Seems to me, the title/price of a book are of only minor use, but they serve
as a starting point for exploration to see which book would best suit my
needs. Then I'd be looking for a concise but meaningful compilation of
recommendations from knowledgeable users who can tell me what book they
think is best under what circumstances . . . and why. They also might point
out short-comings. Then I can overlay my own values/preferences and
efficiently home in on good choices.

Two main situations come to mind.

1. A general bird book that offers excellent visual depictions of the birds
(illustrations / photos), broad-brush geographic/seasonal presence, and
distinctive behavior that aids identification.

There are considerations such as trade-offs to how much will fit on the
pages of a book, the book's size/weight, etc . . . So we might conclude that
more than one book may be needed -- maybe a couple of desk references and
one overall handy guide to rely on for IDs in the field. Those who have
looked at what's available in this regard will probably agree that there are
a handful of really useful guides to choose from that are far superior to
many other guides that simply take up space on book store shelves.

2. Detailed guides specific to particular geographic areas.

The superior guides in this category dig into the current details of where
and when to go to see what. They'll address any local considerations that
could affect a non-local birder's experience such as typical weather,
potential hazards, etc . . . They will also offer specific directions if the
destination is challenging to get to or not clearly defined. They'll have
phone numbers and e-mail addresses/web sites that can lead to the most
up-to-date info on target birding areas. They also might suggest
recommended itineraries for people who have limited time to bird areas they
are visiting.

A useful guide to bird books will lay out which components can be of value.
Then the individual can decide which components are important to them and go
after the books best provide them. An example would be a preference for
illustrations over books with photographs. One also may want multiple views
of birds (perched, in flight, variable plumage) versus more text that
describes behavior. Different books have different emphases which
complement each other.

Perhaps a way to keep the scope of the guide reasonable . . . and more
useful . . . is to have screening criteria that need to be met for the guide
book to even be described and rated. Then the details of worthy books can
be covered while a very basic appendix can list the books that are also out
there (taking up space on book store shelves). Identifying these
"upper-tier" books would probably be most efficiently done by soliciting the
opinions of the general public and definitely local experts who have
evaluated and chosen (or rejected) the books for their use.

______________________________________

Ned McGarry
Sammamish, WA
ned.mcgarry at verizon.net


----- Original Message -----
From: "Ian Paulsen" <birdbooker at zipcon.net>
To: <birdbooklist at yahoogroups.com>
Cc: <birdchat at listserv.arizona.edu>; <tweeters at u.washington.edu>
Sent: Tuesday, May 04, 2004 10:05 AM
Subject: bird book book (again)


> HI ALL:
> Yesterday I got the latest catalog from Buteo Books and I read that it
> lists nearly 2000 titles of in-print bird book. As I was looking through
> it I soon realized that at the rate I was going I be writing this bird
> book guide for the REST OF MY LIFE! I spent last night trying to figure
> out how to limit the scope of my book BUT still have it useful to birders.
> Ideas ranged from a simple price guide (like you get for antiques) to a
> "100 Top bird books". So my question is how do I limit the scope of the
> book AND keep it useful to the average birder?
>
> --
> Ian Paulsen
> Bainbridge Island, WA, USA
> A.K.A.: "Birdbooker"
> "Rallidae all the way!"
>