Reviews (3)

Good reference book
This is a pretty good book for identifying the different species of fish, and giving a very brief overview of each species mentioned. however, with 1100 species packed into one book, the descriptions are brief, and the advertised information like temperature and salinity are not listed for all of the species - in fact I would say water temperature and depth are not listed for most.
A must of a field guide
If there is one book that will link people interested in fishes along the Atlantic coast of the US or the Gulf of Mexico... this is it. If you SCUBA dive, fish, keep saltwater aquariums or are an amature or professional naturalist or marine biologist you should have this book. The Best Field Guide for Atlantic Coast Fish
This book is a perfect resource for fishermen, scientists, environmentalists and anyone who would like to learn more about fish and how to identify them.The book has beautiful color and black & whiteillustrations of thousands of fish.The illustrations can be used toquickly identify fish species "in the field".In addition tofield identification keys, the book also details the geographical range,habitat, standard sizes, and a variety of other information regarding everyspecies of fish that can be found from the Florida to Maine, deep seas tocoastal estuaries.This book is an excellent resource and provides veryinteresting information regarding both common and rare species of fish. Highly recommended reading! ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Atlantic coast (North America)    2. Fish    3. Fishes    4. Identification    5. Nature    6. Nature/Ecology    7. Nature / Fish    8. Sea & seashore life   

Reviews (2)

Very informative, shows more than only the best specimens.
I have used this book to refer to numerous times. A great guide to texas fossils
This book is easy to use, informative and quite helpful to the texasfossil hunter. The pictures cover a very broad range of texas fossils, andthough not always in color, are very helpful in identification. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Fossils    2. Nature    3. Paleontology    4. Paleontology (General)    5. Reference    6. Science    7. Science/Mathematics    8. Texas    9. Nature / General    10. Reference works    11. Rocks, minerals & fossils   

Reviews (2)

this is not a field guide
I read the other review and was deceived. The other reviewer made it sound like a field guide comparing it to Peterson.NO!!!!There are a total of 45 color plates covering less than 500 of the about 1500 Brazilian birds and some of these plates are black and white.

Birds in Brazil
Birds in Brazil is a big book, beautifully produced on quality paper.It is exhaustive but never exhausting on the topic of Brazilian birds .The color illustrations are beautiful, but unfortunately they are separate from the text about the birds.That is the book's only fault.The text is in smooth and enticing English, and where the same birds are to be found migrating to the United States, the information is quite comparable in completion and interest to the American field guides of Roger T. Peterson.That leads me to believe that the information about birds that we don't experience will be equally accurate.This book is captivating and well worth the price.It is a coffee-table style book that we will be proud to use and to display. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Birds    2. Birds & Birdwatching - General    3. Brazil    4. Conservation    5. Nature    6. Nature / Field Guide Books    7. Nature/Ecology    8. Ornithology    9. Biological Sciences    10. Birds & birdwatching    11. Birds (ornithology)    12. Birds and Natural History    13. Latin American Studies    14. Nature / Birds & Birdwatching    15. Reference works   

Reviews (6)

Beautiful all-in-one guide to rocks & minerals
What a beautiful book!This coffee table book on rocks and minerals is absolutely stunning.
Lovely book, fine overview of rock collecting basics
This really is an exceptionally beautiful coffee table book.I didn't really have as much use for the photos and descriptions of commercial and artistic uses of the gems as some of the other reviewers, but did appreciate its excellent overview of the basics of mineral collecting.I'm fairly new to the hobby.I have a general idea of different forms of identification, but because this book goes over the basic groundwork so thouroughly, I was able to close up some of the gaps in my knowledge.Because the photographic reproductions are of such excellent quality, I was able to get a really good idea of what was meant by a velvety luster or a conchoidal fracture, etc.I am not qualified to comment on the factual errors in the book.If they really are that egregious, I'm in trouble, because I'm inclined to use this book as a reference.Being naturally cheap I wasn't sure that the book was really worth the list price of $40, but I do think it's worth the $26.40 that Amazon is (currently) asking for.

