New edition of Best Birdwatching Sites: Scottish Highlands (1 Viewer)

gordon hamlett · Feb 15, 2014

The wait is over!

The new edition of my book Best Birdwatching Sites: Scottish Highlands has just been published and I'd like to say a big thank you to everyone on this forum who passed on their knowledge.

The book has been completely rewritten - I have no time for authors who change a comma here and there and call it a new edition.

The format of the book remains pretty much the same though - a series of tours through the best parts of the Highlands, plus Perthshire, Aberdeenshire, and, by popular demand, Mull.

There are several completely new tours out of a total of 27 in the book. As well as 17 pages on Mull, there are tours for Morvern, the Fearn peninsula and North-east Aberdeenshire. Existing tours have been rejigged and expanded, with most of them featuring new sites. Apparently the map count has increased by 54 to 217.

If anyone would like to see a sample chapter, albeit an unedited version, and without maps, then feel free to get in touch with me (details below).

If anyone wants to buy a copy, then the best places to try are:-

http://www.buckinghampress.co.uk/bes...highlands.html

http://www.wildsounds.com/products/1...s-3nd-Ed.shtml

http://www.nhbs.com/best_birdwatchin...no_212344.html

It's best not to use Amazon; they have to order the book specially and it takes them months.

If anyone wants a signed and/or dedicated copy, then email me at gordon dot hamlett at btinternet dot com or send me a pm and I'll get straight back to you. The price is exactly the same - £18.95 including free P&P

If you want any further information, or help with planning a forthcoming trip, then don't hesitate to get in touch.

Cheers

Gordon

Mark Harper · Feb 15, 2014

Ordered a copy yesterday in advance of a trip over Easter. Looking forward to giving it a good read and putting it to use.

Ratal · Feb 15, 2014

Superb - look forward to reading through my incoming copy and trying out some of the knowledge!

Hope its a best seller.

Richard Klim · Feb 15, 2014

gordon hamlett said:
It's best not to use Amazon; they have to order the book specially and it takes them months.

Gordon, many people (understandably) disapprove of the Amazon business model, but Amazon UK claims to have your book in stock, and Book Depository (= Amazon) states 'usually despatched within 24 hours' – both £18.95 (incl UK delivery). Are you suggesting that the publisher now intends to actively delay any further deliveries of the title to Amazon?

[But WildSounds seems to offer the best deal at the moment (£17.95), compared to Buckingham Press (£18.95), NHBS (£20.94) and Subbuteo (£21.45) – all incl UK delivery.]

Jos Stratford · Feb 15, 2014

Richard Klim said:
Gordon, many people (understandably) disapprove of the Amazon business model, but Amazon UK claims to have your book in stock...

It does have it in stock, you can proceed right through to ordering.

PS I do not disapprove of their business model :-O

Richard Klim · Feb 15, 2014

Amazon

Jos Stratford said:
PS I do not disapprove of their business model :-O

Well, Jos, read this: My week as an Amazon insider.

gordon hamlett · Feb 16, 2014

Richard Klim said:
Gordon, many people (understandably) disapprove of the Amazon business model, but Amazon UK claims to have your book in stock, and Book Depository (= Amazon) states 'usually despatched within 24 hours' – both £18.95 (incl UK delivery). Are you suggesting that the publisher now intends to actively delay any further deliveries of the title to Amazon?

[But WildSounds seems to offer the best deal at the moment (£17.95), compared to Buckingham Press (£18.95), NHBS (£20.94) and Subbuteo (£21.45) – all incl UK delivery.]

My apologies then for any confusion caused. Certainly, this was the case with the first edition and my publishers haven't informed me of any change marketing wise. I'll obviously need to check with them when they return from Sri Lanka.

As for price, well the best approach would seem to be get me to sign your copy, then kill me and watch your investment soar

Seems to work for artists and rock stars.

Cheers,

Gordon

Jos Stratford · Feb 16, 2014

Richard Klim said:
Well, Jos, read this: My week as an Amazon insider.

Read it, and?

I see no fault with Amazon. If the practises are deemed undesirable, tax related or otherwise, tighten the regulations - if legislation is insufficient, can hardly blame companies that use it to their benefit.

Still, sure the Scotland book is good regardless of where ordered :t:

McMadd · Feb 17, 2014

Jos Stratford said:
if legislation is insufficient, can hardly blame companies that use it to their benefit.

But when the tax authorities apparently collude with these large firms it makes you suspect they won't rush to tighten anything...far more likely the reverse...

Those in the UK that can support the local shop/small supplier have the choice to keep them and their community alive or face the deserts that pass for town and city centres already evident to me when I return to the UK these days...

However...let's not derail this thread further other than to suggest people read up on what Mark Constantine has had to do to push back at Amazon's "business model"...

ATB

McM (who, sadly, can't make much use of the book being currently stuck in Kolkata for nine weeks!)

Richard Klim · Feb 17, 2014

McMadd said:
...suggest people read up on what Mark Constantine has had to do to push back at Amazon's "business model"...

