Birds & Natural History 2009-2010 Read newsworthy and lively commentary on our new blog at press.princeton.edu/blog press.princeton.edu Contents 8 Princeton Illustrated Checklists 23 Birds of Africa 10 Princeton Field Guides 23 Species Studies 16 Field Guides 24 Insects 17 Identification Guides 25 Of Related Interest 18 Photographic Guides 29 Order Form/Index 20 Reference 22 Princeton Pocket Guides A message from the Editor It’s with great pleasure that we roll out a new Birds and Natural History catalog. We’ve added a significant number of new titles to the list and 2009 promises to be a bumper year. It’s wonderful to have two classic references available in paperback for the first time ever—Macdonald’s Princeton Encyclopedia of Mammals and Perrins’ Princeton Encyclopedia of Birds. These are outstanding books that belong on every naturalist’s shelf. A new Lars Jonsson book is always cause for celebration, and in Lars Jonsson’s Birds we have a mouthwatering collection of much of the master’s recent work, once again confirming him as the doyen of wildlife artists. Jeremy Mynott’s Birdscapes is an intriguing and elegant study of man’s enduring interrelationship with birds, at once insightful, amusing, and informative. We have also just published three new titles in our Princeton Field Guides series, and particular attention should be given to Mark Brazil’s magnificent Birds of East Asia, which covers Japan, Taiwan, Korea, and the eastern Asian seaboard, an area lacking a unifying guide until now, and to Dennis Paulson’s Dragonflies and Damselflies of the West, a richly illustrated, authoritative photographic guide, soon to be followed by a volume on the East. Fall 2009 will see a slew of terrific new titles including new editions of Svensson et al.’s classic field guide, Birds of Europe, and Kays and Wilson’s Mammals of North America. We also have groundbreaking field guides to the birds of Borneo and to the birds of the Horn of Africa, regions poorly served in the literature to date. And I’m especially pleased to announce the publication of Sterry and Small’s two photo guides to the birds of Eastern and Western North America. These books will surely become indispensable references for birders at all levels. Further afield, we have a superb photographic guide to the shorebirds of the Northern Hemi- sphere by Richard Chandler, a world-renowned expert on this group. And, finally, we have Joe Forshaw and Al Gilbert’s stunning, limited- edition work on Trogons. Get it while you can! cover photograph: Brian E. Small (Birds of Robert Kirk Eastern North America, Executive Editor, Field Guides & Natural History by Paul Sterry & Brian E. Small, page 4) New Lars Jonsson’s Birds Paintings from a Near Horizon Lars Jonsson “Everything that Lars applies to paper or canvas is ac- curate. The work may be loose or precise, but it always reflects an intimate knowledge of the subject and its situa- tion. By presenting several points of view, the well-written text achieves a balance so that readers may enjoy Lars’s art on multiple levels. As a bird artist, I particularly appreciate the sound defense of the painting of birds as art.” —John Sill, wildlife artist Lars Jonsson is widely regarded as one of the greatest bird artists of all time—no other painter of his generation captures the true look and feel of birds in the wild so beautifully. This magnificently illustrated volume collects Jonsson’s most recent paintings and drawings, many Features Include published here for the first time, offering a fascinating • Offers an invaluable retrospective of retrospective of the artist’s work from the turn of the the artist’s most recent work new century to today. Lars Jonsson’s Birds features 150 full-color, museum-quality reproductions of works that • Features 150 full-color bird paintings Jonsson painted in the field and that reflect his favorite theme of birds in a wide landscape, such as gulls, waders, • Includes commentaries by Jonsson, ducks, and raptors. pages from his sketchbooks, and more This sumptuous book includes essays by the acclaimed • Provides rare insights into Jonsson’s sculptor Kent Ullberg and museum curator Adam Harris, art and methods as well as commentaries by Jonsson and pages from his sketchbooks that provide rare insights into Jonsson’s incomparable artistry. Lars Jonsson is an internationally renowned artist and ornithologist. 2009. 192 pages. 150 color illus. 