Astounding in its Gorgeousness...if that is even a word...
I LOVE this book! and, (I know!I know!)although people are not supposed to love things but sometimes my things have given me joy, while people were causing great pains...so I must say I love (some) of my things... as well as and including anyone who had anything to do with producing them and getting them to me!
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Subjects:  1. Minerals    2. Nature    3. Nature / Field Guide Books    4. Nature/Ecology    5. Precious stones    6. Rocks    7. Rocks & Minerals    8. Nature / Rocks & Minerals   

Reviews (10)

Why you might want to buy this book
I bought this book when I was about to go to Hawaii for the first time in my life, to snorkel for the first time in my life.The book made a huge addition to my experience.The pictures are more accurate for fish identification than the cards they give you when you rent snorkel equipment, and of course much more complete.I became personally acquainted with almost 3 dozen different species of fishes; I wouldn't have been able to identify most of them without the book.There is also some interesting background information.If you want to do some serious snokeling in Hawaii and don't already know your fishes, I think you should have this book.

Fun to Read
This book is fun to read due to the nice pictures, user-friendly discussion of each class of fishes, and enjoyable layout. It's coverarge of species is not as thorough as John C. Randall's "Shore Fishes of Hawaii," however. For instance, Randall's book, which is also more compact, covers three times as many lizardfishes. But, nonehteless, "Hawaii's Fishes" is a good referance and a pleasure to browse.

The Definitive Guide to Hawaiian Reef Fish!
Having searched through numerous books on the reef fish of Hawaii, I'd have to say that this book is by far the best currently available.The photographs are clear, the identifications are correct, and even the Hawaiian names for the fish are correct (and correctly spelled, too)!The book is thorough; many books of similar size do not have the inventory of fish that this guide covers.A "must have" book for the Hawaiian snorkeler and scuba diver. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Fish    2. Fishes    3. Hawaii    4. Identification    5. Nature    6. Pictorial works    7. NATURAL HISTORY, COUNTRY LIFE & PETS   

Reviews (12)

Lighthearted, Cowgazing fun.
A nice little book for those of us city dwellers who admire cows, but know little about them. A nice place to begin. One of the most pleasant afternoons I spent recently was sitting with a herd of cows listening to them as they cropped the grass--very soothing and relaxing. Call me crazy....

Big Disappointment
If you are looking for a cutesy book you won't be disappointed.If you are looking for information on identifying cattle of various breeds accurately - keep looking.This book has a cut out mask that you can hold in front of your face so you can moo at cows over the fence.There are no photographs of cows or anything else.Black and white sketches only.Buyer beware!!!

Light-hearted approach to bovine identification
Finding this book has rekindled my interest in the bovine species, and has allowed me to develop a better general understanding of bovine behaviour and the origins and development of the species common to North America.The light-hearted approach makes the book all the more fun and accessable.My only complaint is that the book consists of illustrations; although they are undeniably good, I would have much preferred color photos.Nevertheless a great book for a child with a budding interest in cattle, or the city slicker who wants to know what that cow that doesn't look like a Holstein is called. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Agriculture - Animal Husbandry    2. Animals    3. Canada    4. Cattle    5. General    6. Identification    7. Mammals    8. Nature    9. Nature/Ecology    10. Pictorial works    11. Technology & Industrial Arts    12. United States    13. Farm & working animals    14. Nature / Animals    15. Reference works    16. USA   

Reviews (9)

Tremendous help to this novice
When I started a new hobby of photographing wildflowers, I had no clue on the importance of learning plant families in order to identify them. If I couldn't tell from the picture in a field guide, I was up a creek. "Botany in a Day" was the first book I found that organized the families in a simple, clear way that I could understand and this system has become my main guide for grouping and identification. The herbal information is interesting, but not relevant to my project. I'm very grateful for the help I've received from this book

