First and foremost, even if you are travelling for the purpose of viewing or photographic wildlife, you will still be encountering people who call your destination home. If your travels have led you to a country other than the one in which you reside, you may find youself needing to understand customs (not to mention languages) with which you are not familiar. Therefore a good overview written by someone possessing extensive familiarity with your destination is essential. For my trip to Panama, I have in the past relied upon National Geographic Traveler: Panama by Christopher P. Baker (National Geographic). Long the gold standard when it comes to providing explanations of peoples and cultures to interested readers, Baker’s Panama volume does a fine job of maintaining that publisher’s well-deserved reputation. Beginning with a brief overview of Panamanian history followed by a section on the nation’s natural history, the remainder of the book is given over to a region by region commentary, pointing out places of both importance and interest, and as always richly augmented by superb photographs and maps (this is a National Geographic publication after all).

Next, if bird watching is to be your principle activity while in Panama, spending some time prior to your journey consulting George Angehr, Dodge Engleman, and Lorna Engleman’s A Bird-Finding Guide to Panama (Cornell University Press) will be time well spent indeed. A cornerstone of essential travel literature for bird watchers visiting Panama, this book contains a wealth of information and advice that will be of inestimable value in finding not only the best places to see birds while in the country and even provides helpful lists of the birds likely to be found in those areas. Of particular interest to more advanced bird watchers are the insider tips that can help to find those out-of-the-way locations that can provide the best views of some of the hard-to-see species that might otherwise be missed. Even if you are staying in such a world-famous bird-watching lodge such as Canopy Tower and are exploring under the masterful leadership of their expert guides, A Bird-Finding Guide to Panama will help you to discover the essentials about the areas in which you will be watching birds so that you might consult your field guides prior to your trip to study the significant potential species to be seen. As the book contains driving directions and accessibility information, those venturing through Panama on their own are very much advised to take a copy of the book along with them on their journey.

This then brings up the topic of field guides that explain and depict the birds of Panama. The principle guide for the country has long been Robert S. Ridgely and John A. Gwynne Jr.’s A Guide To the Birds of Panama, with Costa Rica, Nicaragua, and Honduras (Princeton University Press). Now in its second edition, this massive tome provides extensive information on just about everything that the bird watcher visiting Panama would wish to know about the birds that make the area either their part of full-time home. In addition to the basic format by which information on each species’ description, similar species, status and distribution, and range are presented, entries on many species also include important and useful information about that species’ habits (crucial information, to be sure, for all photographers wanting to set up a shot in advance). Illustrations of many of the species discussed in the text are provided in centrally located color plates with additional black and white drawings interspersed among the text itself. Unfortunately, this book does not include any range maps so all geographic references must be extracted from the information presented in the individual species profiles. It is also quite large (534 pages on heavy stock paper) and thus not ideal for carrying on the field. Thus while it is virtually without peer in terms of the information it can provide about the birds to be seen in Panama, a smaller, more visually-oriented guide for carrying into the field should also be acquired for the trip.

When it comes to visually-oriented field guides to popular bird and wildlife watching locations throughout the world, few can reasonably claim to do better than the Princeton Illustrated Checklists, which is why I wouldn’t think of visiting Panama without this series’ volume covering the Birds of Mexico and Central America (Princeton University Press) by Ber Van Perlo. Superbly designed to present as much visual information about the species included in as small and portable a format as possible, Van Perlo is able to cover the more than 1,500 bird species occurring in Central America within a remarkable 98 full color plates. Textual information is kept to a minimum – only the most essential points that would be needed in the field are included to save space. In addition, the last portion of the guide is devoted entirely to range and distribution maps. Now admittedly, fitting all this information in to a 336 page book printed on the high quality of paper stock suitable for the full color depiction of some of the world’s most vibrantly colored birds, and keeping it to a length and width that allow it to be carried comfortably in a field vest pocket did require a little shrinking of both the individual bird images as well as the maps. However, most anyone going into the field with an intended purpose that warrants carrying this book will certainly have either a small magnifying glass, or a binocular that can be turned upside down to serve as a field macroscope, on hand should it occassionally be found necessary to get a more detailed look at either an illustration or a map that is just a little too small to be viewed comfortably with the unaided eye. A small price to ask, really, for the capability to instantly reference each and every bird you might possible see in any of the bird-rich countries covered by the book. Needless to write – this book will be a constant companion to me while I am in Panama.

