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 enlarge | Author: Roger Tory Peterson
Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Co
Category: Book
List Price: $26.00
Buy New: $14.28
You Save: $11.72 (45%)
New (42) Used (13) from $11.75
Rating:  12 reviews
Sales Rank: 10303
Media: Vinyl Bound
Edition: 1
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 544
Shipping Weight (lbs): 2.6
Dimensions (in): 9.1 x 6.3 x 1.2
ISBN: 0618966145
Dewey Decimal Number: 598.097
EAN: 9780618966141
ASIN: 0618966145
Publication Date: August 1, 2008
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Condition: Absolutely Brand New & In Stock. 100% 30-Day Money Back. Direct from our warehouse. Ships by USPS. 1+ million customers served-In business since 1986. Happy Customers is Our #1 Goal. Toll Free Support
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| Customer Reviews:
 Peterson Field Guide to Birds of North America September 30, 2008
0 out of 1 found this review helpful
This is an excellent resource for bird lovers. I have been able to identify birds at my feeders that eluded me before. I recommend this book to any novice or experienced bird watchers.
 Nothing Special September 25, 2008
4 out of 5 found this review helpful
In simple terms, as far as I can see, this book is a merger of the Eastern and Western Field Guides, using the same material. Of course no one can argue with the quality of that material. In an attempt to minimize the size, a large number of birds and pictures have been crammed on to each page, and I sometimes find it difficult to to tell which pictures go with which bird, especially birds that I'm not familiar with or which are similar. The dimensions of the book are larger than the field guides, and it seems unnaturally heavy for its size. I use the book as a reference but I won't be carrying it into the field.
I think the Peterson organization needs to come to grips with the fact Roger T. is gone. In order to remain a leader in the field guide business they will need to recruit new artists to provide new or updated pictures for their work. As of now this will be the last Peterson Bird Guide I buy until I see there is something new and different. In the last few years a number of really excellent new guides have appeared that already make Peterson second choice. The biggest plus the current East and West editions have is that they are small, and with this book they have lost that completely. Current versions of the National Geographic guide, the Sibley Guide to Birds and the Smithsonian Field Guide to the Birds (Ted Floyd edition) are probably all better bets as an all-around bird reference.
 Large well orginized book with inaccurate maps. September 22, 2008
4 out of 12 found this review helpful
This is my first Peterson guide and I love nearly everything about it. No other guide helps differentiate similar species. Unfortunately the maps negate the advantages of the written info. I took this large field guide out over the weekend to the St. Marks NWR near Tallahassee and I noticed a few of the birds I saw do not visit Florida according to maps in this field guide. Once at home I browsed through the book and noticed numerous common birds to Florida that were shown not to visit Florida according to Petersons, however their range was included in the Sibleys and National Geographic guides.
Petersons guide goes into great detail to help readers quickly identify key points to distinguish nearly identical birds. One of the quickest ways to narrow down the identity of a mysterious bird is to check out its range in a field guide. Unfortunately if you refer to the Petersons guide you may not find the bird you saw because a quick glance at the range map would tell you the bird does not visit your area even though it is right in front of you.
This new Petersons guide is a beautiful book and the best way to learn key characteristics of similar birds while at home. However this book does not belong in the field due to the incomplete maps and it's large size.
 "Helpful" and "indispensable" September 13, 2008
7 out of 8 found this review helpful
The reviews here on Amazon and elsewhere describe the great value of this lovely tribute to Roger Tory Peterson for anyone interested in birds in the United State and Canada. It was fun to compare those reviews with how the first of Peterson's books was received back in 1934; here's John Kieran writing for "The New York Times":
'This handy volume is offered as "a bird book on a new plan," possibly under the influence of the New Deal in wider but not always greener fields. The jacket warning includes the public notice that "This book will at once take its place as an indispensable pocket companion for Eastern bird students, both beginning and advanced." If the word "helpful" is substituted for the word "indispensable," this reviewer will accept the claim without further question.' (The entire review appears in the first Comment.)
Over the next decades, the jacket's claim proved to be prescient; for me and for many other bird lovers the book became not only "helpful" but "indispensable". We have three well annotated versions in our library, one stored right next a pair of binoculars.
Peterson's contributions to birding continue with the publisher of this memorial volume; "The mission of the Roger Tory Peterson Institute of Natural History is to continue the legacy of Roger Tory Peterson by promoting the teaching and study of nature, and to thereby create knowledge of and appreciation and responsibility for the natural world."
Today there are a large number of excellent guidebooks which make Peterson "helpful" but no longer strictly "indispensable"; here's my personal checklist of some other great birding books and resources:
The Sibley Guide to Birds with its wonderful paintings.
The Kaufman Field Guide to Birds of North America with its excellent photographs.
The National Geographic Complete Birds of North America with its comprehensive coverage of all birds north of Mexico.
Pete Dunne's Essential Field Guide Companion: A Comprehensive Resource for Identifying North American Birds describing birds in words only.
The Smithsonian Field Guide to the Birds of North America by Ted Floyd with multiple photos and CDs of bird songs.
And, of course, the almost limitless resources offered by the Cornell Laboratory of Ornithology such as A Field Guide to Bird Songs: Eastern and Central North America
One can carp a bit about the title; "North America" apparently excludes Mexico, which has a tenth the area of the US and Canada but 30 percent more bird species. Birds of Mexico and Central America (Princeton Illustrated Checklists) is a great way to start exploring the birds of that part of North America.
Nonetheless, Kieran's summary paragraph is still absolutely accurate: "But for the amateur, the eager bird student, the text and charts will be a real help in the big days afield or the quiet evenings at home when a satisfying expedition has been completed, or an even more ambitious one is being planned."
I would argue this book is still "indispensable" for any bird lover's library, simply as a collector's item, but much more for its great beauty and for it's wonderful "feel" in the hand and and when lying flat on the table.
Robert C. Ross 2008
Miles to go before I sleep August 26, 2008
17 out of 19 found this review helpful
I have deep respect for the life and achievements of Roger Tory Peterson. His impact on ornithology, ecology, avian medicine, wildlife art and birdwatching have often been underestimated.
The latest edition of the guide melds East and West and does a great deal to upgrade coverage of Western species through enlarged maps and improved digital renderings.
My problem with the Peterson series has been occasionally inaccurate renderings of some common common species -- the Barred Owl is one example -- which might cause a novice to misidentify an individual in the field.
Many bird enthusiasts purchase and use a variety of field guides because each has its strengths and liabilities. Sibley is the strongest on artistic renderings. Peterson is the best for species differentiation. Smithsonian's excels because of its bird-call DVD. For anyone who wants an all-in-one, National Geographic's Fifth Edition is probably a best bet.
As for the podcast benefits advertised on the cover -- they are continually available to bird-lovers on the net at Roger Tory Peterson Institute's site without a book purchase.
One of te best perks of purchasing this book is a free, one-year membership in The Roger Tory Institute in Jamestown, New York.
I purchased this volume as a tribute to the series and because so many of the renderings of species are excellent. I also appreciate the fact that all maps have been enlarged so that old people like me can see them.
Production values for the book are superb, without question the best field-guide binding available in print. While the paper stock has some annoying opacity, it really doesn't get in the way.
Diurnal raptor fans should look elsewhere -- Brian Wheeler's guides are a good choice. Owl fans should reach for Lynch or Johnsgard.
More than worth the price for its editorial strength and production values.
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