Western Forests (Audubon Society Nature Guides) [Paperback]

Stephen Whitney (Author)

Book Description

Series: Audubon Society Nature Guides | Publication Date: May 12, 1985

A comprehensive field guide, fully illustrated with color photographs, to the trees, wildflowers, insects, birds, and other natural wonders of North America's western forests and woodlands, from Alaska to California and the Rockies.

Editorial Reviews

From the Inside Flap

A comprehensive field guide, fully illustrated with color photographs, to the trees, wildflowers, insects, birds, and other natural wonders of North America's western forests and woodlands, from Alaska to California and the Rockies.

Product Details

• Paperback: 671 pages
• Publisher: Knopf (May 12, 1985)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0394731271
• ISBN-13: 978-0394731278
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.5 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #388,110 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars so good it is worth carrying in your backpack, December 15, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: Western Forests (Audubon Society Nature Guides) (Paperback)

this guide, as well as the others in this series, are an excellent first book or primary reference for those living or travelling in the areas they cover.

one of best points is that they are not exhaustive in their coverage. instead they focus on the most commonly seen species. so instead of flipping through endless pages of references to rare or seldom seen species, one can quickly find the specific plant or animal they encounter.

if one becomes more focused in study of a given type of plant or animal one can turn to more exhaustive and detailed texts -- such as audobon's own guides to birds, trees, mammals, etc.

i have found that this series is an excellent gift for those who are not specifically focused on nature studies. my parents enjoyed their gift copy -- as it enabled them to identify the trees and animals in their own back yard.

the specific entries are informative and interesting. the production values (photos, indexes) are excellent. and the opening essays are a special treat; they well written and well worth reading. they can inspire one to pay a bit more attention to the natural landscape even if all they do is drive through it.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This is a wonderful resource., October 19, 2004

By 

JHF - See all my reviews

This review is from: Western Forests (Audubon Society Nature Guides) (Paperback)

This book is probably one of the best deals that you'll find if you're looking for a nature guide for the Western Forests area. It features the typical Audobon Society photos for easy identification, with a great deal of information. The best part is that plants, mammals, and birds are all combined into one book, so you don't have to buy separate guides. If you're taking a trip to the West Coast, buy this guide along with Bayard MCConnaughey's "Pacific Coast" (in the same Audobon series), and you're set.

5.0 out of 5 stars This needs to be back in print!, March 17, 2011

By 

Waya5 - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Western Forests (Audubon Society Nature Guides) (Paperback)

Fantastic hiking reference for the Western Forests. We've used this for years and had to buy a new copy when we wore ours out. Covers everything from flora, fauna, birds, trees, you name it, it's here. For animals, gives paw prints, which actually saved us from an unnecessary encounter with a hungry mountain lion. For plants, it tells you what's edible, what's not, how to recognize them, and photographs them as well. The photos are superb. I've had my first copy twenty-five years and gave one to my boys when they started to discover the outdoors. A truly wonderful reference, covering the entire West Coast. Get the Pacific Coast book as well; very helpful when hiking in the redwoods and beachcombing the northern beaches of California, Oregon and Washington.