"...Fascinating and well-researched volume. The Mearnses show how valuable the collections of bird skins amassed over the past 150 years are to modern ornithology. The exploits of the collectors, and the hardships they endured, make absorbing reading. A fascinating and well researched volume."
--NEW SCIENTIST
"It is clearly indicated that the work of bird collectors has been fundamental and essential for ornithology, including avian conservation. General readers; upper-division undergraduate and graduate students [will all want this book]."
--CHOICE
"The organization, readability, and content of this book make it a valuable resource for readers interested in birds, the history of science, or the uses of scientific speciments."
--SCIENCE BOOKS AND FILMS
"We owe a considerable debt to the intrepid collectors, without whom we would still have a very poor conception of bird biodiversity."
--JOURNAL OF ECOLOGY
"Most of the major and controversial moral and ethical issues are at least touched upon. The Mearns write well, and the topic is an engrossing one."
--WINGING IT
"A great deal of our ornithological knowledge comes from the study of bird skins, especially from explorers visiting remote regions. The authors present a fascinating account of these collectors, looking at the methods used, the trips undertaken and the ethics involved."
--BIRDWATCHING
"This is a mighty study from the Poyser stable of adventurous men and women who travelled to the remotest corners of the world from the late 18th century in pursuit of birds for museums. It is an un-PC tale of shooting and bird's-nesting, but that is how most of the world's birds were discovered and described. A well-researched piece of social history, full of resounding names and eccentric characters."
--BRITISH WILDLIFE
"This is an extraordinary book."
--WADER STUDY GROUP BULLETIN
"The Mearns have produced an extremely readable book and, if nothing else, it reminds us of the great efforts and adventures behind much of our knowledge of bird species today."
--BTO NEWS
"Makes fascinating reading. Dip into this book and enjoy it as a casual or more serious birder, or if you are interested in exploration and biography... you will soon come to admire the authors and the work that has resulted in such an interesting and thought provoking volume."
--BABBLER
"Barbara and Richard Mearns have put together a fascinating contribution to the history of ornithology."
--IBIS
"Anyone who engages in debate on the subject without having first read this book and its references on the topic is simply adding heat to the arguments rather than providing enlightenment. The Mearns' book will give much pleasure to those who want to know more about the roots of ornithological science."
--HABITAT
"All in all, this is an excellent book to dip into."
--BIRDING WORLD
"This is not only a useful reference book, it is also a good read."
--BRITISH BIRDS
"This is a brilliant book, essential for the ornithological historian."
--BULLETIN OF THE JOURDAIN SOCIETY
"This is a very readable and fascinating book with a strong message that collecting has had, and continues to have, an important role in ornithological research."
--BRITISH ECOLOGICAL SOCIETY BULLETIN
"The book is full of stories of adventure, discovery, tragedy and triumph and illustrated with portraits and photographs of many extraordinary people: a remarkable piece of research."
--BIRDS
"The narrative here is redolent with the essence of earlier and wholly exciting times of discovery - uncharted territory and birds new to science at every turn: in short, a golden age of discovery. The pool of material drawn on is so rich that it could hardly fail as an absorbing read."
--BIRDWATCH
"This scholarly and well-written book examines, in great detail, not only the period, but the individual lives of the men and women who found, and often names, the world's birds. The book deals well with the ethical and practical issues, but it also provides a wonderful insight into the explorers and the travails they faces. Anyone interested in the history of ornithology should consider the book, and anyone involved in the collective debate will find it an invaluable resource."
--BIRD WATCHER'S DIGEST
"A unique and important addition to the ornithological literature."
--BIRDWATCHER'S YEARBOOK 1999
"Nowhere else will one find such a nearly complete world list of scientific voyages, of surgeon-naturalists of all nationalities, of collectors who perished during their pursuits, or of scientific collections lost to fires and shipwrecks, to name but a few of the book's valuable contributions. We recommend this book for university and municipal libraries and for anyone with more than a passing interest in the history of natural history."
--THE AUK
"Whatever your views on this subject, there is much of interest in this work and its tales of great adventure."
--ATROPOS 4
"The Mearns have collected an amazing amount of information about the early days of ornithology in their scholarly previous volumes as well as the present issue in this series for which we can be eternally thankful. Many of the early field collectors are little known, yet they often risked or even lost their lives in the pursuit of birds. The authors show the importance and variety of their work, as well as telling great tales of exploration and adventure in pursuit of a better knowledge of the world's birds."
--INDIANA AUDUBON QUARTERLY
"This is a book not only for the museum worker but for all who are interested in the history of ornithology."
--BULL. B.O.C.
"This is a most interesting and readable history and with it well illustrated that places in perspective the life and times of the bird collectors - those great travellers and explorers who collected bird specimens in the far corners of the earth to either add to their own collections or those of others."
--HONEYGUIDE
"Overall this book provides an excellent single source on the amazing array of persons who built our avian collections, and should be read by anyone with an interest in birds or the history of science."
--CANADIAN FIELD NATURALIST
"I found this a most interesting book, well worth the reading for anyone who holds an opinion about collecting versus non-collecting, or the history of ornithology."
--THE BIRD OBSERVER
"The birdwatchers of the past were among the greatest adventurers in human history.
The Bird Collectors succeeds on several fronts. First, it provides a kaleidoscopic portrayal of the ornithological personalities and passions that preceded us. Second, it offers a modern yet sympathetic assessment of the ethical and scientific issues that confronted the bird-lovers of yesteryear. And third, it reminds us of the powerful transcultural links between ourselves and our ornithological forebears. In
The Bird Collectors, the Mearnses demonstrate that they remain the most gifted ornithological biographers of our generation."
--Ted Floyd in BIRDING (June 1999)
"Highly recommended by
British Birds and the
British Trust for Ornithology"
--BTO NEWS (September - October 1999)