Finally, for those who really want to “go deeper” in pursuit of an understanding of the natural history not only of Panama itself but of the tropics in general, two books in particular are recommended. The first is a work that if it is not already a classic of natural history then it is certainly on its way to becoming so. In such high regard is it held that the American Birding Association’s Birders’ Exchange program published a Spanish translation of it in 2007 and has since distributed thousands of copies throughout Latin America in an effort to help enlighten the local residents there about their respective region’s biological systems and importance thereof to the world. I mean, of course, John Kricher’s A Neotropical Companion: An Introduction to the Animals, Plants, and Ecosystems of the New World Tropics (Second Edition) (Princeton University Press) From the plants and animals to the geography and climate of the tropical band between North and South America, Kricher’s book covers it all in a manner that is as applicable to those just approaching the natural history of the area for the first time as it is to seasoned biologists seeking commentary on this fascinating region of the world.

Then, if your wish is to expand the horizon of the subject to all the tropical areas of the world, Marco Lambertini’s A Naturalist’s Guide to the Tropics (translated by John Venerella and published by The University of Chicago Press) is an absolute must-read. I took this book with me on my first visit to Panama and I’m bringing it along once again for reading on the flight as well as for a “before bed” read while in the country. Lambertini, the Chief Executive of BirdLife International, takes the largest possible view of his subject in the book and in so doing enlightens the reader not simply about the tropical regions of one particular geographic area but explains how tropical regions throughout the world hold certain similarities to one another that make them both extraordinarily rich in diversity of life and extraordinarily ecologically fragile. Replete with helpful illustrations (both black and white as well as color), maps, diagrams, charts, and tables, this book provides an wonderful overview of tropical natural history for the interested amateur as well as enlightening reading for the professional who may not previously have considered the subject on so large a scale, A Naturalist’s Guide to the Tropics has been one of my favorite natural history books since I first read it some years ago (it was originally published in 2000) and I look forward to another reading of it filling my hours in the air during the trip.

Of all the popular photographic subjects in nature, few can rival butterflies in terms of color, variety, and charisma; however few subjects also present the photographer with more technical challenges. From their spectacularly colorful wings that can be maddeningly difficult to get into proper focus to their flighty feeding habits that cause them to move to another flower a split second before the shutter release button is depressed, butterfly photography can test photographic skills in ways few other nature subjects can. Therefore if one is to embark upon any serious attempt, be it amateur or professional, artistic or scientific, at digitally recording images of butterflies, the availability of a wise and experienced teacher who has mastered the techniques needed to do sosuccessfully is invaluable. William B. Folsom is such a teacher and his Butterfly Photographer’s Handbook: A Comprehensive Reference for Nature Photographers is just such a collection of wisdom and experience.

As an understanding of one’s photographic subject is essential for any nature photographer, Folsom’s handbook begins with a presentation of the natural history of butterflies, including basic explanations of their anatomy, biology, and the basic groupings within the two butterfly taxonomic superfamilies Papilionoidea and Hesperioidea. (In keeping with the book’s title, discussions of and references to moths are essentially non-existent; a good choice on the part of the author as photography of this larger portion of the Lepidoptera requires a significant number of additional and highly specialized techniques likely to be of little interest or use to any but specialists.)

From this overview of the subjects themselves Folsom transitions into more detailed explanations of the life cycle and daily habits of butterflies, framing the information in reference to the utility of such knowledge to the photographer. He also includes some very useful information on how the photographer should behave around his or her intended subjects – such as explaining effective methods of close approach through the use of the “fright” and “flight” zone structure, and the use of the move and focus technique.

