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ID Handbook of European Birds - thoughts, comments thread (3 Viewers)
- Thread starter Winterdune
- Start date
I have it through the dedicated Princeton app and am still waiting for a fix to even be able to open the book on my phone, although they did say they are working on it.
I just tried the sample pages in Play Books with all wifi/data/bluetooth etc off, and that seems to work, but it doesn’t look to like dark mode on my phone at least.
I just tried the sample pages in Play Books with all wifi/data/bluetooth etc off, and that seems to work, but it doesn’t look to like dark mode on my phone at least.
ajfossey
Well-known member
I’ve left a review on the Princeton App as the .PDF version certainly doesn’t work on my Android phone. Despite suggestions that I’d be contacted, I haven’t been. Like you, I also received similar emails assuring me that they were working on a fix.
I have now purchased the full Google Play Books version and am happy to confirm it works. I also can see the ‘dark mode’ is a non starter, but at least I have it working on my phone in the ‘white mode’ and that appears to work well, which is a total improvement over the Princeton App!
I now see dark theme can be turned off in app, so I’ve requested a refund if the Princeton app can’t be fixed, and will likely go the Playbooks route.
kuzeycem
Medicinal Birding
Just bought it from Play Books and it opens fine, but I'm not totally happy with the resolution. There also some weird artifacts on the backgrounds and some images, as well as a weird case of clones in one page. Anyone else with these problems?
Attachments
Same duplication issue on Princeton pdf version, but not my hard copy.
ajfossey
Well-known member
I’ve been viewing on an Android Samsung Ultra in landscape mode and experienced few issues, but I do see the duplication, however, I also see this both on the Apple version of both the Play Books and the Apple Princeton App version (not visible on the printed version).
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I have done so, and it works perfectly on both my phone and tablet.
kuzeycem
Medicinal Birding
I see, good to know it's not just a Play Books thing. Thanks.
Julian H
Well-known member
Interesting production comments. I would expect typographical things to occurr in all books of this depth and detail. As a photographer/designer, color management is tough depending on how the individual image was processed using which color profile. Was the processing of all images (curves, sharpening, assigned color profile) done by one person with a consistent workflow?
Printing has always been a tough issue and thus some images may be affected in some areas, but hopefully there is some proofing stage in the production process where this can be adjusted if overly dominant in one color.
I'm getting my copies soon from the Princeton warehouse here in the US, so hopefully be doing a review of the content soon.
Printing has always been a tough issue and thus some images may be affected in some areas, but hopefully there is some proofing stage in the production process where this can be adjusted if overly dominant in one color.
I'm getting my copies soon from the Princeton warehouse here in the US, so hopefully be doing a review of the content soon.
nkbj
Niels Kristian Bech Jensen
My copy arrived Yesterday. No trimming or binding errors, but the known blue parts on e.g. 1w Caspian Tern etc.
A small niggle is that the biography is not reworked where English translations of some titles exist. The French or Dutch titles are kept in place.
All in all it is a great reference though.
Regards,
Niels Kristian
A small niggle is that the biography is not reworked where English translations of some titles exist. The French or Dutch titles are kept in place.
All in all it is a great reference though.
Regards,
Niels Kristian
I got my refund from Princeton re their app version, and am now on the Google Play version. Navigation is pretty poor, but I guess I can at least now open the book on my phone, so that is a step forward.
Winterdune
Well-known member
It's in all copies
Thanks very much @Winterdune
Winterdune
Well-known member
I think a fair comment is that the text really focuses on the visual appearance of birds for id purposes: plumage, bare parts, structure etc, but is less useful for behavioural differences which frequently aid identification. For example, Buzzard often hovers, and this can be a useful way to fairly quickly eliminate Honey Buzzard when you aren't sure on plumage or structure, but this isn't mentioned. I can think of other examples too.
Nevertheless it's a great book (or pair of books!).
