Extraordinary Birds: Essays and Plates of Rare Book Selections from the American Museum of Natural History Library (Natural Histories) Hardcover – October 1, 2013

“A Field Guide to the Birds” was published In 1934 – it became the genesis that converted bird watching into a multimillion dollar sport. The book was authored by Roger Tory Peterson, a bird illustrator (and a bird watcher).“Extraordinary Birds” is a 400 year journey illustrating (pardon the pun) contributions made by bird illustrators in the support of the development of field ornithology and the study of natural history in general.Each essay is succinct yet informative. I have been birding for over 60 years and thought I knew a lot about bird illustrators but after reading Extraordinary Birds I confess my knowledge of the field and the men who helped to grow it, especially in the early years, was next to zero. Among other things I was enlightened to read about the meeting between Wilson and Audubon, and Wilson’s possible e influence on Audubon’s decision to create his epic volume. I wondered what might have been different if that meeting never occurred.I admit my interest centered more on the illustrators but juxtaposing the explorers with the artist completes details of each era covered.The fine illustration of works by the early artist shows the evolution of bird art during the period covered in the book. In addition the package includes a bonus, in the form of free standing prints of the illustrations found in the book, each suitable for framing.Extraordinary Birds is a worthy addition to the library of every bird watcher or anyone interested in the history of the development of bird art.

Absolutely beautiful box, book and prints! I'm framing 4 of them but as of yet haven't been able to narrow down which 4! They are just beautiful. The paper is not plain copy paper, it's a nice higher quality paper.

This is a beautifully written addition to my collection of bird related books. The plates are awesome too!

Extraordinarily beautiful book about extraordinarily birds,. The writing is so informative and the plates are simply beautiful. This is a whole course of birding info and history packaged into one of the most elegant books I have ever seen/owned. A real gem!

Lovely plates, some of which will be framed. Nice book and essays. This was a gift and the recipient loved it.

This is a beautiful and thoughtful collection of prose and images. It would make an ideal gift for a lover of natural history and art.

Not as beautiful as expected.

Great book for the enthusiasts.