Good intention, disappointing result
This book could have been a gem for people interested in botany and healing plants, but it does not manage to fill this void.The text is not read by a professional botanist (I assume) and incorrect or dubious facts are common.Furthermore, the text is filled with typos and misspellings that could easily have been caught in a simple spell-checking program. The figures are from older literature and are not well reproduced.The aim with this book, to explain botany in a day, is highly recommendable, but I cannot recommend this book in its present shape and quality-level. A completely corrected, re-formatted, and revised edition of this book is needed. For people interested in the plant families of North America I instead recommend the high-quality work of Zomlefer: Guide to Flowering Plant Families.

A comprehensive guide to plant families
Though definitely *not* a field guide. This book is intended to be an introduction to plant families, and it does a good job at that. All the vascular plant families present in North America are briefly described and identification tips noted. Very few actual species are thoroughly described, though the "medicinal" properties of many species, mostly collected from other sources, are recounted here. This book would be better titled "Herbalism in a Day" as it's long on lists of medicinal uses and short on detailed botanical information. I'm pleased I purchased it, but it would be a inadequate substitute for an actual field guide or flora. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Botany    2. Flowers    3. Herbal Medications    4. Identification    5. Life Sciences - Botany    6. Medicinal plants    7. Nature    8. Nature / Field Guide Books    9. Nature/Ecology    10. Plants - General    11. Science / Botany    12. United States    13. Edible plants    14. Herbs    15. North America    16. Plants    17. Science    18. Therapeutic aspects   

Subjects:  1. Africa    2. Angraecum    3. Flowering Plants (Angiospermae)    4. Flowers - Orchids    5. Gardening    6. Gardening/Plants    7. Nature    8. Nature / Field Guide Books    9. Orchids    10. Plants - General    11. Botany & plant sciences    12. Flowers    13. Gardening / Flowers / Orchids   

Subjects:  1. Algae    2. Fish    3. Identification    4. Life Sciences - Biology - General    5. Life Sciences - Biology - Marine Biology    6. Life Sciences - Botany    7. Marine Flora    8. Marine phytoplankton    9. Reference    10. Science    11. Environmental science    12. Marine biology    13. Oceanography (seas)    14. Phycology, algae & lichens    15. Reference works    16. Science / Environmental Science   

Reviews (8)

An enjoyable read
A pleasant book with great insights into the lives of hummingbirds. Though not technical, there's plenty of information I've never read elsewhere. A great book for the casual observer, for someone who has a feeder, to get to know the birds better. Heidcamp certainly shows an unparalleled degree of devotion to these tiny creatures. This is just a book to sit back and enjoy. The photography, too, is spectacular.

Beautiful and informative
This is a marvelous little book: both captivating narrative and very informative. I've been a great fan of hummingbirds since visiting the aviary at the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum in Tuscon. The author has done a marvelous job of telling us what its like to have a hummingbird in the house on a daily basis. And how lucky Squeak was to find Ms. Heidcamp--some things just seem to happen for a reason. An adorable, heartwarming story
If you like birds in the least bit, you should enjoy this cute story about the tiny but spunky Squeak, the young, male hummingbird whom the author rescues from the frost and keeps in her sun room all winter long.Ms. Heidcamp should be extremely proud that she was able to make such a positive difference in the life of a creature whose species she was already following with a notebook and a passion.Her knowledge of flowers that attract hummingbirds is amazing.So, too, is her ability to stock her sun room with healthy, flowering specimens, ensure the availability of nutritional supplements and patiently regulate both the light and the temperature in the room, all so that Squeak would have what he needed to thrive.Her color photos are beautiful and perfectly illustrate the narrative.I just hope that Ms. Heidcamp someday writes a sequel so we can learnabout Squeak's fate upon leaving his winter home and doting host. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Biography    2. Biography/Autobiography    3. Birds & Birdwatching - General    4. Essays    5. Heidcamp, Arnette    6. Hummingbirds as pets    7. Nature    8. Nature / Field Guide Books    9. New York (State)    10. Ruby-throated hummingbird    11. NATURAL HISTORY, COUNTRY LIFE & PETS    12. Nature / Birds & Birdwatching   

