Raising Funds for Your Child's School: Over Sixty Great Ideas for Parents and Teachers

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Raising Funds for Your Child's School: Over Sixty Great Ideas for Parents and Teachers
Cynthia Francis Gensheimer
Manufacturer: Walker & Company
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Parent Participation | Education | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books
General | Parenting & Families | Subjects | Books
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Beyond the Bake Sale: The Ultimate School Fund-Raising Book

Fundraising For Dummies (For Dummies (Business & Personal Finance))

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Health o Meter HDC100-01 "Grow with Me" Teddy Bear Scale for Babies and Toddlers

Braun IRT 4020 ThermoScan Ear Thermometer

ASIN: 0802774113

Book Description

Recorded history is a finely-woven magic fabric of intricate lies about events predating the sixteenth century. There is not a single piece of evidence that can be reliably and independently traced back earlier than the eleventh century. This book details events that are substantiated by hard facts and logic, and validated by new astronomical research and statistical analysis of ancient sources.

Customer Reviews:

Calculations are only as good as your numbers.......2007-08-03

Yes, we can all agree that mainstream history is nearly 100% BS due to politics, economics, ego, problems with dating techniques, and various conspiracies. Agreed. But, I've been researching the distinct possibility that human history (in terms of civilizations) are much more ancient than we've been told, so coming across this book was very interesting to me. I wondered how Fomenko could be wrong (if at all) because he is very persuasive in his presentations. Then it dawned on me. If at previous times in prehistory, due to the various catastrophies that are well documented (comets, asteroids, planetary disruptions, plasma discharge, pole reversals, etc) the Earth was in a different position in relation to the sun, different tilt on its axis, different orbit, different rotation (in terms of velocity and DIRECTION), and the continents were in different positions, then would this not cause the ancients to see the sky (constellations) differently? In other words, is Fomenko making erronious assumptions about the physics of the Earth in pre-history, which then corrupt his data with regards to dating the relevant astrology? The last event to seriously disrupt our planet occured roughly 3500 years ago, according to other good researchers, so is it possible Fomenko has been confused by this? The vastly different physics of our planet in the not so distant past may explain this confusion, which is not to say the "mainstream" version of history is correct; on the contrary. I am not an expert in these fields, but wanted to see if this idea could spark discussion.

Pants on fire?.......2007-07-19

Will people ever read before spamming? Yes, Jesuits could not rewrite world history alone, they had help. Anyway, Dr Prof Acad A.Fomenko does not point to jesuits as the driving force of world wide history manipulation in published volumes 1,2,3;, actually he barely mentions the poor devils. Check it with 'Search inside' feature, please. China is rarely mentioned either, in fact, Dr Fomenko is completely eurocentric. Right, his theory contradicts all mainstream schools of history, because in their actual state they are all built on blatantly erroneus chronology. You don't need a mysterious cabal (conspiracy) to falsify history, the falsification is its modus operandi. It is inherent to history(ians) to falsify (distort) events, as it is inherent to humans to boast as it is inherent to power (authority) to legimize itself by referrring to glorious past made to its own order. Dr Prof Fomenko and team have identified scores of instances of such manipulation in Russian, European, etc.. history, and delivered valid statistical proof thereof. His own 'reconstruction' is completely another story. Forget c14 as a valid method of dating. W.Libby has initially discovered a brilliant method of INDEPENDENT dating. Too bad, c14 method has become a joke after a forced marrige with dendrochronology with consensual chronological scale inbuilt. Radiocarbon method can't stand blind tests, but is so very productive as a rubberstamp.

Accepted History & Chronology Must Be Changed. .......2007-04-09

There is no doubt that history as most know it is a sham, & institution's version of History both University & Church is fradulent & inaccurate. Everything was established with an agenda, The real "Dark Ages" are now when we have access to incredible amounts of information past authorities & more important 'common folk' didn't have but our institutions & educators are slow to evolve because of what has ignorantly & arrogantly been taught for too long. This is on many subjects not just Chronology.