Mark (Lush/The Sound Approach) has now trademarked the name "Christopher North" (MD of Amazon UK) as a brand name for a new range of toiletries, including a shower gel labelled "rich, thick and full of it". North is reportedly hopping mad... :t:

Sorry, back to Gordon's book...

Telephoto Paul · Feb 17, 2014

Richard Klim said:
[But WildSounds seems to offer the best deal at the moment (£17.95), compared to Buckingham Press (£18.95), NHBS (£20.94) and Subbuteo (£21.45) – all incl UK delivery.]

Lately I've been finding Foyles.co.uk (the family owned chain of London bookshops) are hard to beat. Using their free 2nd class post, more often than not they match or beat Amazon on price, and it turns up pretty quickly.

They've got this book at the £18.95 price.

ClarkWGriswold · Feb 19, 2014

Copy arrived today. Reacquainting myself with the Speyside section and thoroughly enjoying it. Nice to see some BF regulars getting a mention. Congratulations on an excellent new book Gordon:t:

Rich

StevePreddy · Feb 19, 2014

While I applaud the Constantines for standing up to Amazon, let's not pretend Lush is the model of ethical behaviour that it markets itself as. There's plenty of material out there on the web for anyone wanting to get a rounded view of Lush's ethics. My personal favourite is their boycott of Israel on human rights grounds while opening stores in Saudi Arabia.

Richard Klim · Feb 19, 2014

StevePreddy said:
My personal favourite is their boycott of Israel on human rights grounds while opening stores in Saudi Arabia.

Surely boycotting Israel is taking a stand against a nation that oppresses another race, whereas boycotting Saudi Arabia would just impact those who are oppressed by their own regime.

StevePreddy · Feb 19, 2014

Richard Klim said:
Surely boycotting Israel is taking a stand against a nation that oppresses another race, whereas boycotting Saudi Arabia would just impact those who are oppressed by their own regime.

Richard, I don't think lack of access to smelly soaps would be that big a deal for the Saudi people, given everything else they have to put up with. In any case, I'm not sure your distinction betwen the two countries is a significant one in terms of the human impact. In both cases you have a regime which is inflicting severe human rights abuses on a large number of its people. If one is worth boycotting, why isn't the other?

My broader point is that Lush markets itself as whiter-than-white ... the Richard Branson of toiletries, if you will. If they're going to do that, they have to be completely sure that their own ethical bathroom is spotless, otherwise there's a nasty whiff of hypocrisy to match the nasty whiff of whatever it is they put in their products that wafts around our high streets in the 50 metre exclusion zones around each of their shops.

Richard Klim · Feb 19, 2014

StevePreddy said:
I'm not sure your distinction betwen the two countries is a significant one in terms of the human impact. In both cases you have a regime which is inflicting severe human rights abuses on a large number of its people. If one is worth boycotting, why isn't the other?

Most (all?) Palestinians welcome any external pressure on Israel. Do most Saudis want western companies to boycott their nation?

And I'm sure that the Saudi royal family would still manage to acquire smelly soaps elsewhere. Why punish a population for having to live under an an oppressive regime?

Andrew Whitehouse · Feb 19, 2014

StevePreddy said:
Richard, I don't think lack of access to smelly soaps would be that big a deal for the Saudi people, given everything else they have to put up with. In any case, I'm not sure your distinction betwen the two countries is a significant one in terms of the human impact. In both cases you have a regime which is inflicting severe human rights abuses on a large number of its people. If one is worth boycotting, why isn't the other?

My broader point is that Lush markets itself as whiter-than-white ... the Richard Branson of toiletries, if you will. If they're going to do that, they have to be completely sure that their own ethical bathroom is spotless, otherwise there's a nasty whiff of hypocrisy to match the nasty whiff of whatever it is they put in their products that wafts around our high streets in the 50 metre exclusion zones around each of their shops.

In your terms I guess that the only way for Lush to avoid such appalling hypocrisy would be to avoid taking a stand on anything. That way at least they're consistent.

And then everything would be fine and the world would be a better place. Is that right Steve?

There are a million issues in the world on which one might make a stand. It is better to make a stand on one than on none.

gordon hamlett · Feb 20, 2014

ClarkWGriswold said:
Copy arrived today. Reacquainting myself with the Speyside section and thoroughly enjoying it. Nice to see some BF regulars getting a mention. Congratulations on an excellent new book Gordon:t:

Rich

Thanks for that Rich,

you are officially the first person to comment on the book. All you need to do now is lose a few copies like you did with the first edition to keep my sales boosted

Cheers

Gordon

ClarkWGriswold · Feb 20, 2014

gordon hamlett said:
Thanks for that Rich,

you are officially the first person to comment on the book. All you need to do now is lose a few copies like you did with the first edition to keep my sales boosted

Cheers

Gordon

Very few things in life are certain Gordon but you've just nailed one of them

Rich

ClarkWGriswold · Feb 20, 2014

Edit: Wrong Thread

New edition of Best Birdwatching Sites: Scottish Highlands (1 Viewer)

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