This stunning edition of one of the most celebrated and highly valued natural history books of all time features impeccably reproduced images of Audubon's original watercolors, along with an introduction by world-renowned ornithologist David Allen Sibley. First published in installments between 1827 and 1838, John James Audubon's collection of life-sized watercolors of North American birds is the standard against which all wildlife illustration is measured. Fewer than 120 copies survive today, locked away in museums and private collections around the world. For this volume, the Natural History Museum in London disbound one of the two original editions it owns, and each of the 435 exquisite hand-colored prints of the original watercolours were photographed using the latest digital scanning technology. From an avocet grazing in a tidal pond to a zenaida dove perched on a flowering branch, each of Audubon's subjects is depicted with the grace and beauty of a living bird in its natural habitat. An avid outdoorsman and explorer, Audubon traveled from Florida to Labrador to Texas and the Dakotas to study and collect his specimens. Straddling the line between science and art, this book mesmerized 19th-century audiences around the world; today it stands as a reminder of the spectacular biodiversity of the North American continent, and of the pioneer spirit that Audubon himself revered.

An artist's uniquely personal journey across America In the nineteenth century, ornithologist and painter John James Audubon set out to create a complete pictorial record of North American birdlife, traveling from Louisiana and the Florida Keys to the Gulf of Saint Lawrence and the cliffs of the Yellowstone River. The resulting work, The Birds of America, stands as a monumental achievement in American art. Over a period of sixteen years, recording his own journey in journals and hundreds of original paintings, renowned French watercolorist Denis Clavreul followed in the naturalist's footsteps. In the Footsteps of Audubon brings together some 250 of Clavreul's stunning watercolors along with illuminating selections from Audubon's journals and several of his paintings. With pencil and brush in hand, Clavreul turns his naturalist's eye and painterly skill to the landscapes that Audubon encountered on his travels, and to the animals and plants that Audubon depicted in his art. A passionate ornithologist, Clavreul sketches birds in the wild with rare dexterity, bringing them vividly to life on the page. He documents his encounters along the way with people who live with nature, many of whom are passionately engaged in preserving it, drawing on his insights as both a biologist and an artist to connect the past, present, and future. A spellbinding, richly evocative journey, In the Footsteps of Audubon is an invitation to see the natural world as Audubon saw it-and to see with new eyes what it has become today.

“I wrote and illustrated this book to help every inquisitive birder, from novice to expert. Whether you can identify six birds or six hundred, you’ll be a better birder if you have a grounding in the real nuts and bolts of what birds look like, and your skills will be even sharper if you know exactly what to look for and how to record what you see.” —David Allen Sibley

The Sibley Guide to Birds and The Sibley Guide to Bird Life and Behavior are both universally acclaimed as the new standard source of species information. And now David Sibley, America’s premier birder and best-known bird artist, takes a new direction; in Sibley’s Birding Basics he is concerned not so much with species as with the general characteristics that influence the appearance of all birds and thus give us the clues to their identity.
To create this guide, David Sibley thought through all the skills that enable him to identify a bird in the few instants it is visible to him. Now he shares that information, integrating an explanation of the identification process with many painted and drawn images of details (such as a feather) or concepts.

Birding Basics begins by reviewing how one can get started as a birder: the equipment necessary, where and when to go birding, and perhaps most important, the essential things to look for when birds appear in the field. Using many illustrations, David Sibley reviews all the basic concepts of bird identification and then describes the variations (of shape, size, and color) that can change the appearance of a bird over time or in different settings. And he issues a warning about “illusions and other pitfalls”—and advice on avoiding them.

The second part of the book, also plentifully illustrated, deals with another set of clues, the major aspects of avian life that differ from species to species: feathers (color, arrangement, shape, molt), behavior and habitat, and sounds.

This scientifically precise, beautifully illustrated volume distills the essence of David Sibley’s own experience and skills, providing a solid introduction to “naming” the birds. With Sibley as your guide, when you learn how to interpret what the feathers, the anatomical structure, the sounds of a bird tell you—when you know the clues that show you why there’s no such thing as “just a duck”—birding will be more fun, and more meaningful. An essential addition to the Sibley shelf!

David Allen Sibley, the preeminent bird-guide author and illustrator, now applies his formidable skills of identification and illustration to the trees of North America.
Monumental in scope but small enough to take into the field, "The Sibley Guide to "Trees is an astonishingly elegant guide to a complex subject. It condenses a huge amount of information about tree identification--more than has ever been collected in a single book--into a logical, accessible, easy-to-use format.
With more than 4,100 meticulous, exquisitely detailed paintings, the "Guide" highlights the often subtle similarities and distinctions between more than 600 tree species--native trees as well as many introduced species. No other guide has ever made field identification so clear.
Features highlighted include:
- leaves (including multiple leaf shapes and fall leaf color)
- bark
- needles
- cones
- flowers
- fruit
- twigs
- silhouettes
More than 500 maps show the complete range, both natural and cultivated, for nearly all species.
Trees are arranged taxonomically, with all related species grouped together. By focusing on the fundamental characteristics of, for example, oaks or chestnuts or hickories, the "Guide" helps the user recognize these basic species groups the same way birders recognize thrushes, warblers, or sparrows.
In addition, there are essays on taxonomy, on the cultivation of trees, and on conservation issues, reflecting Sibley's deep concern with habitat preservation and environmental health.
An important new contribution to our understanding of the natural world, "The Sibley Guide to Trees "will be a necessity for every tree lover, traveler, and naturalist. It is sure to become the new benchmark in field guides to trees.

This handsome box set of 100 postcards features original watercolor illustrations from David Sibley, America's leading ornithologist.
Culled from "The Sibley Field Guide to Birds," each bird is lovingly rendered in watercolors by David Sibley and chosen with their individual beauty and prominence in the country (with special focus on backyard birds) in mind. Housed in an elegant keepsake box, these postcards are ideal for mailing to friends and family, framed and used as decor, or attached to presents as unique gift tags.

"Undoubtedly the finest guide to North American birds."--Guy McCaskie, "Birding"
The publication of "The Sibley Guide to Birds "in 2000 quickly established David Allen Sibley as the author and illustrator of the nation's supreme and most comprehensive guide to birds. Used by millions of birders from novices to the most expert, "The Sibley Guide" became the standard by which natural history guides are measured. The highly anticipated second edition builds on this foundation of excellence, offering massively expanded and updated information, new paintings, new and rare species, and a new, elegant design.
The second edition of this handsome, flexibound volume offers a wealth of improvements and updates:
- All illustrations reproduced 15 to 20 percent larger for better detail.
- Includes nearly 7,000 paintings digitally remastered from original art for enhanced print quality.
- Expanded text includes habitat information and voice description for every species and more tips on finding birds in the field.
- More than 600 new paintings, including illustrations of 115 rare species and additional paintings of common species and regional populations.
- More than 700 updated maps of ranges, showing winter, summer, year-round, migration, and rare ranges.
- 85 bird family pages now cross-referenced to species accounts.
- Revised taxonomic order and most current common names for every species.
"The Sibley Guide to Birds, " second edition, brings the genius of David Allen Sibley to the world once again in a thoroughly updated and expanded volume that every birder must own.