For anyone to question "Why would a Mathematician have anything credible to say of History?" The answer is from Dr. Fomenko's preface in the book: "It would be worthwhile to remind the reader that in the XVI-XVII century Chronology was considered to be a subdivision of Mathematics." These volumes could possibly be some of the most important works to date & should be read by everyone with an interest in History, especially professors & educators who have a duty to the public. I have read both books & must say that 'Chronology 1' has some very eye opening & revolutionary information. Even if these volumes are part true the implications are profound & opens the doors to further investigations & questions which must be done. I speak several different lanquages & must say the logic Dr. Fomenko uses with "inflection" of words & words being read from left to right in one region & right to left in another then written backwards, the removal of vowels & get down to basics of words, or different cities & locations having the same name etc. is correct. Vowel usage has always been optional & varied, actually complicating linquistics & study. The first thing one has to understand is that words never had a fixed spelling in history like we do now, the spelling of words was mutable & regional, as well as names & titles of people were vast, varied & changed, NOTHING WAS FIXED or understood linear. Matters of Life & Death as well as financial profiteering yesterday & today were & are made with ignorant, illogical & conspiratorial views of history & reality, it's time people get closer to the Truth & society collectively grow up.

Very Interesting.......2007-03-07

It is a good proposal and I believe it will mature into something even better in the future. I think it deserves to be read.

History as Science Fiction.......2007-01-10

Anatoly Fomenko has written a very intriguing book, full of pictures, charts, and computer 'proof' of his thesis: backwards of AD900 we don't really know what happened or when. Between AD900 and AD1600 there is more certainty, but there is still a lot of fuzzy ground, and things don't get reliable until we get past the 1600's where the printing press made it very difficult for the perpetrators of this timeline manipulation to change anything that had been committed to print. The Dark Ages did not happen. Books were burned for a reason. One organization has doubled the actual length of its existence by expanding the real chronology. Read why.

I had always wondered why Christ died about AD33 and yet men waited until the 11th century to form the Knights Templar, the Cathars, etc and go after the Holy Land by force. Why the 1000 year gap? Turns out there wasn't more than a 10-12 year gap and he proves it using astronomy. This also implies that the planet is not as old as we have been told, and current Christian and other creationist scientists are already championing that idea without being aware of Fomenko's book. The two groups, creationist scientists and the Russian mathematical analysts corroborate each other. Fascinating.

Of course, all this flies in the face of what we have been told traditionally is the 'proper' chronology of western civilization, and most readers will experience 'cognitive dissonance' in reading this book. It means that our history going backwards from AD1600 becomes progressively more incorrect and unreliable until it cannot be trusted at all... in the space of 700-800 years.

Naturally, the curious, open-minded reader will want to know WHO did this, WHY, and did any of the events we think of as really ancient ever happen?
Dr. Fomenko is a respected scientist/mathematician at Moscow State University who has already answered these questions to the satisfaction of his initially skeptical colleagues. Most of them are now believers, a few still refuse to believe (the usual diehards), and of course the western press has ignored Fomenko's work -- for obvious reasons when you read the book. The ones who perpetrated this chronology ruse have a lot to answer for. They are still with us. That's why this book is a well-kept secret.

I gave the book a 4-star rating because I was unable to check out some of his claims; those I checked were as he said. But if even 1/3 of his claims are true, this punches a big hole in what we think is our history, the meaning of western civilization, our educational process (for repeating the ruse as gospel), and the trustworthiness of the organization that perpetrated this ruse, well-intentioned or not.

This book relates to current research into a Young Earth paradigm, to John Keel's discoveries about our planet, and Fr Malachi Martin's insights (in his now out-of-print books). We are indeed sheep who are manipulated and kept ignorant -- for a reason. While knowing what these men have to say may be the "booby prize" (as in: 'what can you do with this knowledge?'), it will provide interesting reading. Didn't someone say: "...and the Truth will set you free."?? For you to judge if this book contains the truth.