Finally, Folsom covers the various technical aspects of photographing butterflies, including his recommendations for selecting the right equipment for the task. While not formally endorsing Nikon, Folsom is candid as to his personal use of that brand of camera bodies and lenses, thus his references to particular lens configurations are most often given in reference to Nikon models (users of other camera brands should have little trouble translating these references to similar products in their own preferred brand’s product line). One particular equipment recommendation he makes, that of using telephoto zoom lenses over dedicated macro lenses, might initially strike some readers as unusual; however Folsom’s rationale for this choice is well reasoned and explained so effectively that some readers already possessing dedicated macro lenses might find themselves suddenly contemplating the purchase of a new addition to their camera bags.

Even more important that the selection of the right equipment, of course, is the knowledge of how to use it most effectively for the purpose at hand, and in this area Folsom’s experience and wisdom truly shine. From advice on selecting the right settings to use for the best results to instruction on techniques he has discovered to provide the greatest chances for success in the field, most every reader from the novice to the professional is likely to find something here that was previously unknown to them. One particularly useful technique Folsom explains concerns a very handy field method of determining the appropriate ISO settings for the lighting conditions under which the photographic session is taking place. Another concerns finding the best location on which to position the focal point of the image for best results (it’s not necessarily what many people might think).

Just as with any type of nature photography, photographing butterflies can be challenging and guarantees of success are never possible – even for the most experienced of photographers. However the time spent in reading William B. Folsom’s Butterfly Photographer’s Handbook, taking note of what it presents, and practicing the techniques it describes will very likely be found to have been more than worth the while in increasing the photographer’s chances of success in the field – both in regard to increasing the overall number of useable images recorded and in elevating the level of quality to be found in those images themselves.

Title: Butterfly Photographer’s Handbook: A Comprehensive Reference for Nature Photographers

Author: William B. Folsom

Publisher: Amherst Media

Format: paperback, 125 pages

ISBN: 9781584282471

In accordance with Federal Trade Commission 16 CFR Part 255, it is disclosed that the copy of the book read in order to produce this review was provided gratis to the reviewer by the publisher.

For roughly 2.1 billion people around the world, the printed tome that combines the Hebrew and Greek Testaments to tell the story of a Semitic-speaking people inhabiting the Middle East from the beginning of its (and many believe, all of our collective) history through the life, death, and resurrection of its Messiah is understood as the significant guide by which one’s life is to be governed. While interpretations of its inerrancy, how it is to be understood, and by what means its teachings are to be enacted differ among the many Christian denominations, one things is abundantly clear – as a book, it has had and continues to have more influence on human life than any other written work known to mankind. Naturally, this includes all the fields of study categorized under the general term natural history.

It is too easily forgotten that some of the world’s greatest naturalists were also devoutly religious. None other than Charles Darwin himself studied to be a clergyman prior to his sailing on the H.M. S. Beagle. His very journals written during this history-changing voyage are replete with references drawn directly out of his wrote knowledge of the Christian scriptures. Sadly, in our own present day, while passages from the Bible are still frequently cited in discussions and debates on topics ranging from the minutiae of cellular research to the expansive theories of global ecology, all too often these citations are made by those opposing the investigations of scientists and defending the idea that mankind was intended to hold dominion over the natural world and put its resources to whatever purposes we see fit. Often repulsed by the more reactionary forms of contemporary Christian dogma, too many modern naturalists eschew the contemplation of the Bible; thus what was once a cornerstone of the accumulated knowledge of all educated people has too often become an impenetrable wall dividing two groups who are rapidly losing a common contextual language through which communication is possible. For this last reason, the recent publication of The Green Bible by HarperOne is a most welcome development as it presents the cornerstone scriptures of Christianity in a manner that also offers those whose interests lay more in questions of taxonomy than theology, in nature rather than The Nativity, a reason to consider them and what they teach about mankind’s relationship to the natural world.

Following in the tradition of some Bible publishers who print the direct quotations of Jesus found in the Greek (or New) Testament in red so as to emphasize them or make them easier to locate, The Green Bible renders all verses and passages found in both the Hebrew (or Old) as well as the Greek Testaments “that speak to God’s care for creation” in green. The result is quite effective; however the reasoning behind the selection of some green-printed passages is not always clear.

