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FATHER'S DAY

City of Fortune, How Venice Ruled the Seas

Roger Crowley

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PROVENCE & THE COTE D'AZUR

A Pig in Provence: Good Food and Simple Pleasures in the South of France

Georgeanne Brennan

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OUR FAVORITES

Arctic Dreams

Barry Lopez

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PENGUIN CLASSICS

The Log from the Sea of Cortez

John Steinbeck

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Birds & Beasts

READING AND TRAVEL GUIDE

Kids

Books for
Bird, The Definitive Visual Guide

Bird, The Definitive Visual Guide

by Ben Hoare

  • NATURAL HISTORY
  • 2009
  • PAPER
  • 512 PAGES

Produced in collaboration with the National Audubon Society, this sumptuous survey presents the diversity of birds (including all the world's bird families), their behavior and conservation with style and authority in thousands of crisp color photographs and elegant accompanying text. (BRD54, $27.95)

Birds of Tropical America

Birds of Tropical America

by Steven Hilty

  • NATURAL HISTORY
  • 2005
  • PAPER
  • 312 PAGES

Hilty serves up essays on how to find and better appreciate the dizzying variety of birds, their habits and habitats, diversity and distribution. (CAM39, $25.00)

The Bedside Book of Beasts

The Bedside Book of Beasts

by Graeme Gibson

  • NATURAL HISTORY
  • 2009
  • HARD COVER
  • 352 PAGES

Gibson brings together literary excerpts, paintings, drawings and essays for this marvelously addictive, terrifically illustrated bestiary. With full-color paintings and excerpts from the likes of Charles Darwin, Peter Matthiessen, Barry Lopez and Edgar Allan Poe. Avian enthusiasts will also enjoy The Bedside Book of Birds (BRD31, $37.50). (BST140, $35.00)

The Bedside Book of Birds

The Bedside Book of Birds

by Graeme Gibson

  • NATURAL HISTORY
  • 2005
  • HARD COVER
  • 352 PAGES

Gibson brings together literary excerpts, paintings, drawings, and essays for this terrifically illustrated ornithological miscellany. (BRD31, $37.50)

Birdsong by the Seasons

Birdsong by the Seasons

by Donald Kroodsma

  • NATURAL HISTORY
  • 2009
  • HARD COVER
  • 384 PAGES

Besotted with birds and birdsong, Donald Kroodsma chronicles a joyous year of exploration, dashing from his home in the Connecticut Valley, down to Florida, to Costa Rica -- 24 tales in all, enhanced by two audio CDs featuring choruses of singing tanagers, warblers, jays, cranes and other familiar feathered friends. (BRD73, $28.00)

National Geographic Illustrated Birds of North America, Folio Edition

National Geographic Illustrated Birds of North America, Folio Edition

by Jonathan Alderfer

  • NATURAL HISTORY
  • 2009
  • HARD COVER
  • 504 PAGES

Both art book and reference, this spectacular book features thousands of exquisite illustrations, range maps and identification details. (USA122, $50.00)

Tigerland, and Other Unintended Destinations

Tigerland, and Other Unintended Destinations

by Eric Dinerstein

  • NATURAL HISTORY
  • 2007
  • PAPER
  • 296 PAGES

Chief scientist at WWF, the engaging Dinerstein chronicles his own coming-of-age as a conservation biologist and globe-trotting adventures in the field in Costa Rica, Ladakh, New Caledonia, East Africa, Galapagos, Montana and Nepal in this enjoyable memoir. (CON30, $25.00)

A Naturalist and Other Beasts

A Naturalist and Other Beasts

by George B. Schaller

  • BIOGRAPHY/MEMOIR
  • 2010
  • PAPER
  • 272 PAGES

The eminent zoologist writes with authority and affection of his many field expeditions over a long career in conservation, including his time among the mountain gorillas in Rwanda, snow leopards in Nepal and his groundbreaking work on giant pandas in Sichuan. (NAT119, $16.95)