The Medieval Fortress: Castles, Forts and Walled Cities of the Middle Ages

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Total Information - Great Line Art - Very Krunchy
A Good General Overview but......
Great study of medieval castles
Medieval Fortress by Kaufmann
Just get it - you will not regret!

The Medieval Fortress: Castles, Forts and Walled Cities of the Middle Ages
H. W. Kaufmann , J. E. Kaufmann , and Robert M. Jurga
Manufacturer: Da Capo Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 0306813580
Release Date: 2004-04-13

Book Description

The castles of the Medieval world continue to interest readers, both as architectural wonders and because of their dramatic role in world history. The general public is largely unaware of just how many castles survive today or over how wide an area of Europe and the Middle East they are to be found.

Fortifications specialists J.E. and H.W. Kaufmann and technical artist Robert Jurga (authors of the acclaimed Fortress Europe: European Fortifications of World War II) have once again combined European sources and personal observations to present a unique portrait of military architecture. They reveal how the medieval fortress combined both Roman and barbarian features, with some influences from as far away as China. Detailed coverage is given to castles in the British Isles, France, Germany, Moorish Spain, and as far east as Poland and Russia, as well as Muslim and Crusader castles in the Middle East.

The Medieval Fortress covers the origin and evolution of the castles and other walled defenses, their major components, and the reasons for their eventual decline, which was not solely due to the introduction of gunpowder. Also receiving extensive coverage are the weapons and equipment of garrisons and besieging troops. Over 100 photographs and 400 extraordinarily detailed technical drawings accompany the main text, which also takes an in-depth look at representative castles of each major type.

Customer Reviews:

Total Information - Great Line Art - Very Krunchy.......2004-11-18

This book starts from the first few pages with an in depth study of the fortified positions of the middle ages - i.e. castles, keeps, etc. Despite a level of detail that may be too in depth for a beginner, the book itself provides a very readable style and is absolutely full of useful information (krunchy bits) for authors or others wishing to make an in depth study of medieval fortifications (ATTENTION GAMERS!). It has hundreds of high quality, albeit sometimes confusing, line art portraits that show each and every aspect of castle or its related cousins (where is #67 again - its sometimes like Where is Waldo finding the numbers referenced in the subtext). The book also has a great deal of information regarding siege techniques and the weapons used therein - and this information is fantastic in its level of detail and the included line art! The included photos are all in B&W, and some are rather grainy, but by far, they all serve the purpose they were intended to - they show the true grandeur of the castle as it was.

Within the text, the authors do have a habit of referencing other authors, which, if your looking for more on the subject, is good. However, by page 80, they have referenced at least 30 other authors and works (is that not what the bibliography is for).

Outside of this one complaint, the book is absolutely invaluable to anyone interested in the subject!

NOTE: This review references the soft-cover red front edition of the book, which I could not find the link for on Amazon (it may be an out of print edition or not, I am not sure - however, the TOC of the this edition appears identical to mine, so I am assuming that the contents have only been repackaged for the HB binding).

A Good General Overview but.............2004-11-17

On the whole, I found this book to quite informative with many detailed descriptions of medieval European castles and cities. On some specific castles the data can be fairly general. I found this to be most obvious on castles that I have been fortunate enough to visit in the past and purchase a guide brochure or booklet from which I naturally compared the data.
I found the section on eastern European fortifications and their developement over the centuries to be very interesting as this was a subject I previously knew very little about.
But I do have one major 'gripe' or dissatisfaction with the book. The detailed and extensive floor plans provided throughout the book all suffer from some serious 'under labelling'. For example, a specific castle floor plan might have 20 itemised (numbered) points or features of interest on it. But when one refers to the "legend' or 'key' to find out what a certain feature is, it becomes painfully obvious that not all 20 features are actually clarified or described in the key. This is a fault that is not isolated and is unfortunately prevalent on the vast majority of floor plans in the book.
I'm not sure whether this problem is peculiar to the published edition I purchased or is in fact inherent throughout the whole published run. In any case it appears to be a large oversite in the 'quality control' department of the book's publication process. Other than these faults, I thought this book to be a good 'read'.

