Book Recommendations

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Recommended Books on Nature

Here is a list of books on nature that I own and highly recommend. I will try to keep coming back to this list on a regular basis and add to it as needed. Besides being a gardener, my interests include all of nature. These are the books I'm recommending in my newest book, The Highway Naturalist.

Most of these are adult books, but many of them are suitable for children with an interest in nature. Giving books on nature to young kids is one of the very best presents you can ever give them. Get them interested; get them hooked on the wild world of nature. You'll be glad you did.

For your own self, give yourself a treat, and stock up on some of these quite amazing books. You'll never regret it.

Tom Ogren

A Golden Nature Guide - St Martins Press. Golden Press, later bought out by St Martins, originally published the Golden Guides. - These are pocket-sized books on insects, mammals, birds, fossils, wildflowers, weeds, rocks and minerals, trees, the planets, and on the weather. Alas, the old Golden Guide called Fishing, is no longer in print…and it's a good one. You can still find it at used bookstores or on the Internet. All the Golden Guides are excellent; all make terrific presents for kids, presents that will stimulate love of nature.

A Natural History of Trees of Eastern and Central North America - Donald Culross Peattie, Boston, MA - Houghton Mifflin Company, 1950; 2nd ed. 1966

A Natural History of Western Trees - D. C. Peattie, Boston, MA - Houghton Mifflin Company, 1953; Reprint as trade paperback with intro by Robert Finch, 1991 - I own many books on trees, and these two are my favorite tree books

A Pocket Guide to Trees - Rutherford Platt - Pocket Books, Dodd, Mead & Co., 4th printing, 1972 - This is an oldie, but a good one, an easy to use, very handy guide to trees of the US.

Fishes of the Pacific Coast: Alaska to Peru, Including the Gulf of California and the Galapagos Islands - (Paperback) Gar Goodson - Stanford, Calif. Stanford University Press, 1988 - My favorite fish book, excellent!

Gem Trails of Utah - James R. Mitchell - Gem Guides Book Company, Baldwin Park, CA. - There are Gem Trails Guides to many western states, and all of them are easy to use, handy guides to finding great places to rockhound.

Hawks, Peterson Field Guides - W.S. Clark, and B.K. Wheeler - Houghton Mifflin Co., Boston, 1987. - A great little book on hawks, eagles, falcons and vultures of North America. Look for it in used bookstores

How to Know the Birds - Roger Tory Peterson - A Mentor Book, New American Library, NY, 1949 - An old book, but a good one; pick up a copy if you can find it.

Insects, Simon & Schuster's Guide to Insects - Simon & Schuster, R. Arnett Jr., and R. L. Jacques Jr., NY 1981 - One of the best general books on insect ID.

National Geographic Field Guide to the Birds of North America, Fifth Edition - Jon L. Dunn and Jonathan Alderfer - This is a very fine book, well worth owning. This might well be the best book on American birds. It comes in a large version and in a smaller on…get the smaller version if you intend to carry it along while you're birdwatching.

Native Trees of Southern California - P. Victor Peterson - University of Berkeley Press, Berkeley, 1968 - This is a great little guide, especially if you're in a western state.

North American Wildlife - edited by Susan Wernert - published by Readers Digest, Pleasantville, NY, and Montreal, 1982 - This wonderful book is out of print, but you can still find inexpensive copies at used bookstores and on the Internet. A real treasure, with fabulous artwork and excellent writing. Would make a great gift for a youngster, but it's well worth having one for yourself, too.

Sibley Field Guide to Birds of Western North America - David Allen Sibley, Alfred A. Knopf - NY 2003 - This is my favorite bird book.

Snakes of North America, Eastern and Central Regions - Alan Tennant - published by Lone Star Books, Lanham, MD, 2003 - This is a very fine, useful book, one of the best on US snakes.

Sport Fish of Florida - Vic Dunaway - 2004 - www.floridasportsman.com This is a fine little book, well illustrated, full of sage advice on catching and identifying Florida fish.

The Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Wildflowers: Eastern and Western versions - Alfred A Knopf - 1979 - Both are excellent, useful books.

The Mammal Guide, Mammals of North America north of Mexico - Ralph S Palmer - Garden City, N.Y., Doubleday, 1954 - This beautiful old book is about as good as it gets on our mammals. Wonderful color drawings and terrific writing from a fellow who knew what he was talking about. Look for it at used bookstores or online, and get you a copy!

Utah Atlas & Gazetteer, 5th edition, 2005 - Published by DeLorme, P.O. Box 298, Yarmouth, Maine 04096. (207) 846-7000 - DeLorme publishes these large, highly detailed topographic maps for most of the western states. They show the GPS grids, all the back roads, the dirt roads, the reservation lands, State lands, the BLM lands, along with camping areas, fishing spots, old mines, and more. They cost about $20 each, and they're well worth it if you're going way off the beaten path.

Western Gem Hunter's Atlas - Published by Cy Johnson & Son, Box 288, 435 N. Roop Street, Susanville, Calif. 96130, 29th edition, 1992 - There are many of these in print and you can find them used at rock shops, used bookstores, or on the Internet. A small, inexpensive book of maps, with locations and notes to most known gemstone spots, old mines, and all the rock shops. Covers from CA to the Dakotas, BC to Texas. This is a great little guide; keep a copy in your vehicle.

Western Reptiles and Amphibians, 3rd edition. - Robert C. Stebbins - Houghton Mifflin, 2003 - This is my very favorite book on reptiles and amphibians, and Stebbins is THE expert.