For example, while the passage “For the fate of humans and the fate of animals is the same; as one dies, so dies the other, and humans have no advantage over the animals; for all is vanity. All go to one place; all are from the dust, and all turn to dust” (Ecclesiastes 3:19-20) clearly reflects the editors’ explanation of their green criteria (as do a great number of the passages from the Hebrew Testament that are printed in green text), others, such as John 18:27 (“Again Peter denied it, and at that moment the cock crowed”) require stretching the rules a bit more than might seem reasonable. Additionally, some passages are curiously left in black text that would be thought quite obvious to anyone seeking references to care for creation – Ecclesiastes 3:2, “a time to be born, and a time to die, a time to plant, and a time to pluck up what is planted” being only one such example.

In addition to the full text of the New Revised Standard Version of the Bible, The Green Bible includes a number of other elements to help the reader better understand the concept of reading the Bible as a source of ecological as well as theological guidance. Foremost among these is forward by The Most Reverend Desmond Tutu and numerous introductory essays that discuss the relationship between Christians and the natural world (including discussions of the emerging Creation Care movement) drawn from the publications and speeches of such eminent clergy and theologians as His Holiness Pope John Paul II and Dr. Ellen F. Davis. There is also an unfortunately titled but very helpful personal reflection and group discussion guide, recommendations for personal actions (both religious and ecological), and a list of further resources offered by a wide variety of Christian denominations and organizations that may be consulted for additional guidance. An extensive subject index on all the topics given green highlighting in the text concludes the work.

As a physical reflection of the thematic form given to The Green Bible, HarperOne has incorporated just about every expected ecologically-minded production element into it; it is printed in the U.S.A. on recycled paper, using soy-based ink, and bound in a cotton and linen blend cover. Even the website supporting it is declared to have been “made without using paper.” Indeed, the printed book is physically and visually consistent with both its theological and ecological messages. To those accustomed to Bibles bound in fine leather and trimmed with gold leaf, The Green Bible’s off-white paper, soft tones of black and green ink, and homespun-appearing, dusty tan woven cover may come as a bit of a shock; however more than simply being intellectually consistent, all these physical elements may well elicit a reconsideration on the part of many readers as to just how much more closely tied to the land and to things produced by hand rather than machines were the original authors of the works therein contained.

In the final assessment, this in itself might be the single greatest value to The Green Bible over and above more traditionally edited and published editions – to prompt a re-examination of the stories and teachings generally assumed to be well-known and understood. Thus while there may indeed be occasional touches of particular theological and political leanings in the choice of some passages for highlighting, as well as perhaps a bit of marketing ingenuity in publishing The Green Bible at a time when “green” products are in the ascendancy, the potential benefits of the work – its ability to encourage discussion on the part of believers as to just what messages their scriptures may hold for them beyond those they already knew, its presentation of prominent clergy and theologians as both religious leaders as well as ecologically-minded thinkers, and its potential to provide a common point of reference that may help to bridge the gap between too-often vitriolically opposing sides in matters of what mankind’s relationship to the natural world is and how to act as a result of this – far outweigh any political or commercially-focused criticisms, and as such the book should be understood, purchased, read, and discussed as the remarkable communicative bridge that it has the tremendous potential to be.

Title: The Green Bible

Editors: Michael G. Maudlin, Maureen Baer, et al.

Imprint: HarperOne

Publisher: HarperCollins

ISBN-10: 0061627992

ISBN-13: 978-0061627996

In accordance with Federal Trade Commission 16 CFR Part 255, it is disclosed that the copy of the book read in order to produce this review was provided gratis to the reviewer by the publisher.

In The Earwig’s Tail, Dr. Berenbaum, Professor and Head of the Department of Entomology at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, presents the reader with a collection of short essays that are at once erudite and entertaining. Far from dry and pedantic refutations of the popular mythology surrounding insects, these essays are written in an easy-going, personal manner that will be thought collegially conversational by the dedicated entomologist or naturalist while also being welcomed as clear and intelligible to those not ordinarily disposed to taking up works of natural history and who in this case may have done so merely out of sheer curiosity (or fascination with Jay Hosler’s delightful illustrations that illuminate both the essays as well as the book’s cover). Indeed, while Professor Berenbaum is most certainly an accomplished entomologist whose writing conveys the easy confidence of one long established as an expert in her field, she as often as not makes her strongest points (backed up by solid science, to be sure) through the use of eminently human stories and experiences – some of which even betray her own misadventures with her topic subjects.