10 x 12. Cl: 978-0-691-14151-0 $55.00 Not for sale in the Commonwealth (except Canada) and the European Union press.princeton.edu 1 New The Princeton Encyclopedia of Birds Edited by Christopher Perrins “A treasure. The Princeton Encyclopedia of Birds captures the full display of the birds of the world with wonderful illustrations and engaging prose. From the lavish birds- of-paradise to the stately seriemas, Christopher Perrins and his distinguished colleagues distill their expertise into a powerful work. Beware: one evening with this book could make quests to see exotic world birds your new travel priority.” —Frank B. Gill, author of Ornithology The Princeton Encyclopedia of Birds is a comprehensive and lavishly illustrated reference to the world’s birds. Accessibly written by renowned biologists and conser- vationists, and illustrated in color throughout, the book Features Include provides authoritative and systematic accounts of every bird family, covering form and function, distribution, • Covers all the bird families of the diet, social behavior, breeding biology, and conserva- world tion and status. More than 1,000 superb color photos • Describes form and function, reveal the enormous diversity of birds in their natural distribution, diet, social behavior, habitats, from arctic tundra to tropical rain forest, and a breeding biology, and conservation wealth of beautifully detailed color and line illustrations and status depict representative species from each family and highlight characteristic behaviors. The main articles are • Features more than 1,000 spectacu- complemented by detailed coverage of special topics, lar color photos and illustrations such as how ibises and spoonbills feed by touch, how pigeons find their way home, and how crows store food. • Includes “Factfile” panels with color And throughout the book, numerous “Factfile” panels distribution maps and scale draw- with color distribution maps and scale drawings provide ings for at-a-glance reference at-a-glance overviews of key data. The Princeton Encyclo- pedia of Birds is the definitive one-volume reference—an • Explores special topics in depth essential guide for amateur bird enthusiasts and profes- • Written by leading biologists and sional ornithologists alike. conservationists Christopher Perrins is a distinguished ornithologist, the author of many popular and scholarly books on birds, and a fellow of the Royal Society. A former professor of ornithology at the University of Oxford and former direc- tor of the Edward Grey Institute of Field Ornithology, he is currently a fellow of Wolfson College, Oxford. 2009. 656 pages. 1,186 color illus. 140 line illus. 182 color maps. 8 x 10. Pa: 978-0-691-14070-4 $35.00 For sale only in the U.S. and Canada 2 New The Princeton Encyclopedia of Mammals Edited by David W. Macdonald “The Princeton Encyclopedia of Mammals is a rare treasure that combines spectacular photographs and authoritative, easily accessible text describing the world’s mammals, from aardvarks to zebras and everything in between. Drawing on experts from around the world, this compilation covers an amazing diversity of subjects, including anatomy, behavior, conservation, diseases, ecology, and much more. This encyclopedia will serve scholars, students, and anyone interested in the natural history of mammals.” —Don E. Wilson, National Museum of Natural History The Princeton Encyclopedia of Mammals is the most comprehensive and accessible reference book on mam- mals available. Unsurpassed in scope and stunningly Features Include illustrated, this book covers every known living species, from aardvarks to zorros. The informative and lively text is • Covers every living mammal written by acclaimed researchers from around the world and features a concise general introduction to mammals • Describes form, distribution, behav- followed by detailed accounts of species and groups that ior, status, conservation, and more systematically describe form, distribution, behavior, status, • Features spectacular full-color conservation, and more. There are superb full-color photos photos and illustrations on virtually and illustrations on virtually every page that show the every page animals in their natural settings and highlight their typical behaviors. And throughout the book, numerous “Factfile” • Includes “Factfile” panels with color panels with color distribution maps and scale drawings distribution maps and scale drawings provide at-a-glance overviews of key data. The Princeton for at-a-glance reference Encyclopedia of Mammals is the definitive one-volume resource—a must-have reference book for naturalists and • Written by an international team of a delight for general readers. experts David W. Macdonald is director of the Wildlife Conserva- tion Research Unit and a fellow of Lady Margaret Hall at the University of Oxford. He is an award-winning docu- mentary filmmaker and the author of several books. 2009. 976 pages. 1,529 color illus. 163 line illus. 172 color maps. 8 x 10. Pa: 978-0-691-14069-8 $45.00 For sale only in the U.S. and Canada press.princeton.edu 3 Forthcoming Birds of North America The Photographic Guides Paul Sterry & Brian E. Small Combining informative and accessible text, up-to-date maps, and—above all—stunning color photographs, these are the best and most lavishly illustrated photographic guides to the birds of Eastern and Western North America. All of the images have been carefully selected to convey both the sheer beauty and the key identification features of each bird, and many of the photos are larger than those found in many other guides.