John Cantelo
Well-known member
Having been away from home for several weeks until the weekend I was pleased that my copy of the book arrived this morning. I was less pleased to find that both volumes were damaged (despite good packaging). I could live with the 'bumped' corners but the tear on the spine looks like it could quickly grow and weaken the book's integrity. I hope that my supplier hasn't sold out!
Meanwhile, the odd minor caveat aside I was well pleased with the content!
Meanwhile, the odd minor caveat aside I was well pleased with the content!
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Julian H
Well-known member
Delivered by Ace Ventura I see! 🤣
Hope they replace those for you.
John Cantelo
Well-known member
I've now had time to peruse the volumes, and, as others have suggested, they're a tour de force. The volume of information presented is outstanding and there can be few if any birders who won't learn a huge amount from their pages. I'd go so far as to say that, the odd birding genius aside, readers will learn something new on pretty much every page. There's no doubting the huge authority vested in these books and it would be an act of great temerity for a mediocre birder like me to level any serious criticism of the volumes. However, I am up for a bit of petty niggling!
1 - the lack of behavioural traits useful in identification (tail dipping, etc)
2 - the entire absence of notes on vocalisations. This becomes particularly irritating when, for example, it writes (of Iberian Chiffchaff) "In the field certain ID without vocalisations is difficult" but doesn't give you any clue what those vocalisations may be! Ideally, every text should have a QR code linking to a sound file (as other books are starting to do) or at the very least some sort of descriptive note where vocalisations are noted as critical for ID
3 - that annoying white strip at the foot of every page (I said I was being petty) .... vocalisations could go there!
4 - absence of maps. I understand why they were omitted but I wish they hadn't been!
5 - judicious use of bold/italic type to pull out vital words would be helpful.
6 - following the recent trend by using a "throw-the-book-out of-the-window" index where the alphabetical order is determined by the first word of their English name (so you need to know it's now Mediterranean Short-toed Lark, not Lesser Short-toed Lark and Penduline Tit is Eurasian Penduline Tit to find out where they may be found). To be fair, inside the front cover there's a pictorial family index but that's no good for those of us who instinctively turn to the index at the back.
7 - as these books are not going to be lugged out into the field then a larger format (a la 'The Handbook of Western Palearctic Birds) would have allowed for a more readable typeface for older birders like me (and that's most of us in the UK these days!). A slipcase would have been nice too!
So far so petty, so I'll reiterate that these two volumes are superb and fully deserve all the plaudits coming their way when they're reviewed in the birding press.
1 - the lack of behavioural traits useful in identification (tail dipping, etc)
2 - the entire absence of notes on vocalisations. This becomes particularly irritating when, for example, it writes (of Iberian Chiffchaff) "In the field certain ID without vocalisations is difficult" but doesn't give you any clue what those vocalisations may be! Ideally, every text should have a QR code linking to a sound file (as other books are starting to do) or at the very least some sort of descriptive note where vocalisations are noted as critical for ID
3 - that annoying white strip at the foot of every page (I said I was being petty) .... vocalisations could go there!
4 - absence of maps. I understand why they were omitted but I wish they hadn't been!
5 - judicious use of bold/italic type to pull out vital words would be helpful.
6 - following the recent trend by using a "throw-the-book-out of-the-window" index where the alphabetical order is determined by the first word of their English name (so you need to know it's now Mediterranean Short-toed Lark, not Lesser Short-toed Lark and Penduline Tit is Eurasian Penduline Tit to find out where they may be found). To be fair, inside the front cover there's a pictorial family index but that's no good for those of us who instinctively turn to the index at the back.
7 - as these books are not going to be lugged out into the field then a larger format (a la 'The Handbook of Western Palearctic Birds) would have allowed for a more readable typeface for older birders like me (and that's most of us in the UK these days!). A slipcase would have been nice too!
So far so petty, so I'll reiterate that these two volumes are superb and fully deserve all the plaudits coming their way when they're reviewed in the birding press.
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