I remember this book fondly as my father had and used a previous edition to identify birds around our house when I was a boy in Maine. As such a book is a tool in the field, perhaps some commentary is needed about its qualities as a tool. The pages are glossy and have a thick feel, and the format between soft-back and hard-back is pliable and feels good in the hand. The other tools within the book are useful: a Latin species name index, regular index, and checklist for the species for the reader to tick off when they have seen a specific bird. The map section seems a little overkill as it takes up 20% or so of the pages and I do quite well using the thumbnail size maps listed alongside each species. And the similar, necessary posing of the birds from the side, could be augmented with some different poses: from time to time I see a bird head-on or under it and want the book to validate the girth or other qualities of the bird which can't be done with most of the pictures in the book. Overall, the book is fine, time-tested, and perfect for home use. ( )

OL: "In 1934 my first Field Guide was published, coverint the birds east of thte 90th meridian in North America."

Well illustrated field guide for birdwatchng. ( )

A duplicate copy of the 4th edition. This edition was signed by both Roger Tory and Virginia Marie Peterson, when I met them at a birding symposium. ( )

Not my favorite field guide. The illustrations are excellent, but I don't like having to look up maps in the back of the book. I consider this a good supplemental guide, but it's not one I often carry in the field. ( )