Great study of medieval castles.......2004-06-01

If you've been looking for a complete book on medieval castles, you have found the book for you. Although it touches lightly on such on such areas as medieval food, hygene, and battles, the bulk of this book is an in-depth study of castles. The writing is a bit dry, but very informative, covering fortresses from England, France, Itally, and even eastern Europe. I doubt there is much about castles unsaid in this book.

Medieval Fortress by Kaufmann.......2003-09-30

This is an excellent work. It would be perfect for a student
project with a focus on Middle Ages building designs. The author
provides detailed engineering specifications for castles, forts,
a motte and rising towers. The engineering statics implications
are explained in the detailed design process. The work covers
action implementalities; such as, the ram, siege and cannon.
The author spends a portion of the book explaining how
war objects were constructed during the Middle Age period.

In addition, he concludes that an increase in wall size
necessarily means weakening the overall superstructure.
Some time is spent explaining the model diet for the period
which consisted of wheat, barley, oats and fish. This work
will help readers understand the building requirements
for structures created during the Middle Ages. The book would
be valuable for historians, art buffs, architects, engineers
and a wide constituency of other readers.

Just get it - you will not regret!.......2002-03-26

It does not matter if you all ready are a "fort-geek" or some one, who just want a book on the topic: This book will for sure please you.

"The Medieval Fortress" is a nice big (app. 11" x 8.5" or 28,5 x 22 cm), 319p. book, which covers the development of fortified places through out Europe and North-Africa from the early to the late middle ages - when the forts had their glory.
The book is built up of five main chapters. The First deals with the elements of a fortification; the Second deals in general with the different kind of fortifications in different parts of Europe (Islamic, Byzantine, Frankish, British, Norse, Slavic and Magyar (Hungarian)); the Third does the same, but with emphasis on the emerging castle; the Fourth chapter introduces gunpowder and the decline of the high castle walls through the description of several sieges (Constantinople, Rhodes, and siege of fortifications during the Reconquista); Chapter Five goes in depth with some selected fortifications in Europe: Some of the more famous ones and some more obscure. The reader is guided through fortifications/castles in Great Britain, Ireland, France, Low Countries, Switzerland, Holy Roman Empire, Scandinavia, Central Europe (present day Slovakia, Czechia, Hungary, and Slovenia) Poland, Ukraine, Russia, Eastern Mediterranean, Italy, Spain&Portugal, and North Africa. The appendixes gives the names of some more important builders and architects and their titles in different languages (French, Portugese, Spanish, Duch, Sweedish, and Russian), a chronology of important sieges from 623 (Constantinople) to 1529 (Vienna), a history of medival artillery and a glossary.
There are endless amounts of B/W pictures alongside with even more B/W line drawings and plans of forts, just like on the front cover of the book.

This book is a very good buy!

Book Description

Profusely illustrated discussions offer details of dungeons, keeps, battlements, and drawbridges, along with uses of artillery, trenches, battering rams, mines, and the long-bow. "Will enthrall anyone interested in architecture, military, or medieval history. It is equally accessible to scholars as it is to the general reader." — History in Review.

Knights, Castles, and Warfare in the Middle Ages (World Almanac Library of the Middle Ages)

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Knights, Castles, and Warfare in the Middle Ages (World Almanac Library of the Middle Ages)
Fiona MacDonald
Manufacturer: World Almanac Library
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Medieval | World | History | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 0836859049

Book Description

This new field guide uses all 147 color plates from Princeton's A Guide to the Birds of Western Africa, with concise, authoritative text on facing pages, to create a compact, lightweight field reference covering all 1,285 species found in the region--from Senegal and southern Mauritania east to Chad and the Central African Republic and south to Congo. It is the first field guide to cover this region exclusively and in such comprehensive depth, and will enable birders to identify any species found in any of the twenty-three countries and territories covered.

