Sibley speaks to his readers' collective intelligence; his work provides comprehensive material in a very interesting format. He is a master communicator; his readers will readily absorb the information he wishes to impart in this work and will certainly appreciate the illustrations.

Sibley has indeed set new standards, soared across new frontiers in this presentation. This is a book that will not only be studied and remembered, but cherished and treasured.


Amazing achievement for birders to treasure   December 6, 2000
 38 out of 40 found this review helpful

I own many, many books on birds and this by far is the most comprehensive and useful. Each bird is shown in several poses, with the map right on the same page, and information on the size, song, movement, and other details.

The birds of a type are also shown side by side, making it easy to glance through a group of pictures to determine which one you have seen. Birds are shown in flight with wings both up and down, helping identify flying birds.

On the downside, this book is fairly large and not a pocket-portable variety. This is a great book to have on the table for reference, and to look through by the fire, but wouldn't be one you carry out with you hiking. The maps are also a bit on the small side, but they do give you a general impression of where the birds are found.

A great book for a birder who already has a small pocket-guide, but wants something more substantial for the tricker identifications. Also great for casual reading!


Beautifully illustrated and comprehensive   December 1, 2000
 20 out of 23 found this review helpful

I am not a hobbyist but, for my own general information, I keep field guides on rocks & minerals, astronomy and birds. I have always liked the Peterson nature guides but this guide illustrated by David Sibley is monumental. There are several illustrations of many of the birds, fom different positions as well as extremely useful accompanying text. It is so complete and comprehensive that it is too bulky to be conveniently carried along as a field guide but, this drawback is also it's greatest strength. The comprehensiveness makes this guide a great study aid which can occupy many fascinating and worthwhile hours. Nature lovers, in general, and bird enthusiasts, in particular, will absolutely love this wonderful field guide.


Everything You Need in One Place   November 30, 2000
 14 out of 18 found this review helpful

This field guide is filled with useful information and wonderful illustrations, and is done so in a way that many previous guides failed to do. For example, all the information is put in one place, so none of that maddening flipping back and forth to compare maps to birds and flight patterns, etc. The amount of detail is quite impressive! Now you'll have all the information necessary to identify even the most difficult species. Even the names are completely up to date. A great gift for the birdwatcher in your world.