Bird Watch

Bird Watch

by Martin Walters

  • NATURAL HISTORY
  • 2011
  • HARD COVER
  • 256 PAGES

Produced in cooperation with BirdLife International, Bird Watch celebrates the beauty and diversity of rare birds and their habitats, showcasing the 1,227 species included on IUCN red list of endangered birds worldwide. (BRD94, $45.00)

Eye to Eye

Eye to Eye

by Frans Lanting

  • NATURAL HISTORY
  • 2009
  • HARD COVER
  • 252 PAGES

A spectacular collection of 140 color photographs focusing on close-ups of animals around the world. Lanting is one of the most imaginative, well-traveled wildlife photographers at work. (GEN75, $19.99)

 
Birds of the World

Birds of the World


by Les Beletsky

  • REFERENCE
  • 2006
  • HARD COVER
  • 528 PAGES

Beletsky (Traveller's Wildlife Guides) corralled 11 leading bird artists for this oversized ornithological celebration featuring 1,600 paintings. (BRD43, $55.00)

On Rare Birds


by Anita Albus

  • REFERENCE
  • 2011
  • HARD COVER
  • 288 PAGES

Award winning writer and artist, Anita Albus, tells and illustrates the unfortunate stories of several extinct or near extinct bird species, including the passenger pigeon, the Carolina parakeet, and the great auk. (BRD102, $24.95)

The Atlas of Birds

The Atlas of Birds


by Mike Unwin

  • REFERENCE
  • 2011
  • PAPER
  • 144 PAGES

An essential reference for birders, this comprehensive, illustrated atlas, organized by family, shows the full diversity of birds. (BRD101, $22.95)

The Backyard Birdsong Guide, Eastern and Central North America

The Backyard Birdsong Guide, Eastern and Central North America


by Donald E. Kroodsma

  • GUIDEBOOK
  • 2008
  • HARD COVER
  • 191 PAGES

Crisply detailed, accurate color illustrations accompany each of 75 recordings of birdsong. With range maps from the Cornell Lab of Ornithology. (BRD68, $29.95)

The Clements Checklist of Birds of the World


by James Clements | John W. Fitzpatrick

  • REFERENCE
  • 2006
  • HARD COVER
  • 855 PAGES

The authoritative reference for serious birders, updated throughout for this sixth edition, covers 9800 species and subspecies with space to record location and date of sightings. (BRD42, $59.95)

Top 100 Birding Sites of the World

Top 100 Birding Sites of the World


by Dominic Couzens

  • GUIDEBOOK
  • 2009
  • HARD COVER
  • 320 PAGES

Whether it's dancing cranes, cassowaries in Queensland, the avian endemics of the Seychelles or the astounding display of lesser flamingos on Africa's Rift Valley lakes, this gorgeous book describes the best spots for birds. Truly global, each entry includes a list of key species, map and travel information. (BRD72, $50.00)

Among Giants, A Life with Whales

Among Giants, A Life with Whales


by Flip Nicklin

  • BIOGRAPHY/MEMOIR
  • 2011
  • HARD COVER
  • 190 PAGES

Humpbacks, narwhals, sperm whales, orcas and other cetaceans parade through this illustrated memoir by the ocean-obsessed, National Geographic photographer Flip Nicklin. (BST200, $40.00)

Last of the Curlews

Last of the Curlews


by Fred Bodsworth

  • LITERATURE
  • 2011
  • PAPER
  • 176 PAGES

A classic, with marvelous illustrations by Abigail Rorer, Fred Bodsworth's haunting novel tracks a solitary Eskimo Curlew from the pampas of Argentina to its summer breeding grounds high above Hudson Bay. This new edition includes a foreword by poet W.S. Merwin, who re-discovered the book, originally published in 1955. Once one of the most numerous shorebirds in North America, the last confirmed sighting of the Eskimo Curlew was in the 1960s and Bodsworth's novel is both an elegy to the bird and cautionary tale about wanton hunting. (BRD92, $14.95)