Birds of Western Africa also has an updated color distribution map for each species, conveniently placed on interleaved pages within the color plates. The plates, all original and painted by the same leading illustrator, comprise over 3,000 figures--including a number of new images painted for this field guide--and depict almost all the species described. The entries opposite the plates focus on key identification marks for all main plumages.

Both authors have gained extensive field experience over many years in western Africa. Their knowledge and expertise shines through in this unprecedented and outstanding field guide to one of the world's most exciting birding regions.

Customer Reviews:

Best West Africa field guide........2007-07-12

This birding guide is outstanding and a must have for any birder or nature lover that visits West Africa. The color plates of over 1250 species are excellent and the range mape are conveniently located. There is pertinent information for each bird that is helpful. This portable guide receives high marks.
Ted Peterson

Birds of Western Africa.......2007-01-19

Excellent feedback from the receiver as it was a gift. Clear, systematic and complete.

Birds of Western and Central Africa (Princeton Illustrated Checklists)

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Superseded for Central Africa

Birds of Western and Central Africa (Princeton Illustrated Checklists)
Ber van Perlo
Manufacturer: Princeton University Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Birdwatching | Outdoors & Nature | Subjects | Books

Reference | Outdoors & Nature | Subjects | Books

ASIN: 0691007144

Book Description

This is the only pocket guide to all the species of bird known to inhabit Western and Central Africa. Ber van Perlo introduces more than 1,500 species through 109 expertly rendered full-color plates and concise, easy-to-consult entries. The territory covered is vast--nearly 2,500 miles down the coast and over 1,000 miles inland, including not only Senegal, Nigeria, and the Democratic Republic of Congo but all or part of Benin, Burkina, Cameroon, Cape Verde, the Central African Republic, Chad, Congo, Côte d'Ivoire, Gabon, The Gambia, Ghana, Equatorial Guinea, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Ghana, Liberia, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Príncipe, São Tomé, Sierra Leone, and Togo.

Characterized mainly by lowlands and the coast but also some mountainous areas, the region is home to a tremendous variety of species in myriad shapes, sizes, and colors--from ostriches, peacocks, and flamingos to raptors and owls, from cuckoos and warblers to parakeets, parrots, turacos, weavers, widows, and woodpeckers. Numerous major wetlands provide homes for herons, storks, ibises and other water birds, including millions of migrants from elsewhere in the world.

The plates show all plumages for each species where these differ, including male, female, and juvenile. Succinct textual entries on each species appear on the facing pages, providing key notes for identification and basic information about habitats and voice. Distribution maps follow in the next section, and an appendix provides the French and Portuguese names. Presenting the most essential, up-to-date information in convenient, highly portable form, Birds of Western and Central Africa is the definitive guide for all birders planning or simply pondering a visit to the region.

The only field guide to illustrate and describe every known species of bird in Western and Central Africa, a vast area stretching nearly 2,500 miles down the coast and over 1,000 miles inland, from Mauritania and Senegal southward to Nigeria all the way to the Democratic Republic of Congo
More than 1,500 species illustrated on 109 full-color plates
All plumages for each species are depicted, including male, female, and juvenile
Text for each species on facing pages, describing distinctive traits, habitat, and voice
Distribution maps, showing range and frequency, further aid identification
Comprehensive, concise, and highly portable

Customer Reviews:

Superseded for Central Africa.......2006-02-12

While comprehensive as a checklist, this book has now been superseded by two excellent books for Central Africa - Birds of Sub-saharan Africa (Ian Sinclair) and Birds of Western Africa (Borrow, Demey)

Drawings are significantly inferior compared to the other two books. Being a checklist information is extremely limited compared to the other books which are genuine field guides. Only possible advantage is size.

