The living bird 100 years of listening to nature

Even in today's world of incredible cameras and spectacular nature photography, this lovely tome stands near the top. A coffee-table offering, it avoids pejorative aspects of that label through thoughtful essays by Barbara -Kingsolver, Jared Diamond, Scott -Weidensaul, and others. Several are by photographer extraordinaire Vyn, whose 250 exquisite shots of birds include close-ups and scenic views with birds in context, plus looks at nests, eggs, and downy offspring. His work has appeared in National Geographic, the New York Times, the BBC, and other major sources. While the book is intended to celebrate the centennial of the August Cornell Lab of Ornithology, this goal is too subtly achieved mostly by the five-page last chapter. Also, the material would have been easier to use if the captions were directly adjacent to the photographs. The cover board illustrations are not identified and many pages are unnumbered. Photographs of the contributors and the three persons profiled would have added interest. VERDICT Despite its issues, this volume's photography makes it recommended for all interested in natural history and photography.-Henry T. Armistead, formerly with Free Lib. of Philadelphia © Copyright 2016. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.