Favourite books of 2014 (1 Viewer)

[Melanie]

Well, 2014 was a rather expensive year, but I've got some of the most interesting books I've ever bought.

Beginning with January, I've got my last missing volume of the Original HBW series (HBW 7 Jacamars to Woodpecker). Than I've made two errors. I've bought two single volumes of Kingdons Mammals of Africa without knowing that there was later a really good offer of the complete work. Now I have two volumes twice. Other works I've bought this year included Handbook of the Mammals of the World vol. 4, The HBW and Birdlife Illustrated Checklist vol. 1, Strahans Mammals of Australia (1995), Gorman's Woodpeckers of the World, Badam's Pleistocene Fauna of India with special Reference to the Siwaliks (1980), Birds of New Guinea by Pratt & Beehler, Ceballos: Mammals of Mexico, Goodman & Jungers: Extinct Madagascar: Picturing the Island's Past, Snailing Round the South Seas: The Partula Story by Justin Gerlach, The Action Plan for Australian Mammals 2012. The longest waiting time was for Voodoo Salon by Errol Fuller. It was intended for January but I've got it in November 2014. The biggest surprise of the year was when I've got the two volumes from the Manual of the Flowering Plants of Hawaii as a gift from an acquaintance from Wikipedia.

 

[MJB]

Well, 2014 was a rather expensive year, but I've got some of the most interesting books I've ever bought.

Beginning with January, I've got my last missing volume of the Original HBW series (HBW 7 Jacamars to Woodpecker). Than I've made two errors. I've bought two single volumes of Kingdons Mammals of Africa without knowing that there was later a really good offer of the complete work. Now I have two volumes twice. Other works I've bought this year included Handbook of the Mammals of the World vol. 4, The HBW and Birdlife Illustrated Checklist vol. 1, Strahans Mammals of Australia (1995), Gorman's Woodpeckers of the World, Badam's Pleistocene Fauna of India with special Reference to the Siwaliks (1980), Birds of New Guinea by Pratt & Beehler, Ceballos: Mammals of Mexico, Goodman & Jungers: Extinct Madagascar: Picturing the Island's Past, Snailing Round the South Seas: The Partula Story by Justin Gerlach, The Action Plan for Australian Mammals 2012. The longest waiting time was for Voodoo Salon by Errol Fuller. It was intended for January but I've got it in November 2014. The biggest surprise of the year was when I've got the two volumes from the Manual of the Flowering Plants of Hawaii as a gift from an acquaintance from Wikipedia.

My Christmas is complete now:king:: I'm steadily going through "Life on the Edge - The Coming of Age of Quantum Biology" by Jim Al-Khalili and Johnjoe McFadden (Bantam Press) - from bird navigation to the impulse of Life itself, it's a mind-stretching exercise that might counteract some of the effects of the festive season! It's utterly fascinating, but it makes your brain ache just a bit!:eek!:
MJB

 

[Swissboy]

The Illustrated Checklist (HBW) vol 1 is definitely my absolute highlight for this year. Just wish vol.2 would become available sooner than what is now scheduled.
Further favorites are HMW vol 4, and field guides: Birds of New Guinea (which I'll most likely never be able to use in the field) and Birds of Central Asia (which I actually already bought the previous year but was now able to really appreciate in the field).

 

[Peewit]

http://bookshop.theguardian.com/index.php/h-is-for-hawk.html

H is for 'Hawk' by Helen Macdonald

Read a shot article about this author in the Telegraph, and was hooked to what she described in her world.

Fabulous read, and the text is so memorable to read many times over. The use and power of words is something else to behold.

Regards
Kathy
x

 

[lewis20126]

The Illustrated Checklist (HBW) vol 1 is definitely my absolute highlight for this year.

No contest at all. Brilliant. :t:

cheers, a

 

[dalat]

The Illustrated Checklist (HBW) vol 1 is definitely my absolute highlight for this year.

I hope for me as well I made it clear to everyone, that this year, only a single present is needed ... hope it helped.

 

[JonasNordin]

Can't agree on the Birds of New Guinea. Unfortunately it was the greatest disappointment of the year. Long-awaited and eagerly anticipated but failed to live up to the expectations due to the sub-standard artwork (a great pity Szabolcs Kokay didn't do more plates) and poorly formatted text part.

// Jonas

 

[Jim M.]

I'd go with "Ten Thousand Birds: Ornithology since Darwin" by Birkhead, et al. Birds, science, history, and great human interest stories--what more could you want? Esp. nice as an eBook.

 

[Swissboy]

I hope for me as well I made it clear to everyone, that this year, only a single present is needed ... hope it helped.

Good Luck!

 

[Telephoto Paul]

Published last year but I waited for the paperback: George Monbiot's Feral.

 

[JTweedie]

I've just finished reading H is for Hawk and agree with Kathy that it was a fantastic book, and a worthy winner of the Samuel Johnson Prize. It is intensely well written, personal and very perceptive.

There are many fine books out there full of interesting stories, anecdotes, facts and illustrations, but rarely are they as poetic as this book. It's a privilege to have such a talented writer working today, I hope we see more from her.

 

[Andy Hurley]

My wife bought me Migration Hotspots, by Tim Harris for Christmas. I've flicked through only, but it answers a lot of questions I have and gives me some great wishlist destinations to see visible migrations as they happen.