I know there will always be debates about digital vs. painted, but it does seem as though technology has finally caught up with imagination. All three of the PUP books featured use digital photographs to present birds in realistic poses and activities. To borrow a very early Crossley tag line, PUP seems to be inaugurating a new wave of reality birding (or at least reality birding books!).
The catalog’s cover image is Pale-madibled Toucan (Pteroglossus erythropygius). The beautiful photo is by John Kricher, author of Tropical Ecology, one of the many great books featured in this year’s catalog.
Check out these favorites in new paperback editions:
I’ve been working with Richard Crossley for over a year now on The Crossley ID Guide: Eastern Birds, and even I learned some new things about him in this short and sweet profile at Birding is Fun!
How does Richard answer this questions: “What is your favorite bird sighting and what is the story behind it?”
I have a few. Sleeping in a barn for 3 days, waiting for a big storm to come at St Ives, Cornwall I 1983. It was worth the wait and still remains the greatest seawatch in Britain (10,000 British Storm Petrels, 100 Sabine’s Gulls, tens of 1,000s of Shearwaters, 100s of Jaegers and Skuas etc).
Finding Thailand’s first Little Stint mixed in with Red-necked Stints at long range in non-breeding plumage when they were supposedly unidentifiable (1987) is also up there as an individual bird.
Click over to learn what field guides are his favorite, what his biggest birding-related pet peeve is, and what his plans are for the future.
Don’t miss your chance to meet acclaimed birder and photographer, Richard Crossley! Richard will be at Labyrinth Books on May 21st in Princeton to present on his newest birding book, The Crossley ID Guide. By making identification easier, more accurate, and more fun than ever before, The Crossley ID Guide completely redefines how its users look at birds. Essential for all birders, it also promises to make new birders of many people who have despaired of using traditional guides.
Richard Crossley is an internationally acclaimed birder and photographer who has been birding since age 7 and who, by age 21, had hitchhiked more than 100,000 miles chasing birds across his native Britain and Europe. His love of the outdoors and his interest in teaching, design, and technology have shaped his unique vision for the future of birding and bird books. He is excited by the prospect of using new technologies to bring “reality birding” to a wide audience through many different media. He is a spokesperson for Nikon Sports Optics and coauthor of The Shorebird Guide, and lives with his wife and two daughters in Cape May, New Jersey.
This is the answer to the age-old question “How does he do it?” Anyone who has admired birds from afar and then looked through their favorite bird book at the close-up photographs has wondered, “How do they get so close to the birds?” Well, here’s Richard’s take on it.
This stunningly illustrated book from acclaimed birder and photographer Richard Crossley revolutionizes field guide design by providing the first real-life approach to identification. Whether you are a beginner, expert, or anywhere in between, The Crossley ID Guide will vastly improve your ability to identify birds.
Revolutionary. This book changes field guide design to make you a better birder
A picture says a thousand words. The most comprehensive guide: 640 stunning scenes created from 10,000 of the author’s photographs
Reality birding. Lifelike in-focus scenes show birds in their habitats, from near and far, and in all plumages and behaviors
Teaching and reference. The first book to accurately portray all the key identification characteristics: size, shape, behavior, probability, and color
Practice makes perfect. An interactive learning experience to sharpen and test field identification skills
Bird like the experts. The first book to simplify birding and help you understand how to bird like the best
“What’s so different about the Crossley ID Guide? Everything. Crossley has designed his guide to reflect the way we see and identify birds. We identify birds by their size, shape, structure, behavior, habitat, and field marks. We [see] birds at close range, at middle and long distances, on the ground, in flight, in trees, and on the water. . . . If you want to be a better birder you will find the new Crossley ID Guide to be [a] major innovation and a valuable tool.”–Wayne Mones, Audubon.org
Like videos? Check out our Crossley Media Room where you will find the Crossley ID Tips featured video, “Don’t be Afraid to Make Mistakes” and also view the other Crossley videos. There are still more to come.
And for an informative and entertaining time, attend one of Richard’s upcoming appearances on his book tour:
4/8/11 Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center, Austin, TX
Don’t miss your chance to meet acclaimed birder and photographer Richard Crossley at these exciting Spring events hosted throughout the United States. From Maryland to Texas and back up to the North East, these are some truly unique book talks, signings and festivals that you won’t want to miss! Hope to see you all there!
April 5: Meet Richard Crossley at Woodend Sanctuary, Chevy Chase, MD. Tuesday, April 5 at 7:30pm. Hosted by the Audubon Naturalist Society. Click here for more info.
April 9: Richard Crossley will be signing books at FeatherFest in Galveston, TX on April 9. Click here for more info.
April 11: Meet Richard Crossley at the Collingswood Public Library, 771 Haddon Ave., Collingswood, NJ on Monday, April 11, 7:00pm - 10:00pm. Hosted by the Audubon Wildlife Society. Click here for more info.
April 12: Don’t miss your chance to see Richard Crossley the American Museum of Natural History: Lidner Theater, New York, NY on Tuesday, April 12, 7:30pm - 10:30pm. Hosted by the Linnaean Society. Click here for more info.
April 13: Richard Crossley will be at New York City Audubon, 5th Ave. and 64th St., on Wednesday, April 13, 6:00pm - 7:30pm. Click here for more info.
Featuring commentary and interviews from Princeton University Press authors, the PUP Blog is a highly respected, timely and indispensable source for learning, understanding and reflection.
John Riutta, of the Well-Read Naturalist blog, has written a terrific article about the history and future of bird book publishing. We are proud to see many of our recent bird guides mentioned in the article at Bird Watcher’s Digest: http://www.birdwatchersdigest-digital.com/birdwatchersdigest/20110910?folio=52.