Mark Twain's Book of Animals

Mark Twain's Book of Animals


by Mark Twain

  • LITERATURE
  • 2009
  • HARD COVER
  • 325 PAGES

The exceptional Barry Moser provides 30 engravings for this miscellany of Twain's undiscovered, rediscovered and celebrated letters, stories and travelogues about animals (BST145, $50.00)

The Audubon Reader

The Audubon Reader


by John James Audubon

  • ANTHOLOGY
  • 2006
  • HARD COVER

A definitive anthology of nature writings by the great artist and ornithologist features Audubon's lively and colorful writings about the American wilderness and its plant and animal life, accompanied by excerpts from his journals, letters, and published works that include his keen profiles of wild birds, accounts of his river journeys with the Osage, and more. (BRD59, $27.50)

A Year on the Wing, Journeys With Birds in Flight


by Tim Dee

  • NATURAL HISTORY
  • 2010
  • PAPER
  • 240 PAGES

Dee mixes his love of birds and of literature into a richly poetic chronicle of a year on the trail of birds and those who have written about them. (BRD90, $15.00)

Albatross: Their World, Their Ways

Albatross: Their World, Their Ways


by Tui De Roy | Mark Jones | Julian Fitter

  • NATURAL HISTORY
  • 2008
  • HARD COVER
  • 240 PAGES

The culmination of a storied career at sea as roving naturalist-photographers, this remarkable collection of 300 photographs of the ocean wanderers, both at sea and on the nest, is not just beautiful. It's also an authoritative survey of the natural history, status and conservation of the world's Diomedeidae. Anyone who has tried to photograph these magnificent birds in flight will appreciate the art, experience and perseverance of De Roy, Jones and Fitter. (BRD64, $49.95)

All the World's Birds

All the World's Birds


by Georges-louis Leclerc comte de Buffon | David Sibley | Francois-Nicolas Martinet

  • NATURAL HISTORY
  • 2008
  • HARD COVER
  • 672 PAGES

A sumptuous new edition of magnificent color engravings from Buffon's Histoire Naturelle, Generale et Particuliere by Francois-Nicolas Martinet, originally published in 36 volumes between 1749 and 1778, with the original descriptive information and an appreciative introduction by David Sibley. (BRD62, $350.00)

Animal, The Definitive Visual Guide to the World's Wildlife

Animal, The Definitive Visual Guide to the World's Wildlife


by Don E. Wilson | David Burnie

  • NATURAL HISTORY
  • 2011
  • PAPER
  • 624 PAGES

A giant reference to wildlife throughout the world, compiled by the Smithsonian and a group of zoologists. From insects, marine life and amphibians to birds and mammals, it runs the gamut. (BST80, $50.00)

Audubon's Birds of America

Audubon's Birds of America


by John James Audubon

  • NATURAL HISTORY
  • 2003
  • HARD COVER
  • 695 PAGES

The spectacular Baby Elephant Folio edition of Audubon's 435 hand-colored engravings. (BRD37, $185.00)

Audubon, Early Drawings


by John James Audubon

  • NATURAL HISTORY
  • 2008
  • BOXED
  • 288 PAGES

Splendid in their own right, these drawings, presented for the first time in a large format and in full color, document Audubon's evolution as an artist. Each of the 116 meticulously reproduced portraits includes Audubon's ornithological notes and commentary. With chapters on Birds of America, European birds and exotic birds and mammals. (BRD79, $125.00)

Birds of a Feather

Birds of a Feather


by Jane Yolen

  • NATURAL HISTORY
  • 2011
  • HARD COVER
  • 32 PAGES

Jason Stemple's gorgeous color photographs accompany captivating avian poems, like these couplets on the Belted kingfisher: ("Hey, girl, fish lover,/ Sitting on the dead gray tree,/ Love the blue Mohawk"). Geared for ages 4-6. (BRD97, $17.95)

Birds of North America, American Museum of Natural History

Birds of North America, American Museum of Natural History


by Francois Vuilleumier

  • NATURAL HISTORY
  • 2010
  • PAPER
  • 744 PAGES

Edited by AMNH ornithologist Francis Vuilleumeir, this big, beautiful birder's reference covers all the birds of North America (yes, including Mexico and Canada) with authority. Six hundred and fifty species get the full-page treatment, each with many color photographs, a concise description, range map and notes on flight, song, nesting, feeding and voice. (NAM54, $34.95)

