National Geographic Illustrated Birds of North America, Folio Edition |  | Authors: Jon L. Dunn, Jonathan Alderfer
Publisher: National Geographic
Category: Book
List Price: $50.00
Buy New: $30.00
as of 3/21/2010 09:51 CDT details
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Rating:  2 reviews
Sales Rank: 283504
Media: Hardcover
Pages: 504
Number Of Items: 1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 5.5
Dimensions (in): 12 x 9.4 x 1.7
ISBN: 1426205252
Dewey Decimal Number: 598.097
EAN: 9781426205255
ASIN: 1426205252
Publication Date: October 20, 2009
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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| Editorial Reviews:
Amazon.com Review
Book Description
Building on the superb foundation of the National Geographic field guide—in print continuously for more than a quarter-century—this generously-sized folio edition combines the award-winning features that have distinguished our portable guide with magnificently detailed oversize artwork in keeping with the Audubon tradition of bird illustration.
Rescaled and enlarged to 150 percent of original size, the guide’s 4,000-plus illustrations of North America’s 970 bird species enable readers to appreciate every brushstroke of the beautiful artwork. With 700 enlarged and updated range maps based on the latest science, the book also showcases the richly detailed work of National Geographic’s world-famous cartographers.
Presented as both hardworking desk reference and as sumptuous art book, this highly collectible volume will be a stunning and practical addition to every birder’s reference library, sure to be coveted by bird lovers, art lovers, and collectors of beautiful books alike. This unique volume can be equally admired on a coffee table and consulted as an essential reference.
Look Inside National Geographic Illustrated Birds of North America Click on thumbnails for larger images  |  |  |  |  | Pied-billed Grebe
(illustrated by Jonathan Alderfer) | Red Phalarope
(illustrated by Killian Mullarney) | Thick-billed Parrot
(illustrated by N. John Schmitt) | Ringed Kingfisher
(illustrated by Donald L. Malick) | Pileated Woodpecker
(illustrated by Donald L. Malick) |
 |  |  |  | Brown Shrike
(illustrated by David Quinn) | Townsend’s Solitaire
(illustrated by Diane Pierce) | Mississippi Kite
(illustrated by Donald L. Malick) | Dickcissel
(illustrated by Diane Pierce) |
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| Customer Reviews:
Birds of North America in a beautifully illustrated coffee table book February 15, 2010
J. Fogerty (sun city roseville)
National Geographic knows how to produce books with magnificent drawings and illustrations of nature subjects that are top notch in quality, in accuracy and of the finest detail. National Geographic is the master of the genre. You might glance at a book on a coffee table and start to thumb through it and never rejoin your hosts in conversation. Yes, they are dangerously addictive. National Geographic Illustrated Birds of North America, Folio Edition, is such a book.
The National Geographic Field Guide is now available in a "Coffee Table" or" Library" Edition. October 25, 2009
J. Guild (Toronto,Canada)
7 out of 7 found this review helpful
Make no mistake about it;this is a beautiful edition of what I believe is the most popular bird identification book for Birds of North America.If you decide to order this book for yourself, or someone you know loves birds, or is a Birder of any level of expertise;be forewarned this is identical in nearly every way to the popular "National Geographic Field Guide to the Birds of North America" 5th Edition ;edited by Jon Dunn and Jonathan Alderfer ;except that it is twice the size and weight,has a hard cover,dust jacket, and is really a book to be kept at home on a desk or coffee table,and ideal for a classroom or a library.So,don't be disappointed by assuming that it is anything but a large version of the field guide that has been around for 25 years and in its 5th revised edition.In other words,it is simply too large to be carried around while Birding.
These comments are meant to be helpful,rather than to be negative about this excellent Edition.
If you want to know more about the contents of this book,I suggest you read my review dated November 9,2006,along with others,on "The National Geographic Field Guide to the Birds of North America" by Jon Dunn and Jonathan Alderfer.Other than an enlarged edition,they are essentially identical ,right down to the number of pages,text about each bird species, and the plates and illustrations of each bird species.In other words,pick any page,for instance,the text and plates for the Kingfishers are on pages 280 and 281 in both books.
As to the illustrations themselves,they are identical except enlarged.In the Field Guide the distance from the tip of the bill to the tip of the tail of the Ringed Kingfisher measutrs 4";while it measures 5 1/2" in this book;definitely somewhat larger,but otherwise identical.The text is identical in both books.
There are some other minor differences.With the enlargement of the illustrations, there is a little better definition in sone of the streaking etc. on some species;and overall the colors are slightly sharper in the larger book.On some plates ,the illustrations have been moved a bit to reduce crowding,see the plate on page 311;but there is no change where illustrations have parts covered by accompanying male and female plumages,see 344.The larger plate sizes tend to give them a slightly less crowded look.There have been a number of range maps added for some species that were without them in the Field Guide,for instance,Berylline Hummingbird on page 272 ,White -eared Hummingbird on page 275,and Pink-footed Goose on page 20. The cover flaps and thumbtabs ,a great addition in the latest Field guide,are left out and not necessary in this large edition.
The overall construction,paper quality ,printing and color are all excellent as well as the price.
In summary,these two books are both excellent,but serve different purposes.One is really meant for Birding in the field,while the other is ideal for indoor use.
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