Birds of Britain & Europe? (1 Viewer)

Richard D

what was that...

Supporter

• Sep 10, 2004

• #1

Hi, I'm a returning Birdwatcher who having dusted down his old Mitchel Beasley Pocket Guide, treated myself to Rob Hume's Birds of Britain & Europe RSPB/Dorling Kindersley ISBN: 0751312347. I've found the photograph's stunning and the descriptive information excellent. I haven't seen many references to it on this thread - recommendations seem to be for the Collins guide - am I missing something by not having the Collin's Guide, and if so can someone give me the ISBN?

 

Grousemore

Senior Member

• Sep 10, 2004

• #2

I think a lot of people prefer illustrations to photos and on that basis the Collins is considered by many to be the best.
The ISBN is 0-00-762145-0 , which is the small hardback version.
There is also a 'soft' small version and a full-size hardback...certainly worth buying one of them in my opinion.

 

Swissboy

Sempach, Switzerland

Supporter

• Sep 11, 2004

• #3

Grousemore said:

I think a lot of people prefer illustrations to photos and on that basis the Collins is considered by many to be the best.
The ISBN is 0-00-762145-0 , which is the small hardback version.
There is also a 'soft' small version and a full-size hardback...certainly worth buying one of them in my opinion.

Click to expand...

Yes, you definitely ought to get one of these! And get the small version for field use. The ISBN for the paperback version is 0007 113323. The large (full size) book is great to fully appreciate the beautiful illustrations, though.

Robert

 

B

Bluetail

Senior Moment

• Sep 11, 2004

• #4

Just a word of warning for the uninitiated (I'm not suggesting you are, Richard!): there are three or four different bird guides with Collins's name on the cover/spine (including the iconic Peterson, Mountfort & Hollom). THE Collins guide referred to here is by Mullarney, Svensson, Zetterstrom & Grant. It is an awesome book. The large format version is impractical to take into the field, but the paintings are just jawdroppingly beautiful. I've got both the large and the small.

 

Last edited: Sep 11, 2004

Andy Ledger

Falling into disrepair

• Sep 11, 2004

• #5

I must confess an addiction to field guides - I've got about seven, and all have strong and weak points - with the real exception of the Collins Bird Guide, which is the one I use if I'm taking notes and referring back to a FG later. For actually out in the field, I still tend to carry Peterson (not the latest edition) which, although it has a few shortcomings, has very few bad illustrations, and has the useful diagnostic feature for ID. If I had to rely on just two books, it would be these two, one for on the run, the other for leisurely reference. Lars Jonsson is excellent in some places, but in others (Woodpigeon, Robin, etc) seems more impressionistic than ultra-realistic. That said, some of his drawings have character and are better as art than as scientific representations of the subjects.

 

K

kbird

Member

• Sep 25, 2004

• #6

Cheap Mullarney etc Collins Guide

On a visit this week to the south coast of England I discovered the small Collins hardback available at Sussex Stationers in Bexhill-on-Sea at £9.99. I believe there are other branches in the south and that it is also part of the British Bookshops chain which has a branch in Oxford Street London.

I'm not sure of the wisdom of buying from cut-price booksellers as when I lived in Germany it seemed to have resulted in bookshops that stocked nowhere near the range of British ones and consequently suffer a personal moral dilemma but it is one BIG reduction as I believe the rrp is £24.99.

 

H

Henry B

Well-known member

• Sep 25, 2004

• #7

You can still get it for nowt if you subscribe to a popular Birdwatching mag. the Collins guide that is...

 

Tero

Retired

• Oct 28, 2005

• #8

Just to add to the confusion, Americans can get the Collins book in a Princeton press version, as Birds of Europe, same authors and illustrations, Mullarney, Svensson, Zetterstrom & Grant.