Birdwatcher, The Life of Roger Tory Peterson

Birdwatcher, The Life of Roger Tory Peterson


by Elizabeth J. Rosenthal

  • NATURAL HISTORY
  • 2010
  • PAPER
  • 448 PAGES

Enlivened with interviews and anecdotes, this entertaining biography captures the spirit of the pioneering naturalist and a generation of birders. (NAT151, $14.95)

Bug Zoo

Bug Zoo


by Nick Baker

  • NATURAL HISTORY
  • 2010
  • HARD COVER
  • 64 PAGES
  • YOUNG READERS (Age 4-8)

This fun, illustrated guide to safely capturing, keeping, feeding and studying backyard bugs will appeal to children aged 5-8. Parents be warned: you may end up with a menagerie of creeping critters. (BST181, $12.99)

Cat

Cat


by Katharine M. Rogers

  • NATURAL HISTORY
  • 2006
  • PAPER

A professor of English, who has also written about dogs, Katharine Rogers covers cross-cultural attitudes toward these beloved felines from their arrival in Egypt to the present in this illustrated history. (BST189, $19.95)

Chasing Neotropical Birds

Chasing Neotropical Birds


by Vera and Bob Thornton

  • NATURAL HISTORY
  • 2005
  • HARD COVER
  • 254 PAGES

A Neotropical sampler, featuring 116 color photographs of dazzling, rare and charming birds of Central and South America. (SAM76, $34.95)

Deadly Kingdom, The Book of Dangerous Animals

Deadly Kingdom, The Book of Dangerous Animals


by Gordon Grice

  • NATURAL HISTORY
  • 2010
  • HARD COVER
  • 308 PAGES

In this darkly funny narrative organized by animal group, amateur naturalist Grice mixes research of exotic species with personal anecdotes about pets and other familiar creatures. He includes nearly every animal that can pose a threat to humans, from worms and house cats to chimpanzees, bears and whales. (BST155, $27.00)

Dog

Dog


by Susan McHugh

  • NATURAL HISTORY
  • 2004
  • PAPER
  • 232 PAGES

Photographs, historic cartoons and paintings festoon this witty social history of man's best friend. (BST188, $19.95)

Essential Ornithology

Essential Ornithology


by Graham Scott

  • NATURAL HISTORY
  • 2010
  • PAPER

Scott's concise, authoritative overview of the biology of birds includes chapters on evolution, physiology, development, migration, ecology and conservation. (BRD88, $55.00)

Insectopedia

Insectopedia


by Hugh Raffles

  • NATURAL HISTORY
  • 2011
  • PAPER
  • 480 PAGES

Raffles packs a lifetime of study into this A-to-Z curio-cabinet of all things about insects. (BST156, $16.95)

Parrot

Parrot


by Paul Carter

  • NATURAL HISTORY
  • 2006
  • PAPER
  • 213 PAGES

An obvious enthusiast, Carter brings wit and scholarship to this spirited cultural history of the psittaciformes, quickly disponesing with the bilogy of the bird to discuss its relationshbip to people and role in art, hiostory and literature. (BRD91, $19.95)

Seabird in the Forest

Seabird in the Forest


by Joan Dunning

  • NATURAL HISTORY
  • 2011
  • HARD COVER
  • 32 PAGES

In this exquisitely illustrated picture book for ages 7-10, Joan Dunning follows the surprising life of the marbled Murrelet, a tiny Pacific seabird which nests, not by the sea like its fellow alcids but hidden inland, high in the trees. (PNW296, $17.95)

Sibley Birds Eighteen Card Set

Sibley Birds Eighteen Card Set


by David Allen Sibley

  • NATURAL HISTORY
  • 2010
  • BOXED
  • 18 PAGES

From finches and hummingbirds to warblers and woodpeckers, this 18-card collection from the award-winning artist features exquisite watercolor illustrations of beloved birds. (BRD81, $24.95)