Take, for example, her transition from a discussion of a species of Solifugae (sun scorpions) commonly known as the Iraqi Camel Spider – the subject of many a hair-raising story told by soldiers serving in the Middle East – to the life cycle of the common Cat Flea; two species otherwise quite remote from one another but in this single essay bound together in their relationship to humans by a simple band of chemical-impregnated vinyl; the ubiquitous flea collar. To divulge the nature of this relationship here would be to spoil the story. Suffice it to note that in the reading of this single essay, more is likely to be learned on a variety of topics than in many other entire books. Other essays investigate the truth or lack thereof behind a number of other arthropod myths – from the inability of bees to fly to the vitality of headless cockroaches.

When it is considered that The Earwig’s Tail contains twenty-six such essays, all successful in their goal of debunking with both intelligence and good humor the accumulated erroneous information that has been heaped upon most of the common arthropod species or genera with which we are all familiar, it is easy to understand why this book is one that should be read by all regardless of previous scientific background or interest in natural history. Arthropods are, at all times, all around us (whether we know it or not) and in numbers that best our own by multiple orders of magnitude. It would indeed be a shame for anyone to continue to misunderstand such a vast quantity of life forms when so much corrective truth about them can so easily and enjoyably be discovered through the reading of a single book such as this.

Title: The Earwig’s Tail: A Modern Bestiary of Multi-Legged Legends

Author: May R. Berenbaum

Publisher: Harvard University Press

Format: hardcover, 194 pages

ISBN: 9780674035409

In accordance with Federal Trade Commission 16 CFR Part 255, it is disclosed that the copy of the book read in order to produce this review was provided gratis to the reviewer by the publisher.

Were any other writer to attempt to weave together the natural history of the ant colonies inhabiting a south Alabama longleaf pine forest, a bildungsroman featuring a bright young boy growing up in a small and somewhat “unreconstructed” southern town, a novel within a novel, and a modern power struggle between real estate developers, conservationists, and religious Dominionists (those who believe the preservation of nature is against the will of God as their interpretation of the Bible tells them that the Earth was created for man’s use above all else), the result would have most certainly been unfortunate at best. However Dr. Wilson, drawing upon his extraordinary breadth of scientific knowledge, his insightful and nuanced philosophical imagination, and his superb skill as a story-teller not only manages to weave all these seemingly disparate narrative threads together into a coherent whole, he does so in a way that draws the reader deeply into the interlaced worlds he creates as few other modern novelists can be said to do.

Narrated by an aging professor from Florida State University, Anthill unfolds the story of the youth and education of Raphael (Raff) Semmes Cody, the son of a blue-collar father and a mother from a prominent “old South” family. Raff’s tale of growing up trying to balance the conflicting influences of his family’s disparate lineages would make for a compelling novel all on its own; however it is the tripartite presentation of the lives of ants, men, and the larger world around both these groups that really makes Anthill the remarkable work that it is. In developing Raff’s childhood around his curiosity and investigations of the tract of woodland not far from his Clayville, Alabama home, Dr. Wilson is able to interweave extended and meaningful passages depicting the lives of the ants and other creatures that Raff discovers during his boyhood rambles and then uses the information provided in these same passages to illuminate the motivations and actions of the people in his story as well.

There is an old Latin proverb that proclaims natura in minima maxima, which translates as “nature is the greatest in the smallest things.” It is a message Dr. Wilson conveys with particular effectiveness in the novel within the novel entitled “The Anthill Chronicles.” Presented as the essential narrative of events upon which Raff’s undergraduate honors thesis was written, this embedded novel employs a technique that reaches back as far as Shakespeare’s plays to present a much smaller story in a far grander style; the effect of which is not only brings the reader face to face with what Raff has observed, understands, and which underpins his life-directing passion for the preservation of nature in its remaining wild places, but also illuminates the essential dynamics and universal realities of power as exercised by one group over another.