Field Guide to the Birds of Western Africa (Helm Field Guides)

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Field Guide to the Birds of Western Africa (Helm Field Guides)
Nik Borrow , and Ron Demey
Manufacturer: Christopher Helm Publishers Ltd
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

The Handbook of Bird Identification for Europe and the Western Palearctic

Average customer rating:

If you want a field guide buy a field guide
The ultimate guide for identification?
An excellently detailed one volume book

The Handbook of Bird Identification for Europe and the Western Palearctic
Mark Beaman , and Steve Madge
Manufacturer: Princeton University Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Birdwatching | Outdoors & Nature | Subjects | Books

Reference | Outdoors & Nature | Subjects | Books

The Shorebird Guide

ASIN: 0691027269

Book Description

Drawing on their unrivaled field experience in Europe, the Middle East, and North Africa, authors Mark Beaman and Steve Madge have combined forces with some of Europe's finest bird artists to produce the region's most comprehensive guide ever. This is the first book to cover every species to have occurred in the region, including vagrants and accidentals--nearly nine hundred species in total. Color illustrations depict each bird and its main plumage stages and subspecies. An extensive text explains all aspects of identification, status, and habitat, while full-color maps within the text offer detailed distributional information.

During the compilation of this book, Beaman and Madge traveled throughout the region, from Iceland and Siberia to the Cape Verde Islands, Egypt, and Georgia. Their field experience is reflected in the breadth and accuracy of the information presented in this guide and in the thorough treatment of difficult or little-known groups. The innovative design of the book makes it accessible to beginning and expert birdwatchers alike. The Handbook of Bird Identification for Europe and the Western Palearctic is the ultimate reference guide for every birdwatcher interested in the region.

Customer Reviews:

If you want a field guide buy a field guide.......2002-12-20

The previous reviewer criticised this for being too heavy to take to the field. That's hardly what it's for! To get 900 birds and this much information into a field guide you had to have had a free magnifying glass to read it. As to complaints that some of its political geography is outdated, Pshaw! A book as good as this takes years to prepare, it's never going to be able to follow the fast changing countries of Eastern Europe. It's irrelvant if Czechoslovakia doesn't exist as a single political entity anymore, everyone knows what area it refers to.
This is a superb achievement but it needs to be judged for what it is not what it doesn't try to be!
If you want a good European bird field guide, the recent Collins book is probably the best field guide for any region ever.

The ultimate guide for identification?.......2000-02-02

I was a little disappointed when I finally got my copy, since I expected more based on the ads and the book's price. I can recommend this book for those collectors who want to have ALL the nice bird books, but a non-European would find it way too heavy to carry in the field, and citizens of almost every European country would find outdated (i.e 10 years old) information on the distribution of several species. Even the country boundaries are representing pre-1990 status in the Eastern part of Europe (Czechoslovakia does not exist as one country any more etc.). While two thumbs down for the distribution maps, the text is OK (although not free of mistakes, either) and the pictures range from mediocre to very good. If you are on a tight budget buy only Svensson et al's Collins Bird Guide (under a different title in the US though) for less than half of this book's price but has excellent pictures and a perfect size for your pocket.

An excellently detailed one volume book.......1999-05-13

This book has a well thought out format with beautiful, detailed illustrations of the species in their different plumages. It is the only current one volume presentation of the birds of the western palearctic. It is thoughtfully written and the distribution maps are nicely detailed and easily understood.

Average customer rating:

I birded Ghana on my own with this guide..94 Lifers!!!
Excellent, but not a "field" guide.
Great Plates

A Guide to the Birds of Western Africa
Ron Demey
Manufacturer: Princeton University Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0691095205

Book Description

This is a major new guide covering the birds of all western African countries, from Senegal and southern Mauritania east to Chad and the Central African Republic and south to Congo. No other field guide covers this region exclusively and in such comprehensive depth.

