. John Gooders, ill. by Alan Harris. Kingfisher, 10.95 pounds. Blurb says this is "the definitive guide to British and European birds, covering 427 species". Also that the illustrations are "superbly detailed and accurate". Kingfisher Field Guide to the Birds of Britain and Ireland. Same authors as above, 7.45 pounds. *************************************************************************** David Graham dgraham@kean.ucs.mun.ca ***************************************************************************
jhiggott@dumbo.axion.bt.co.uk (jeff higgott) (08/31/90)
In article <129704@kean.ucs.mun.ca>, dgraham@kean.ucs.mun.ca (David Graham) writes: |> The last thing I want to do is start another argument about the merits |> of different field guides, Nothing wrong with a constructive discussion though. |> Birds by Character: The Fieldguide to Jizz Identification. Rob Hume, |> ill. by Ian Wallace, Darren Rees, John Busby, Peter Partington. |> Macmillan, 12.75 pounds. Bills itself as "The most important new |> fieldguide for decades" (!). Sounds useful if well done. I've seen this and am very unimpressed. The reviews that I've seen are very kind to the book. The drawings are tiny sketches, several of a species crammed into a small area. There is also a distribution map for each species covered and a few lines describing the jizz. This text I find irritating. The comments are often subjective and won't really help the user. Some of the pictures are quite nice - John Busby is a good artist when it comes to capturing jizz. THe real test I feel is to turn to a familiar species which you know inside out and see if you get a warm feeling. I looked at very common species and rarer species, and have to admit that I was not convinced. Somehow there was something missing. Admittedly jizz is very hard to capture, since by its very nature it is a personal thing. I was impressed by the Hamlyn photographic guide to European Birds. Photos can very easily lack jizz, but the selection chosen for this book are on the whole very good. This book is *far* more use than the `jizz guide'. My advice - give `Birds by Character' a miss. It certainly isn't `The most important new fieldguide for ages'. |> Kingfisher Field Guide to the Birds of Britain and Ireland. Same |> authors as below, 7.45 pounds. UGH! Some nice pictures, yes, but not always accurate. There are very few pictures of each species (often only one), which isn't much help if you've seen a bird in a plumage not described. The text is not brilliant and the space devoted to this is wasted (a lot of space but not much info). The choice of species is a bit random - eg Icterine Warbler is included but Melodious isn't (or is it the other way round?). My advice - give it a miss. |> Kingfisher Field Guide to the Birds of Britain and Europe. John |> Gooders, ill. by Alan Harris. Kingfisher, 10.95 pounds. Blurb says |> this is "the definitive guide to British and European birds, covering |> 427 species". Also that the illustrations are "superbly detailed and |> accurate". As above but more species included. The pictures are superbly detailed but not always accurate. My advice - give it a miss. It certainly isn't "the definitive......". * Jeff Higgott * * * "It had a ring of dots across its breast" - Biffer Bonnet
dgraham@kean.ucs.mun.ca (David Graham) (09/01/90)
In article <1990Aug31.115838.27128@axion.bt.co.uk>, jhiggott@dumbo.axion.bt.co.uk (jeff higgott) writes: [Devastating assessment of three field guides deleted.] Thanks, Jeff, you just saved me some money! I guess I'll look for the Hamlyn photographic guide instead... > > * Jeff Higgott *************************************************************************** David Graham dgraham@kean.ucs.mun.ca ***************************************************************************
jhiggott@dumbo.axion.bt.co.uk (jeff higgott) (09/03/90)
In article <130839@kean.ucs.mun.ca>, dgraham@kean.ucs.mun.ca (David Graham) writes: |> Thanks, Jeff, you just saved me some money! I guess I'll look for the |> Hamlyn photographic guide instead... I wouldn't buy only the photographic guide. I believe that a photographic guide should complement a traditional field guide. There are many things that photographs do not show - how many birds can you get to pose facing left to right in perfect light? On the other hand, paintings can show a bird's plumage accurately but often do not capture the character. Photos also can be extremely unjizzy. The pictures in the Hamlyn Guide I feel are on the whole a very good selection (and at several thousand colour photos for \pounds 15 is excellent VFM). Don't dismiss the Kinfisher and Jizz guides without giving them a look, they may be what you are looking for. But do look past the pictures to see what more they offer. I would consider the following guides: - The Shell Guide - now 7 years old but covers all British regular birds and vagrants (up to 1980). Not without its errors, but the most useful text - and some very good paintings of every conceivable plumage (almost). **** - Macmillan Guide - State of the Art in ID. Covers confusable groups of species (eg eclipse ducks; Harriers; Locustella warblers...). You won't find Avocet or Chaffinch in here so if you want a guide to all the species don't buy this. A fairly advanced guide with excellent plates from the late Laurel Tucker and Alan Harris. Expensive for a small book at \pounds 15, but I think it is worth it. ***** - Collins Guide (Europe, North Africa and Middle East). Now quite an old book but shows lots of species. Pictures not bad, text OK. *** - Country Life Guide (Europe). Text the same as the Hamlyn photographic guide (good). The old plates distinctly lack jizz but the waders, gulls, terns and raptors have been repainted and are a great improvement. *** Does anybody else have any opinions on British/European field guides? * Jeff Higgott * * * "I bought some batteries but they weren't included"