It is greatly to be hoped that Dr. Wilson’s Anthill will be read by those of the widest possible scope of opinion on matters of land use, conservation, species preservation, and mankind’s relationship to the world as a whole. The arguments he presents in the telling of the story are never simplistic; even the Dominionists, as non-rational and often self-contradictory as their professed ideas may be, are portrayed as acting from a deeply and honestly-held set of beliefs that propel them, along with all the other characters, toward the story’s unexpected and thrilling climax. Make no mistake – Anthill is not an ecological sermon couched as a novel. It is first and foremost a compelling tale enjoyable by all who appreciate a well-told story. However for those who seek something more than simple entertainment from the works of fiction they read, who appreciate a well-argued philosophical point, keen social observation, or an informative natural history reflection, something very much to their liking will be discovered in Anthill as well.

Title: Anthill

Author: Edward O. Wilson

Publisher: W. W. Norton & Co.

Format: hardcover, 378 pages

ISBN: 978-0-393-07119-1

In accordance with Federal Trade Commission 16 CFR Part 255, it is disclosed that the copy of the book read in order to produce this review was provided gratis to the reviewer by the publisher.

In truth, perhaps Professor Raffles’ – he holds the post of associate professor of anthropology at The New School in New York City – approach in Insectopedia isn’t exactly unconventional, at least not in regard to the great encyclopedists of the Enlightenment. Far from the modern idea of an encyclopedia as being a compendium of discrete articles on various topics written dispassionately so as not to convey anything beyond the information on any given topic in its most essential form, Insectopedia unabashedly contains the enthusiasms and personal style of its author – and because of this most effectively sets the reader’s mind afire with new ideas, discoveries, and questions for further investigation. Whether Professor Raffles, while writing Insectopedia, consciously recalled Denis Diderot’s own explanation of his famous Encyclopédie’s raison d’être – “to change the way people think” – is not known but given his astonishingly expansive mind, it would not be surprising to learn that he did, for Insectopedia most certainly lives up to Diderot’s own stated purpose.

In deference to the structure of the encyclopedia’s organizational form, the contents of Insectopedia are grouped into twenty-six alphabetically arranged chapters, each representing a particular idea, concept, or historic event that serves as its thematic center. Interestingly, not one chapter carries the name of any particular insect species; a point the reason for which, while being initially somewhat mysterious, becomes increasingly intelligible and appreciated as the reader progresses through the book, for to have done so would have potentially limited the scope of Professor Raffles’ frequent and always fascinating intellectual diversions.

In an author of lesser skill or more limited imagination, such diversions might be thought a sign of insufficient talent as a writer or perhaps an indication of a disorganized mind. Not so with Professor Raffles. No matter how far he may have seemed to journey away from the particular topic initially established at the beginning of each chapter, he never fails to return to it once again and leave things neatly, if admittedly often philosophically, summarized at its conclusion. Further evidence of his superb skill in this admittedly unconventional style is given by the frequent reappearances of creatures, people, and places introduced in earlier chapters.

And what creatures, people, and places they are. From the hidden depths of Brazil’s mosquito-filled Amazon jungle, across the locust-covered plains of Niger, to the nuclear-fallout created wasteland of Chernobyl that produces its own surrealistically mutated life forms, Professor Raffles’ investigations, discoveries, and philosophical musings never fail to captivate the mind of the reader. Take, for example, his presentation of the entomological, agricultural, political, social, and gastronomical elements pertinent to the lives of both humans and locusts on the plains of the African nation of Niger. Upon the completion of a reading of the single chapter in which all these things are discussed and their interwoven nature is explained, it is unlikely that the reader will fall back upon the hackneyed and simplistic phrase “a plague of locusts” ever again as it will seem trivial in comparison to the vast complexities that exist where the lives of these insects intersect with those of humans.

Should the reader be seeking a purely linear explanation of the world’s insect life in its myriad forms, this book will not serve. However should a book be desired that will bring to the reader aspects of both insect and human life not previously imagined, encourage the reëvaluation of previously held beliefs about the teeming small multitudes that exist all around us every day, and throw open (to borrow a metaphor from Aldous Huxley) the doors of perception and allow a storm of new ideas to come blowing in, bringing with them the seeds of innumerable further questions, then without a doubt, Insectopedia is exactly the book to be read.

