Cultured Travel Guide Books - Field Guide to the Natural World of New York City |
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List Price: $24.95
Our Price: $12.89
Your Save: $ 12.06 ( 48% )
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Binding: Paperback
Dewey Decimal Number: 917.470443
EAN: 9780801886829
ISBN: 0801886821
Label: The Johns Hopkins University Press
Manufacturer: The Johns Hopkins University Press
Number Of Items: 1
Number Of Pages: 356
Publication Date: 2007-11-30
Publisher: The Johns Hopkins University Press
Studio: The Johns Hopkins University Press |
| Spotlight Customer Reviews: |
Customer Rating: 
Summary: excellent resource
Comment: This book is everything I'd want in a book about the natural history of where I live. Plants, animals, fungi, rocks! I especially love the etymology of all the scientific names and the section that details the traits and histories of all the parks in the area. I aim to visit them all. It's a lot more relaxed than a bird-specific field guide, a more pleasurable read.
Customer Rating: 
Summary: Almost complete
Comment: This book is a handsome, valuable addition to the library (or backpack) of NYC dwelling natural history lovers. Unfortunately, it is not "complete," as several reviews suggest. Missing, for example, is the red-eared slider(Trachemys scripta elegans), the most commonly seen turtle in Central Park. Migrant and occasional bird species, too, are not to be found. The wild turkey is now reestablished on parts of Manhattan, but does not find a place in Day's guide. There are many such oversights; generally, however, I recommend the book.
Customer Rating:
Summary: NYC's amazing treasure trove of nature!
Comment: "What a wonderful resource NYC has in Leslie Day. I purchased her recently released book (hardcover edition) Field Guide to the Natural World of New York City, and was so impressed by her knowledge and intense communion with nature. This book is a work of art! Illustrated by Mark A. Klingler and containing many photographs taken by Dr. Day herself, it is a piece to be treasured. It is so complete, comprehensive and beautifully edited. It is also amazingly user friendly. Thank you Leslie Day for your dedication to NYC and the enlightening of nature lovers everywhere."
Customer Rating:
Summary: Mourning Doves have blue eyes
Comment:
Leslie Day describes her book perfectly in the first chapter:
"Today the city is a complex ecosystem, the result of its tumultuous history. Hundreds of species of birds inhabit its streets, parks and waters. Insects, worms, crustaceans, fish, amphibians, reptiles, birds,mammals, trees, wildflowers, and mushrooms are within walking distance of virtually every apartment building, house, and hotel. The city has more than 500 miles of coastline, some fringed with saltwater marshes, such as the islands of Jamaica Bay in Queens. New York's 37,000 acres of parks contain hundreds of species waiting to be discovered, identified, and appreciated by the reader. This guide is designed to make the natural world of New York City accessible by revealing the living and diverse, and ancient geological treasures the city has to offer."
She describes her book with the help of well done drawings by Mark A. Klingler and a number of color photographs. Day is a keen observer: we've fed dozens of mourning doves over the years, but I've never noticed the color of their eyes. As she told a "New York Times" reporter: "If you look closely in their eyes, they are blue. It's startlingly beautiful."
(During the same interview walking around a single block, Day identified several trees and a lichen: Willow Oak, Honey Locust, Sophora Tree (aka "Eve's Necklace"), three Callery Pears, Mulberry (with two types of leaves: some egg-shaped, others lobed), London Plane, several Lindens, and, of course, a Gingko.)
Day maintains an interesting website devoted to the Guide, and posts short, informative, well illustrated updates on new developments in New York City. The last few entries included a Harp Seal at the Boat Basin on 79th Street (where she lives on a house boat), Winter Weeping Willows, and Canvas Back Ducks.
This is a very human view of one of our greenest cities.
Robert C. Ross 2008
Customer Rating:
Summary: Thank You Amazon for the Field Guide to Birds in NYC
Comment: BTW, I was born Brooklyn in 1926. My family "emigrated" to Staten Island in the early 1930s. Having last lived on rural Lighthouse Hill on Staten Island in 1951 I am well-acquainted with Staten Island's flora and fauna.
The best endorsement I can give is the fact that I originally bought this book for a friend who is an avid birder in Connecticut. She was so impressed with it that I bought one for myself. Now I am a birder (albeit, an old bird!).
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| Editorial Reviews: |
New York just might be the most biologically diverse city in temperate America. The five boroughs sit atop one of the most naturally rich sites in North America, directly under the Atlantic migratory flyway, at the mouth of a 300-mile-long river, and on three islands -- Manhattan, Staten, and Long. Leslie Day, a New York City naturalist, reveals this amazing world in her Field Guide to the Natural World of New York City. Combining the stunning paintings of Mark A. Klingler with a variety of photographs and maps, this book is a complete guide for the urban naturalist -- with tips on identifying the city's flora and fauna and maps showing the nearest subway stop. Here is your personal guide to the real wild side of America's largest city. Throw it in your backpack, hop on the subway, and explore.
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