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How many bird books have you got? (1 Viewer)

One of the advantages of reviewing bird books for various publications is that an awful lot of them turn up each year, not to mention those that I actually pay good money for.

I hate the idea of getting rid of any though, even though I have nowhere left to put them (three 'libraries' in the house and counting) and not all of the books are worth keeping (grin)

A few years ago, I was well over 2,000 and must have added at least another 2-300 since then. I might need to talk nicely to Jane when the time comes to top up the pension...

I think that I might have a problem - ornithobibliomania perhaps though that doesn't take into account the thousands of other books in the house. Still, on the bright side, all the extra insulation keeps the heating bills down.

Gordon
 
I don't have too many bird books,15 or so but I do have a Spanish language copy of Howard L. Irby's Ornitologia del Estrecho de Gibraltar which is my pride and joy....Eddy
 
I've got approximately 150 bird books, most of which I have collected in the last five years. I have a large bias towards raptors with about 100 of the books being about birds of prey including over 30 on Peregrines.

My collection has a number of field guides including those for the Europe, the Americas and the Far East, "where to watch" type books, Poyser Monographs, Helm Guides, bird art and breeding atlases.
 
After reading this thread clearly not enough! It was my dads copy of Petersen Mountfort and Holloms guide on european birds that got my into this hobby as a kid. My birding mate at the time had lots of bird books as his mum worked in the library at manchester poly. I was seriously jealous.
 
Oops, I knew I had a few bird books but had never counted before.
300 give or take a couple, plus around 90 bird reports, and roughly another 100 "other nature/general nature" books.
 
About 200. I thought I had a lot, am greatly reassured to find that I am nowhere near the real ornithobibliomaniacs!

Pride and joy: Bertel Bruun's Hamlyn bird guide, which I bought in 1971 for £1 new in the local post office. I think this was the first field guide with text and plates opposite each other. It was certainly the first serious book I bought, and at a time when I earned £1 for a day's work in the local supermarket.

I don't think you can buy cutting edge field guides in a modern post office.

Cheers,

Keith
 
aegithalos said:
!

Pride and joy: Bertel Bruun's Hamlyn bird guide, which I bought in 1971 for £1 new in the local post office. I think this was the first field guide with text and plates opposite each other. It was certainly the first serious book I bought, and at a time when I earned £1 for a day's work in the local supermarket.


Keith
Click to expand...

I bought that when it came out as well, replacing my Observers' Book. It was a great leap forward. Sadly I think I threw it away when the second edition came out in 1986.

Steve
 
153 birds-and-birding books (using the multi-volume count as one criterion), plus birding magazines, brochures, checklists and similar stuff related to birds and birding.
 
Jane Turner said:
I've got a 1st edition Bewick...which is off for restoration at present (1797) which is the earliest useful book I have, and a compleat system of ornithology (Brookes) which is 1771... so you win until I get Willougby (1670 ish)
Click to expand...

I can't claim usefulness for my Brookes - the illustrations are frequently unrecognisable. The birds also appear in contorted postures, often looking backwards, I assume so that they fit better into the space available. I think Lydekker's Royal Natural History (which in my copy is set in columns) is the worst I have seen for contorting animals so that they fit within the column width.

Is Willoughby a serious hope or just a pipe dream? I've no idea how many copies exist or what they cost.
 
Jane Turner said:
I read somewhere that the average number of books in a uk house is 6
Click to expand...

...........which is probably why so many kids do so badly at school........if the parents don't read the children usually don't see the value in reading either.....how sad.

Birdbooks: a mere 51 for me plus Sussex Bird Reports going back to the '70s and probably as many natural history books.

Here's an observation: on several occasions when I've been at other birders houses I've remarked on their extensive bird book libraries. The inevitable response is something like, " I've not read most of them."
 
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