Natural history and bird books

My passion for wildlife has been the driving force to write books over the years, below are a few that I have written on natural history, but most about birds.

Book Reviews

As a frequent writer, I know all too well about book reviews. It’s probably a subject to avoid. However, there are times when a book by another author or group of authors comes out that is so good (or bad) that it deserves extra recognition. To this end, I include here some titles that I heartily recommend.

People often ask me about my own favourite books. As an author, books are one of the delights of my life and so it is a pleasure to flag when something special comes along.

Surprisingly, the title of “World’s best bird book” is an easy one to allocate. The various volumes of Handbook of Birds of the World, published by Lynx Edicions in Barcelona, are peerless. They cover basic details of every bird in the world (with beautiful but accurate paintings), and include up to date and highly detailed accounts of every family, enlivened with top-of-the-range photographs. A great deal of stuff in my latest book has been extracted from these volumes. They are pricey, but worth every penny.

Handbook of Mammals of the World

At the moment, Lynx have turned their attention to mammals, and are part way through Handbook of Mammals of the World. Their most offering (Volume 4) is a sumptuous treatise on Sea Mammals, including whales, dolphins, manatees and seals (even though seals, as you might know, are these days considered to be modified carnivores). Every sea mammal species is painted to a high standard, with males, females and variants where appropriate, and the family sections have an incredible selection of photographs (an aerial of Humpback Whales bubble-feeding is my personal favourite). This book, and the series, is the reading equivalent of fine dining. It exudes excellence. If you have 160 euros (remember, that’s one night at a posh restaurant), that will guarantee plenty of long-lasting delight.

Hardcover: 614 pages
Publisher: Lynx Edicions (1 July 2014)
Language: English
ISBN-13: 978-8496553934

Handbook of Mammals of the World

At the moment, Lynx have turned their attention to mammals, and are part way through Handbook of Mammals of the World. Their most offering (Volume 4) is a sumptuous treatise on Sea Mammals, including whales, dolphins, manatees and seals (even though seals, as you might know, are these days considered to be modified carnivores). Every sea mammal species is painted to a high standard, with males, females and variants where appropriate, and the family sections have an incredible selection of photographs (an aerial of Humpback Whales bubble-feeding is my personal favourite). This book, and the series, is the reading equivalent of fine dining. It exudes excellence. If you have 160 euros (remember, that’s one night at a posh restaurant), that will guarantee plenty of long-lasting delight.

Hardcover: 614 pages
Publisher: Lynx Edicions (1 July 2014)
Language: English
ISBN-13: 978-8496553934