Wildflowers of the Columbia Gorge: A Comprehensive Field Guide (Jack Murdock) (Paperback)

~ (Author)

Product Details

• Paperback: 331 pages
• Publisher: Oregon Historical Society Press (April 1988)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0875951880
• ISBN-13: 978-0875951881
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,090,287 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A BACKPACK ESSENTIAL FOR A GORGE HIKE, October 17, 1998

By A Customer

CLEAR GLOSSY COLOR PHOTOS OF EACH FLOWER, THE SCIENTIFIC AND COMMON NAMES, HABITATS AND BLOOMING DATES MAKE YOUR COLUMBIA GORGE WILDFLOWER IDENTIFICATION A SNAP! THIS BOOK IS A MUST FOR THE LIBRARY OF THE GORGE HIKER, BOTANIST OR ANYONE WHO APPRECIATES THE SPECTACULAR BEAUTY AND DIVERSITY OF THIS NATURAL SCENIC AREA.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Nice pictures, poorly organized, May 12, 2005

By	Adam Schneider (Portland, OR, USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This book is great for people who do a lot of hiking in the Gorge, as it contains color photos of just about every flower you're likely to see out there.

However: unless you're a botanist, the organizational scheme of the book is terrible. Rather than being grouped by color, or even shape, the flowers are organized by family (phlox family, pea family, rose family, etc.) -- and the casual wildflower enthusiast has no idea that, for example, something that looks like forget-me-nots must be in the waterleaf family. Even if you do know which family to look in, there are no running heads at the top of the pages to help you find what you're looking for, and they're not alphabetical but rather grouped into four "sections" that are not explained or introduced. So you basically have to find things either by using the index (assuming you know what the flower MIGHT be), or by leafing through the entire book every time.

I'm not saying you shouldn't buy this book, because nothing else covers the Gorge so thoroughly, but I'd recommend ALSO picking up something like the Audobon field guide (ISBN 0375402330), which does group flowers by color and shape and should point you in the right direction when trying to find things in the Gorge book. The upcoming "Wildflowers of the Pacific Northwest" from Timber Press (ISBN 0881927457), due to be released in March 2006, should be even better.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Carry this one in your packpack, July 12, 2001

By	Joann Harrison (Hood River, OR United States) - See all my reviews

One of the very best area-specific wildflower books ever. Descriptions and photographs make identification easy. The guide to location includes best times to go, roads to travel and paths to follow.