Nature Book Reader June 2020 - Flipbook - Page 36
A Nature Book Reader
DOMINIC COUZENS
Dominic Couzens is a full time writer on natural history
Handbook of Birds
of the World by Josep del Hoyo et al
I’m almost embarrassed to
admit that my no 1 choice is
the mighty, multi-volume
work Handbook of the Birds
of the World. As a writer,
I feel that I really ought to
have chosen something
more artistic and wistful,
something other than a
relatively straightforward
encyclopedia of all the
world’s feathered creatures.
But if I had chosen anything
else, I would have been less
than truthful. After all, if I ever
was to find myself stranded
on a desert island, having a
set of these magnificent books
would do more than just give
me plenty of time to learn
all about birds, but would
be awe-inspiring and good
company too.
Before the launch of
the first volume of HBW in
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1992, nobody ever thought
it would be possible for
any book to illustrate and
describe every species in the
world (10,000 or so). But this
is what the series has done,
and to say that it has been
achieved magnificently is
almost an understatement.
From the stunning colour
paintings and photographs
to the authoritative but
readable texts, it has been a
triumph for the admixture
of art and science: truth and
wonder in one potent mix.
Further Reading
The Whispering
Land by Gerald Durrell
The Web of
Adaptation by David Snow