Reviews (8)

its my 10th gem book
and it is a little more technical than the rest (explains things like twinning, establishment of density, calculating specific gravity, cleavage, moh's scale, refractive indices, law of refraction, genesis, cutting, cutting styles etc).
If you need to learn about Gems, this is your book.
I can't believe how much information is in this book.I am just learning about gems.There are so many different gems that are the same color.These pictures are worth 10 times the cost of the book.My 10 year old granddaughter also loves it.
Interesting but lacking variety
Went to a gem show and saw that many folks had this book. Made a mistake and bought it here. I had a MUCH MUCH better book titled Gemstones by Cally Hall. The Simon and Schuster book has fascinating sections on how artificial gems are made and such like info (Doesn't include Moissanite.). However, it does not have any info on many many gemstones readily available today, such as Sphene, Sunstone (state gem of Oregon I'm told)and many others. (You can find these in the Simon and Schuster Rocks and Minerals book). If you are only interested in the mainstream gemstones, this book has them. However, as compared to the Cally Hall book, the info is not as well organized nor are the pictures (though mostly very nice) as useful. I will use this as a backup reference book. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Earth Sciences - Geology    2. Gems    3. Natural Resources    4. Nature    5. Nature/Ecology    6. Precious stones    7. Precious stones, Artificial    8. Rocks & Minerals    9. Nature / General    10. Rocks, minerals & fossils   

Reviews (2)

Excellent guide
I found this to be a superb reference in identifying random bones I've found in the woods. I *like* the simple line drawings--they show the basic shape of the bones nicely--you know exactly what it is you're looking for. I highly recommend it!

Beginner's guide to mammal bones
I purchased this book because at the time there were nobetter books available on the subject. The illustrations are simple line drawings and lack detail. For a book based on identification, I feel this is a majorflaw.It can be used for basic classification of the more common mammals,but if you're looking for something with detail, look elsewhere. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Bones    2. Identification    3. Mammalian Physiology    4. Mammals    5. Nature    6. Nature/Ecology    7. North America    8. Skeleton    9. Animal physiology   

Subjects:  1. Fish    2. Fishes    3. Ichthyology    4. Identification    5. Nature    6. Nature/Ecology    7. North America    8. Nature / Fish   

Subjects:  1. Nature / Field Guide Books    2. Rocks & Minerals   

Reviews (8)

The solace of song
David Rothenberg's lovely book, WHY BIRDS SING: A Journey Through
Uninspiring
With such an inspiring subject this should have been great book, but it's not.Reading this book was like watching a lava lamp - moving (turning pages) but going nowhere.I only read 40 pages before I couldn't bring myself to pick it up again.Good writing grabs you and compels you to continue - this doesn't. Singing birds are inspiring - this book isn't.The CD that came with it closed the lid on the coffin for me.The birds aren't allowed to star here but the author himself. He fails to communicate with the birds who provide great motifs for improvisation - only recall one time on the CD where the author generated a musical idea based on the bird songs.The book and CD are pretentious.

