Yes, I am a bookaholic (1 Viewer)

Charles Harper · Mar 3, 2004

Hi I'm an ornithobiblioidiot. I had field guides to the whole world, then got p****ed off and gave them all away to the Yamashina Institute of Ornithology... and then I went internet and found BF and am now trying to buy them all for the second time. AARGH!!

Beverlybaynes · Mar 3, 2004

Maps!!!

How could I have not mentioned maps! I LOVE maps!
You can stick me in a corner with an atlas and a pot of tea and I'm happily occupied for hours . . . .

and let's not even move on to the corollary of travel writing . . . .

So what am I? A ornithocartobibliocraftmaniac?

And in spite of the maps things, no, I don't know where Stormville NY is . . . . although it would be entirely appropriate, for the purposes of this thread at least, for it to be found in the mountains, surrounded by storm petrels with Grieg music playing in the background . . .

crispycreme · Mar 11, 2004

Tero said:
It has involved a lot of hobbies and topics. Lots of books and hobbies. Records too. Borders has a lot of my income.

So the last few years was OK with birds, it was just field guides and discount books. But now I am hooked. I have field guides to cover most of Europe and North America, including West Indies. And I have never been south of Tijuana.

(Why is Central America a concept?Just political?)

Your confessions?

My problem isn't so much buying field guides for an ever-expanding geographic region, but instead I find myself buying an increasing amount of type-specific bird guides for North America. I've now got in my possession a warbler guide, an owl guide, a hummingbird guide, a diurnal raptor guide, and a sparrow guide. I just ordered a shorebird guide from Amazon (should be on my doorstep end of next week). The only other guide I can think of that would be useful for tough bird IDs would be a waterfowl guide.

A flycatcher guide would be nice though.

Perhaps a gull guide too...

Maybe a woodpecker one...

Icterids?..

HELP ME!!! I CAN'T STOP!!

pduxon · Mar 11, 2004

I'm sitting here surrounded by well over 1000 books!!

Beverlybaynes · Mar 11, 2004

There's a good waterfowl guide:

Ducks, Geese and Swans of the World, Burn and Madge

At least, I think that's the title. It was the first bird book I was given, one Christmas, and turned out to be extremely handy just a little or two months later when I had a 'big day' with a fallout of ducks in early March, 1993 at Muscatatuck NWR. At that time, all I could identify with any certainty were Mallards and Wood Ducks, and having this book added considerably to my life list that day!

Beverlybaynes · Mar 11, 2004

I was even able to positively identify a Paradise Shelduck (a New Zealand bird) that was flying with the flocks that day. This was the March after Hurricane Andrew devastated south Florida in August 1992, and it was assumed that the bird had escaped during the storm and survived to fly north with local ducks.

My ID was made even more positive after that with several other positive IDs by far more skilled birders.

Andrew · Mar 11, 2004

My Favourites list has a lot of links to books I want to get!

I notice that the Americans write a lot of diary style and travelogue books. A lot of the books in my list are by Pete Dunne.

very boring banned member · Mar 12, 2004

Can anyone suggest any book over hybrids & aberrants? Would be very interested.

headington7 · Mar 12, 2004

I have more books than I can shake a stick at...about ten free-standing lots of bookshelves and boxes in the loft.Yes...a Primary teacher...you name it,we teach it !
What I really want is a CD/book etc.,where one can click on the picture and hear the sound that bird emits.I am not very skilled in spotting the blighters and remembering the call,to check on this site..."I wonder if this is it " and cue the call,is the wrong way around ..any ideas folks ?
Once the children at school,(Woodstock,by Blenheim Palace),have gone indoors,carrion crows,various gulls and two pied wagtails check out the playground for possible scraps !
By the way...300 years this year since the battle of Blenheim,lots going on all year,a good place to visit this year.The wildlife is good and the lake and grounds/house is SENSATIONAL !
Mervyn in Oxford.

Tero · Mar 12, 2004

Not really big on collecting CD ROMS, they have shorter lifetimes than books. But there are lots of bird song CD ROMS and also some handheld device for US bird songs and calls.

pete woodall · Mar 17, 2004

I'm glad to join all the other bibliophiles here.

In Brisbane, Australia, we have an organisation called Lifeline (they provide telephone counselling to depressed, suicidal people) and twice a year they have a huge sale of donated books. The prices are really cheap and I suppose it brings out the hunter/collector in me as I search through the hundreds of thousands of books for a bargain.