Title: Insectopedia

Author: Hugh Raffles

Publisher: Pantheon

Format: Hardcover, 480 pages

ISBN-13: 978-0-375-42386-4

In accordance with Federal Trade Commission 16 CFR Part 255, it is disclosed that the copy of the book read in order to produce this review was provided gratis to the reviewer by the publisher.

Like any site with an element of social networking involved or that seeks to build participation in a forum – Collins Birds satisfying both of these categories – in addition to the inherent draw of the wealth of information to be found in the site, there will be a prize draw every month for the just released second edition of the famous Collins Bird Guide, and to celebrate the launch of the site, Collins will also be giving away the only copy to be signed by all three authors. To be entered in this special draw, all that seems to be required is to register on Collins Birds and report at least ten bird sightings by the end of March 2010.

It should also be noted that although Collins Birds is the production of Harper Collins UK, another great name in bird watching is also a sponsor of the new site: Swarovski Optik. While there isn’t anything specifically stated about what their role will be regarding the site in the future, it is fair to assume that with two such long established and accomplished members of the bird watching community behind Collins Birds, the possibilities for both the depth and breadth of its development are seemingly inexhaustible.

In truth, the recollection of the life of a person of so many great accomplishments as Peterson is by no means an easy task. Known throughout the world and elevated to eponymous stature by naturalists both professional as well as amateur, through the application of his keen mind and gifted artistic hand to the very structure of the field guide itself he revolutionized the way in which not only birds but virtually all the flora and fauna could be identified in the field. Since the original publication of A Field Guide to the Birds in 1934, through regional division and in subsequent editions, the work has to this day never been out of print. It was the model for dozens of other titles, all following the Peterson Method. When a budding naturalist, be they bird watcher, rock hound, or butterfly collector, acquires a first field guide, the odds are it will carry the Peterson name.

For most, such an accomplishment in and of itself would more than serve to stand as a monument to a life’s work. As Rosenthal clearly depicts in Birdwatcher, Peterson was not content “only” to be the originator of the modern field guide and by it the person responsible for leading untold millions into the study of the natural world. He was also a dedicated conservationist, a pioneer in the modern environmental movement, a masterful photographer, an inspired teacher, and a tireless evangelist for the personal experience of nature by all.

Yet it was Peterson’s involvement in the tragic story of chlorinated hydrocarbon insecticides, known far more widely by the name of one specific form, Dichloro-Diphenyl-Trichloroethane – DDT – that must never be forgotten, and in Birdwatcher is not, when the name of Peterson is mentioned. From his original, “innocent” assignment by the U.S. Army as a monitor in early experiments with the chemical through his testimony before the Ribicoff Senate subcommittee on pesticides just days after the untimely death of Rachel Carson, and onward to the eventual prohibition of the chemicals in the United States in the 1970s and 1980s, Peterson was there. He was one of the few, like Carson, who suspected early on that something detrimental was happening from the indiscriminate use of these chemicals, and who worked tirelessly to establish the scientific evidence to bring about their prohibition.

Thus through Birdwatcher, the reader comes to understand that not only did Peterson provide the world with the books by which to understand nature, he was also integral in the continuing struggle to ensure that successive generations would be able to live in a world where there was still nature left to understand. As we are just past the 100th anniversary of the birth of the “Great Man,” it is indeed fitting that his life’s work be remembered in its many-faceted brilliance; Birdwatcher plays its part well in paying to his legacy the respect it deserves.

Title: Birdwatcher: The Life of Roger Tory Peterson

Author: Elizabeth J. Rosenthal

Format: hardcover: 437 pages

Publisher: Lyons Press

Publication Date: May, 2008 (a trade paperback edition is expected to be published in March, 2010)

ISBN10: 1-59921-294-3

ISBN: 978-1-59921-294-4

This review was written for and first appeared in Bird Watcher’s Digest. In accordance with Federal Trade Commission 16 CFR Part 255, it is disclosed that the copy of the book read in order to produce it was provided gratis to the reviewer by the editorial staff of that magazine.