The Armchair Birder, Discovering the Secret Lives of Familiar Birds


by John Yow

  • NATURAL HISTORY
  • 2011
  • PAPER
  • 245 PAGES

Organized by season, these enjoyable short essays focus on the Cardinal, Pileated Woodpecker, Turkey and other birds of Yow's backyard or nearby Georgia woods. With black-and-white images from John J. Audubon's Birds of America. (BRD106, $20.00)

The Art of Bird Finding

The Art of Bird Finding


by Pete Dunne

  • NATURAL HISTORY
  • 2011
  • PAPER
  • 80 PAGES

Director of the Cape May Bird Observatory, famous as a hawk watcher and equally fascinated by shorebirds and songbirds, Peter Dunne is an outstanding guide to how to have more luck in your search for birds. (BRD96, $14.95)

The Bird, A Natural History of Who Birds Are, Where They Came From, and How They Live

The Bird, A Natural History of Who Birds Are, Where They Came From, and How They Live


by Colin Tudge

  • NATURAL HISTORY
  • 2010
  • PAPER
  • 480 PAGES

Tudge (The Tree) covers everything you ever wondered about birds and much you never considered, from evolutionary roots to social interactions, and includes an "annotated cast list" of all known bird species and black and white illustrations throughout. (BST157, $17.00)

The Practical Naturalist

The Practical Naturalist


by Dorling Kindersley

  • NATURAL HISTORY
  • 2010
  • PAPER
  • 245 PAGES

Families will be inspired to explore the outdoors with this informative, illustrated guide to the natural world, chock-full of color illustrations, identification guides and short chapters on everything from insects and forests to conservation and cloud spotting. (NAT228, $19.95)

The Private Lives of Birds, A Scientist Reveals the Intricacies of Avian Social Life

The Private Lives of Birds, A Scientist Reveals the Intricacies of Avian Social Life


by Bridget Stutchbury

  • NATURAL HISTORY
  • 2010
  • HARD COVER

Biologist Stutchbury's tales of adventure reveal, with drama and wit, why birds do what they do. (BRD89, $25.00)

The Singing Life of Birds, The Art and Science of Listening to Birdsong

The Singing Life of Birds, The Art and Science of Listening to Birdsong


by Donald E. Kroodsma

  • NATURAL HISTORY
  • 2007
  • PAPER
  • 482 PAGES

An account of a life in the field organized around an illuminating, personal analysis of the songs of 30 North American birds (with accompanying CD). With line drawings, tables, charts and sound spectrograms. (BRD22, $16.95)

The Whale

The Whale


by Philip Hoare

  • NATURAL HISTORY
  • 2011
  • PAPER
  • 256 PAGES

A deeply engaging meditation on all things whale. Philip Hoare saves his special love and attention for the sperm whale -- not only via a beautiful literary analysis of Moby Dick -- but also by indulging in a childhood fantasy and actually swimming with the whales in the Azores. (BST144, $15.99)

The Wisdom of Birds, An Illustrated History of Ornithology


by Tim Birkhead

  • NATURAL HISTORY
  • 2008
  • HARD COVER
  • 433 PAGES

Birkhead weaves folklore, science and tales in this beautifully illustrated popular survey of ornithology. (BRD70, $45.00)

Why Birds Sing, A Journey Through the Mystery of Bird Song

Why Birds Sing, A Journey Through the Mystery of Bird Song


by David Rothenberg

  • NATURAL HISTORY
  • 2006
  • PAPER
  • 272 PAGES

Rothenberg, a jazz clarinetist and philosopher with a strong interest in the interconnectedness of things, weaves music, poetry and science in this intriguing series of essays on the meaning and pleasure of birdsong. This new edition comes with a 63-minute CD. (BRD23, $19.95)

Winged Sentinels, Birds and Climate Change

Winged Sentinels, Birds and Climate Change


by Cagan H. Sekercioglu

  • NATURAL HISTORY
  • 2011
  • HARD COVER
  • 262 PAGES

From penguins and puffins, to bowerbirds and bar-tailed godwits, the authors argue persuasively that birds are the bellwether of climate change. (BRD103, $40.00)