The other good point is that you know that all the money you spend is going to a good cause. I always come out with at least one box full of books.

Luckily there don't seem to be too many other people interested in natural history so I am able to get some real bargains - mammals of North America, flowers of
Singapore, Hinton on Australian shells and Bell-Cross on
Rhodesian fish (I used to work with him as a student!!).

Cheers

Pete

very boring banned member · Mar 17, 2004

pete woodall said:
I'm glad to join all the other bibliophiles here.

In Brisbane, Australia, we have an organisation called Lifeline (they provide telephone counselling to depressed, suicidal people) and twice a year they have a huge sale of donated books. The prices are really cheap and I suppose it brings out the hunter/collector in me as I search through the hundreds of thousands of books for a bargain.

The other good point is that you know that all the money you spend is going to a good cause. I always come out with at least one box full of books.

Luckily there don't seem to be too many other people interested in natural history so I am able to get some real bargains - mammals of North America, flowers of
Singapore, Hinton on Australian shells and Bell-Cross on
Rhodesian fish (I used to work with him as a student!!).

Cheers

Pete

Sounds GOOD! Here in S Finland we have old literature days in Vammala town every summer (this year in July 2.-3.). It is the only summer happening I have to join every year.

Tero · May 1, 2004

We have a yearly book fair in town. Looks like someone's estate, a Hoffman, dumped all their books there. I bought a few for a dollar each. Passed on the 30 year old book on birds of central east africa.

Got the Attenborough Life of Birds book, though, for $6. Only dustjacket is wrinkled.

Elizabeth Bigg · May 1, 2004

Carlos GY said:
thats why floors were invented !! ....

You've said it for me, Carlos!

gthang · Jun 2, 2004

Since my last post to this thread, which was March 2nd, I have increased the amount of bird field guides tremendously:

The first two books I had (pre-March 2nd) were:
1. The Sibley Field Guide to Birds of Eastern North America (David Allen Sibley)
2. The Encyclopedia of North American Birds (Michael Vanner)

Since my last post, I have added:
3. A Guide to Birding (Forshaw, Howell, Lindsey, and Stallcup)
4. Creating a Bird-Friendly Backyard Habitat (Edwards)
5. The Sibley Field Guide to Birds of Western North America (David Allen Sibley)
6. Field Guide to the Birds of North America, 4th Ed. (National Geographic)
7. Field Guide to Birds, Eastern Region (National Audubon Society)
8. Birds of New York Field Guide (Stan Tekiela)
9. A Guide to the Birds of Costa Rica (Stiles and Skutch)
10. Pocket Guide to the Birds of Britain and North-West Europe (Kightley, Madge, Nurney)

I also have a laminated pamphlet by Waterford Press (New York Birds).

So now plan to get Herons and Egrets of the World: A Photographic Journey by James A. Hancock. But I will first look through it and see if it's done like a field guide. If not, I'll purchase something worth my money.

gthang · Jun 2, 2004

Andrew said:
My Favourites list has a lot of links to books I want to get!

I notice that the Americans write a lot of diary style and travelogue books. A lot of the books in my list are by Pete Dunne.

So does mine! Birds of Sri Lanka, Eastern Africa, Gambia, Asia, Antarctica, you name it!

Rasmus Boegh · Jun 2, 2004

gthang said:
So now plan to get Herons and Egrets of the World: A Photographic Journey by James A. Hancock. But I will first look through it and see if it's done like a field guide.

It isn't really a fieldguide, but it certainly does have some beautiful photos...

gthang · Jun 2, 2004

Well, I'll look anyway, from what I saw of it on Amazon.com, it has species accounts, maybe it's colour plates or something...

Rasmus Boegh · Jun 2, 2004

gthang said:
Well, I'll look anyway, from what I saw of it on Amazon.com, it has species accounts, maybe it's colour plates or something...

You are right, it does indeed have species accounts. Anyway, almost all species (a few exceptions i.e. White-eared Night-heron) have colour-photos. I'd consider it more of a "lean back and enjoy this amazing family"-book, and certainly not a fieldguide...

gthang · Jun 2, 2004

Well, I didn't buy the Heron book. Why?

The book's MSRP (Manufacturer's Suggested Retail Price) is $24.95. The book store that I saw it in wanted me to pay 30 bucks for it. No freaking way. So anyhow, I instead bought The Peterson Field Guide to Birds of Mexico. (It seems strange to me that the Peterson Field Guide has not be updated since it's first year of copyright, 1973, since it had Imperial Woodpecker information and range in the guide)

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