A Guide to the Birds of Western Africa describes 1,285 species, representing the entire avifauna of the region. There are 147 original color plates, all painted by the same leading illustrator, comprising over 3,000 figures and depicting almost all the species described. The detailed species accounts cover all identification criteria, including differences between similar species, voice, habits, habitat, breeding, distribution, and status. The text also features color distribution maps for over 1,100 species, and numerous line drawings illustrate particular aspects of behavior and identification.

Both authors have gained extensive field experience over many years in western Africa. Their knowledge and expertise shines through in this outstanding guide to one of the world's most exciting birding regions.

Comprehensive coverage of all 1,285 species found in the region
23 separate countries and territories covered
Clear and authoritative text detailing differences between similar species, voice, habits, habitat, breeding, distribution, and status
Over 3,000 original color illustrations, depicting all key plumages
Concise plate captions summarizing key identification pointers
Numerous line drawings illustrating specific aspects of identification and behavior
More than 1,100 color distribution maps

Customer Reviews:

I birded Ghana on my own with this guide..94 Lifers!!!.......2003-12-17

This is a great book for the bird fanatic going on a trip to West Africa. I recently took a 3 weeks' trip birding on my own in Ghana, hitting all the most famous bird spots, and thanks to this book, managed to tick 94 Lifers. Unless you are fortunate enough to get a dedicated Birder Guide, most of the game guides, required accompaniment on walks in all of Ghana's parks and reserves, will not know all that much about bird species. I was able to ID most of my birds with the plates alone, but one or two were defined by the excellent behavioural hints in the text descriptions (e.g. they perfectly described the song flight of the Zitting Cisticola, which I observed every day while in Accra, while the bird itself was difficult to distinguish from the other cisticolas, the one time I got a good look at it perching on a reed). While I still had several "????" birds (who doesn't get those?) and I probably missed a lot more without a professional bird guide, this book enabled me to understand the avian world of West Africa while birding on my own. Yes, it is a heavy tome, but as a painter I was able to sketch birds in the field on a tiny notepad and then look them up in the tome after returning to my lodging. You can take the Princeton paperback "checklist" along as well if you must have a field reference, but don't leave this big book behind! Highly recommended.

Excellent, but not a "field" guide........2002-05-22

This new guide is a "must" for all those interested in African birds. For a field guide, however, it is just a considerable bit too heavy. But if previous guides (Kenya and Northern Tanzania, Indian Subcontinent) are any indication, we may expect a smaller version in due time. Meanwhile, let's just enjoy what has come out. The quality of the color plates varies considerably, but they all range from fairly good to excellent. They are all by the same artist which supposedly ought to guarantee for greater consistency. In this case, it certainly is not so. There are plates that are flat, others come to life vividly; there are plates with lots of blank space whereas others (especially the raptors) are crammed. However, all the plates are most useful, often giving flight pictures for different plumages as well. Overall, color renditions seem to be good, as well. But the Plain Swift on plate 63 should be lighter colored than the Common Swift, whereas it is depicted darker. This is, however just nitpicking when compared with all the faults and deplorable plates found in recent field guides for South America. Thus, once again, birders going to Africa can be envied for another excellent guide they now have available. The text has French names as well (including an index), a good feature in an region that is partly French speaking. The excellent range maps would be more helpful if they would be opposite the plates, but their inclusion in the text allowed for more details. In addition, the caption with the plates already gives a rough indication of the range.

Great Plates.......2002-04-07

This book has to be an enormous improvement over the "old" guide to the birds of west Africa. In October & November of 2001 I used just the plates of this guide while in west Africa. They are fantastic. There are many views of each species, they are all in color, the citations are quite comprehensive and all plates are grouped together. This is the only book you will need in Western Africa - and I havn't even seen the text! But while using just the plates I was able to identify nearly every bird that I saw in one nation in the region.

Average customer rating:

A GUIDE TO THE BIRDS OF WESTERN AFRICA
Nik Demey, Ron Borrow
Manufacturer: Princeton University Press Princeton and Oxford
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000IX0QQM

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