Readers Preference Reviews

This field guide both excels in many ways and is pretty typical in others.  The bird photographs are excellent and the book well organized.  For each bird the author includes average length, weight, and wingspan as well as various notes on habitat, habits and other help for identifying the bird.  Of course there is an extensive index as well as introductory information for each section to help in classifying.  

With stunningly beautiful pictures of California poppies from a truly talented photographer, Golden Poppies of California is a visual feast. The state flower of California, it is well represented in this collection of photographs. While it is the primary flower in the book, it also includes other flowers commonly found in the same area as the poppies. While leafing through the book the reader soon comes to realize why this flower would be chosen for the state flower. The author provides the reader with historical and other information on California and the history of the poppy.

This is the authoritative reference for reef fish throughout the Florida, Caribbean and Bahamas area. The most complete book on reef fish that I have seen, it is easy to use and beautifully illustrated. Each fish has it’s own full color picture along with a line drawing that points out the defining characteristics of that particular species. With a plastic cover and the pages treated to resist water it can be taken to the beach or onto the boat without much concern about the water damaging the book.

Sponges, jellyfish, flat worms, crustaceans, mollusks, star fish, if it is not a fish then it is in this book. This is the authoritative reference for reef creatures (other than fish) throughout the Florida, Caribbean and Bahamas area. The most complete book on reef creatures that I have seen, it is easy to use and beautifully illustrated. Each creature has it’s own full color picture along with a line drawing that points out the defining characteristics of that particular species.

This Reef Coral Identification book is THE definitive guide. In brief there is not a better guide out there. It thoroughly covers each type of coral and gives identification information as well as full color photographs. In addition to all the corals it covers other plant life likely to be encountered while snorkeling or diving. These include grasses, weeds, algae and coral diseases. With a plastic cover and the pages treated to resist water it can be taken to the beach or onto the boat without much concern about the water damaging the book.

Unable to read through the book in one setting, I found myself desperately trying to find ways to get back to it as soon as possible. Who would have thought that you could take the subject of sexual reproduction and evolutionary biology and made it into such a thoroughly entertaining read?

Not really organized like a traditional book this is really a collection of newspaper and magazine articles from the early 1800's through the mid-1900's. The original articles are repeated verbatim complete with comments, misspellings, and colloquial word usage. I found this to be one of the endearing qualities of the book. The author takes a very broad look at unnatural phenomena and includes everything from strange things falling from the sky, to strange apparitions, animals, visions, and just about anything else you can think of that has been reported over the last two hundred years.

Absolutely beautifully done with brilliant colors and well-composed pictures this is a great joy to just look through for all bird lovers or fans of the Arctic Refuge area. But it does not stop there. The writers share their experiences in an excellent educational yet highly readable treatise on their particular subject. Together they introduce the fascinating world of Arctic birds to the reader in a way that is both informative and fun. So, how to you finish off such an excellent book?

As can be surmised from the title, this is a book about the Beluga whale. Specifically it is about the experiences of the author as she shares a wealth of information about the whales, their habits, and the effects of the human culture that surrounds them. Written in a very engaging style that keeps the reader interested in the story line, it also educates them at the same time. Most of the book is about the colony of whales in Cook Inlet, Alaska. It is a story of Alaska's history and culture as well as the history and fate of the Beluga whale.