Bird Songs Bible, The Complete, Illustrated Reference for North American Birds


by Les Beletsky

  • FIELD GUIDE
  • 2010
  • HARD COVER
  • 536 PAGES

Edited by Les Beletsky (Bird Songs, Backyard Bird Songs), this ingenious, oversized package includes full-page, full-color illustrations of the 750 breeding birds of North America are packaged along with state-of-the-art, push-button audio of birdsongs from the Cornell Laboratory of Ornithology. (BRD83, $125.00)

Birds of Peru

Birds of Peru


by Tom Schulenberg | Dan Stotz | John O'Neill | Dan Lane

  • FIELD GUIDE
  • 2010
  • PAPER
  • 668 PAGES

Gorgeously illustrated, this authoritative guide covers nearly 20% of the world's birds. (PRU55, $39.50)

Field Guide Birds of Brazil

Field Guide Birds of Brazil


by Ber Van Perlo

  • FIELD GUIDE
  • 2009
  • PAPER
  • 496 PAGES

This comprehensive field guide features 187 beautiful full-color plates with 1796 species accounts, including a distribution map for each. (BZL75, $39.95)

Field Guide to the Songbirds of South America, The Passerines

Field Guide to the Songbirds of South America, The Passerines


by Robert Ridgely | Guy Tudor

  • FIELD GUIDE
  • 2009
  • PAPER
  • 736 PAGES
  • NEW

Drawn from The Birds of South America, this field guide features Tudor's magnificent color plates, illustrating 1,500 species of songbirds, new color range maps and a succinct overview of habitat, distribution and abundance. (SAM140, $49.95)

National Geographic Field Guide to the Birds of Eastern North America

National Geographic Field Guide to the Birds of Eastern North America


by Jon Dunn

  • FIELD GUIDE
  • 2008
  • PAPER
  • 431 PAGES

A regional edition of the favorite National Geographic Guide to the Birds of North America. (USE444, $19.95)

National Geographic Field Guide to the Birds of North America

National Geographic Field Guide to the Birds of North America


by Jon Dunn

  • FIELD GUIDE
  • 2011
  • PAPER
  • 576 PAGES

From Alaska to Baja California, Nova Scotia and Florida, this guide is the veteran's choice for birding anywhere in the United States. Tabbed for easy access, the color range maps in this sixth edition are outstanding. (FG09, $27.95)

National Geographic Field Guide to the Birds of Western North America

National Geographic Field Guide to the Birds of Western North America


by Jon Dunn

  • FIELD GUIDE
  • 2008
  • PAPER
  • 448 PAGES

A copiously illustrated guide to every species west of and including the Rockies. (USW562, $19.95)

Peterson Field Guide to Birds of North America

Peterson Field Guide to Birds of North America


by Roger Tory Peterson

  • FIELD GUIDE
  • 2008
  • PAPER
  • 528 PAGES

This revised combo edition of Peterson's classic field guides, published in celebration of the centennial of his birth, includes all new maps and digital enhancements to the master's original paintings. (NAM42, $26.00)

Sibley's Backyard Birds, Eastern North America

Sibley's Backyard Birds, Eastern North America


by David Sibley

  • FIELD GUIDE
  • 2010
  • POSTER

All the common birds are illustrated in color on this poster, as attractive as it is useful. (USE523, $29.95)

Sibley's Backyard Birds, Western North America

Sibley's Backyard Birds, Western North America


by David A. Sibley

  • FIELD GUIDE
  • 2010
  • POSTER

All the common birds are illustrated in color on this poster, as attractive as it is useful. (USW668, $29.95)

More Recommendations

Here are some other groups of books that might be of interest

Longitude provides recommended reading for travelers in partnership with the leading tour operators and travel programs for hundreds of destinations worldwide. We've got the classic, new and hard-to-find books and maps to help you get the most out of your adventures.