Tuneful, if not an aria.
In this slightly meandering but sincere book, musician and philosopher Rothenberg shows us that there are qualities to birdsong that transcend what science can tell us. Part of that transcendence is their emotional involvement with their songs, and Rothenberg can be counted among earlier authorities--including Len Howard, Charles Hartshorne, and Alexander Skutch--who believe that birds enjoy singing. His enthusiasm is most apparent when the discussion turns to music, and as an amateur musician I also enjoyed perusing the musical scores and sonograms of various feathered songsters.
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Subjects:  1. Bird Behavior    2. Birds & Birdwatching - General    3. General    4. Life Sciences - Zoology - Ornithology    5. Nature    6. Nature / Field Guide Books    7. Nature/Ecology    8. Science    9. Birds & birdwatching   

Reviews (4)

Enjoy Butterflies In Your Yard Or On Your Patio
I love the Stokes Nature Guides. I've owned The Butterfly Book for years. I found that when I followed the book's recommendations and put plants for both caterpillars and adult butterflies in my yard that my enjoyment of butterflies grew. I love all of the pictures of caterpillars and found the instructions for raising caterpillars helpful.
Bird lovers...become butterfly enthusiasts...
I've been enchanted with birds ever since I observed my parents whistling and mocking the mockingbirds who mocked them back. I've been a gardener forever, cursing those creepy caterpillers who devoured this and that. In the past few years I've taken a greater interest in butterflies, and lo what do I discover...the creepy caterpillers turn into the beautiful butterflies if the birds don't eat them first. I knew that of course because like lots of kids, I too brought home the cocoon found on some branch and kept it in a glass jar with holes punched in the top until it did not "hatch." Yes, I said did NOT. I never had any success with this effort so I forgot about caterpillers and cocoons--until I opened STOKES BUTTERFLY BOOK and there are those darn cocoons again. Handy guide
The two things I liked best about this book are the pages devoted toidentifying butterflies by color (it groups them so that if you see onethat is predominantly orange, you can look at the page of orangebutterflies to find the one you're trying to identify), and the pagesdevoted to creating an attractive butterfly garden, with schemes showinghow to arrange plants that attract butterflies. It's not a technical book,thereby making it a good guide for backyard butterfly enthusiasts. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Behavior    2. Butterflies    3. Butterflies & Moths    4. Butterfly gardening    5. Identification    6. Lepidoptera    7. Nature    8. Nature / Field Guide Books    9. Nature/Ecology    10. North America    11. Insects (entomology)    12. Nature / Butterflies   

Reviews (3)

Complete and Intriguing
Growing up around brothers and cousins who fish and swimming in the mighty Atlantic, sharks have been a whisper in my life that may get lost in being at the shore. I have been in the water with sharks, caught sharks, discovered dead sharks washed up on the shore, and played the role of amateur ichthyologist (sp?) when a shark was brought in over four feet long.
AT LAST, AT LAST, AT LAST!!!
It's finally here -- THE DEFINITIVE and COMPLETELY (yes, very literally) EXHAUSTIVE shark guide. I've just picked up my copy and it still feels like a dream. As a serious shark enthusiast, this is the book that I have always dreamed about but has never existed, until now. If you're a shark enthusiast, it would be a tragedy not to acquire this book. Here's why:
A must for shark workers and enthusiasts
If you don't know anything about Leonard Compagno, you should know that he is a very thorough archivist.It was he who cataloged all of the known shark species for the FAO Species Catalog, presumably the basis for this book.The book begins with a small introductory section on sharks (evolution, anatomy, physiology, ecology, etc.) and a key to the families.This is followed by wonderfully drawn color plates of each shark.The individual descriptions of the sharks include a line drawing with notable characters, examples of upper and lower teeth (more if heterodontic), distributions and a short blurb that includes habitat, size, behavior and biology, descriptions and IUCN status.Included are relatively new species and all of the deep-water forms.I cannot imagine needing another guide, at least for the next ten years.New species aren't exactly rolling in.I would recommend, however, a hardback copy for field workers, as paperbacks don't last very long with heavy usage.Also, keep in mind that other elasmobranchs are not included.I have not seen Compagno's much cheaper Collins Guide (only available in hardback), but I do know that this Princeton Guide is worth the money. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Fish    2. Identification    3. Life Sciences - Zoology - Ichthyology    4. Marine Life    5. Nature    6. Nature/Ecology    7. Sharks    8. Biological Sciences    9. Birds and Natural History    10. Fishes (ichthyology)    11. Geography    12. Nature / Fish   

