National Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Trees--W: Western Region (National Audubon Society Field Guides) [Imitation Leather]

Elbert L. Little (Author)

Book Description

Series: National Audubon Society Field Guides

All 933 identification pictures are full-color photos of significant details of virtually all native trees and many cultivated species as you see them in their natural habitat.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

More than 300 species of trees are found in the United States and Canada west of the Rocky Mountains, some introduced from other continents but many native to the region. This handsome guidebook covers them all, with photographs that enable identification by easily discernible characteristics: by, for example, the shape of the leaf or needle, by the fruit, or by the flower or cone. The photographs are linked to texts that describe a tree's physical characteristics, habitat, and range. Some of the trees covered in this volume are exceedingly rare, such as the Monterey pine; others are locally abundant but limited in range, such as the Joshua tree; still others, such as the quaking aspen, are widespread. This guidebook is an essential addition to any western outdoor enthusiast's collection. --Gregory McNamee

From the Inside Flap

All 933 identification pictures are full-color photos of significant details of virtually all native trees and many cultivated species as you see them in their natural habitat.

Product Details

• Imitation Leather: 640 pages
• Publisher: Knopf; Chanticleer Press ed edition (June 12, 1980)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0394507614
• ISBN-13: 978-0394507613
• Product Dimensions: 4 x 1 x 7.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #26,896 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #13 in Books > Professional & Technical > Professional Science > Biological Sciences > Plants > Trees
  • #27 in Books > Children's Books > Science, Nature & How It Works > Astronomy & Space

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

47 of 51 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A comprehensive field guide to the trees of the W. U.S., January 10, 1997

By A Customer

This review is from: National Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Trees--W: Western Region (National Audubon Society Field Guides) (Imitation Leather)

This field guide is an excellent field to the trees typically found west of the continental divide of the United States and as far east as the Mississippi River. This guide includes photos and descriptions of the native trees of western North America, as well as common naturalized trees and a number of introduced species. Several rare subtropical species of the Mexican border region have been omitted. The front 1/2 of the book includes 537 photos of leaves and bark, flowers, and cones and fruit. The second 1/2 contains detailed descriptions of the 314 species presented in the front portion of the book. A detailed index including both common and scientific names is found in the rear of the book

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars North American trees, West., December 14, 2004

By 

Wesley L. Janssen (San Diego, CA USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: National Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Trees--W: Western Region (National Audubon Society Field Guides) (Imitation Leather)

If your going to be stuffing your field guide into your pocket, glove box, daypack or backpack, the "turtleback" binding used by Audubon is perfect. Personally, I don't use it that way. When I encounter a species I cannot identify, I take notes (usually of the mental variety) -- leaf characteristics, bark characteristics, size, form, habitat, seeds, flowers, etc. -- and identify it when I return home. The photos and drawings in this volume are generally excellent. So far as I can recall, the Audubon guide has yet to fail me. It doesn't include very many introduced (non-native) trees, that's not it's purpose, of course, so it may not help you identify the trees that have been planted in your yard. The Sunset Western Garden Book, or perhaps your local nurseryman, will fit that niche.
Could the book be better? Well, the obvious answer is always yes, I suppose, but I don't know how. Would some kind of a 'flow-chart' for identifying specimens improve this edition? Well, there is one, created quiet simply in the way the book is organized; refer to the "How to Use this Guide" section in the front. I won't claim to be a connoisseur of guidebooks, but this one has worked very nicely for me for several years and I recommend it without hesitation.

34 of 40 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Dissappointing: Very hard to identify unknown trees, November 28, 2004

By 

noleander - See all my reviews

This review is from: National Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Trees--W: Western Region (National Audubon Society Field Guides) (Imitation Leather)

I spent $20 on this at a local bookstore (that was a mistake: it is only $14 here on Amazon) and got it home and went into my backyard. An hour later, I was only able to identify one of the three trees in the yard.

I got the book because it had the Audobon name, and it included some sharp color photos. I should have got the Peterson guide instead.

What the Audobon book is missing is an algorithm or process to identify an unknown tree (they call this "differential diagnosis" in medicine). I was expecting something like: "If it has 5 needles per cluster turn to page 45, if it has grey bark turn to page 64, etc" until you pinpoint your tree.

I would even be happy if it had some illustrations like Silbeys bird book ... with arrows pointing to the discriminating features that distinguish the tree from similar trees.

But in the Audobon book, the reader is expected to browse thru dozens of photos and try to match your tree to the photo. But SURPRISE, the photos of similar trees all look alike and what then? You are expected to browse the the dense textual (!) descriptions and flip back and forth reading minutae like "two white strips on the undersides of the needles"

How about some color illustrations? How about a list of similar trees a given tree is often confused with? How about a handful of distinguishing characteristics of each tree?

Try Petersons book instead!