Western Birds (The Field Guide Art of Roger Tory Peterson) (v. 2) [Hardcover]

Roger Tory Peterson (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 18, 1992 | Series: The Field Guide Art of Roger Tory Peterson (Book 2)

The most important volumes of bird art published since Audubon's Birds of America. Every painting, 300 in all, from Peterson's Field Guide to the Birds and Field Guide to Western Birds is reproduced at full size in these stunning books. Each book is signed by the author.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Precision and clarity characterize the pictures of birds that Peterson produced for field guides--from his first, published by Houghton Mifflin in 1934, to his most recent. These two volumes gather 300 color plates from Peterson's "schematic illustrations," which have helped countless bird-watchers identify their subjects. The artist's introduction provides a brief history of his career, beginning with his initial interest in birds at age 11, continuing through his studies in New York City at the Art Students' League and at the National Academy of Design and concluding with his association with the National Audubon Society and his preeminent position as an illustrator and a force for conservation. Organized into such sections as "The Swimmers" and "Birds of Prey" (each accompanied by brief introductory text), the plates, which generally feature no more than four species, are printed on the right-hand pages, with the trademark silhouettes and identifying aids on the left. Noting that he developed this art for use in the field, Peterson observes that these pictures are neither portraits nor "painterly." The collection pays eloquent tribute to Peterson's inestimable role in increasing the public's appreciation of the natural world.
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal

This splendid, two-volume boxed set features all 300 color plates from Peterson's Eastern (Houghton, 1980) and Western (Houghton, 1990) field guides reproduced for the first time in the full size of the originals (9 x 1412 vs. 412 x 714 in the - guides). The words most often used to describe these paintings are formal , patternistic , schematic , simple , and direct. They masterfully synthesize and distill the essence and uniqueness of each species. Here they are grouped into nine categories (Birds of Prey, Swimmers, Fowl-like Birds, etc.), each with a short, informed introduction. In the important overall introduction, Peterson summarizes the history of American ornithological illustration, the origins of field guides, and his early life and associations with the National Audubon Society, the National Wildlife Federation, and Life magazine. This is a visual book with minimal text. Expensive? Yes, but at $1 per painting, not unconscionably so, and it makes a fitting celebration of one of the world's most celebrated and influential naturalists. Highly recommended.
- Henry T. Armistead, Thomas Jefferson Univ. Lib., Philadelphia
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 356 pages
• Publisher: Houghton Mifflin (November 18, 1992)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0395643562
• ISBN-13: 978-0395643563
• Shipping Weight: 8.5 pounds
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #6,824,925 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)