Subjects:  1. Birds & Birdwatching - General    2. Nature    3. Nature / Field Guide Books    4. Nature/Ecology    5. Biological Sciences    6. Birds & birdwatching    7. Birds (ornithology)    8. Birds and Natural History    9. Nature / Birds & Birdwatching   

Editorial Review

Covering tropical marine fishes of the Caribbean, the Gulf of Mexico, Florida, the Bahamas, and Bermuda, this field guide by C. Lavett Smith (curator emeritus, Department of Ichthyology, American Museum of Natural History in New York) sets the tropical-fish standard. There are 417 truly magnificent color photographs evincing the glories of the coral reefs and full-text descriptions for more than 400 species, each with its own range map. In addition, the guide includes maps of the regions, more than 100 fish anatomy illustrations, and close to 800 more brief species descriptions. Easy to use and understand, lightweight, and sturdily constructed for travel, the field guide is a great boon for one's snorkeling or scuba-diving vacations. Read more

Reviews (8)

disappointing
Although there are many fishes accounted for, it has quite a few that are missing, and it would be helpful if more showed pictures of the difference between adult and juveniles.

OK, But Paul Humann's Book is Much Better
A few years ago, I bought the Audubon Society Field Guide to Tropical Marine Fishes and found when I tried to use it in the Florida Keys that there were many fish I couldn't identify. People recommended I buy Paul Humann's book, "Reef Fish Identification."The book is more expensive, but I found it to be far more comprehensive and user friendly. For example, many fish look entirely different when in their "juvenile," "initial" or "terminal" phase, and the "Reef Fish Identification" book has clear photos of each of the three stages shown beside each other, and frequently includes photos of alternate color phases as well.The Audubon book usually just shows a picture of the fish in just one phase, and often not a terribly good photo at that. Next to each photo in the Humann book is an excellent line drawing of the fish, highlighting and labeling which features of a fish are most dependable for identification. The Audubon book includes no such diagrams to aid identification. Finally, the Humann book is based upon both an extensive bibliography and collaboration with field biologists, and if the detailed descriptions in his book of definitive features for discriminating species of fish are correct (and experienced scuba divers tell me they are correct) then some of the pictures in the Audubon guide are actually even misidentified as to species. For example, the Audubon picture labeled as a "Leopard Goby" is almost certainly a picture of an "Orange-sided Goby" (if the Humann book is correct about dark lines outlining the orange rectangles being areliable discriminating feature). If there were no other reef fish identification book available, I would have given the Audubon book more stars, I am usually a great fan of the Audubon Field Guide series, but in comparison with the Humann book it just doesn't rate very well. I should add that I have never met, nor have any private or professional association with, the author of either of these books, so my opinion is not biased by any such affiliation.
Necessary installment.
The Audubon Guide to Tropical Marine Fishes is used for identifying brightly colored fish that are most likely to found in the open ocean or on reefs. This guide is different from its predecessor, "Audubon Guide to Fishes" in many ways. First off, the range is quite different, containing a wider variety of fish. This book also takes up where "Fishes" left off. There were so many species to cover that there needed to be more explanation in a second book, "Tropical Marine Fishes". Read more

Subjects:  1. Atlantic Ocean    2. Fish    3. Fishes    4. Ichthyology    5. Identification    6. Marine fishes    7. Nature    8. Nature / Field Guide Books    9. Reference - General    10. Travel    11. Tropics    12. Fishes (ichthyology)    13. Nature / Fish    14. Reference works    15. TRAVEL & HOLIDAY   

Subjects:  1. Bald eagle    2. Birds & Birdwatching - General    3. Individual Species Of Birds    4. Nature    5. Nature / Field Guide Books    6. Nature/Ecology    7. Pictorial works    8. Subjects & Themes - Plants & Animals    9. Photography / Nature & Wildlife