Complete Field Guide to American Wildlife: East, Central and North

by Henry Hill Collins Jr.

COMPLETE FIELD GUIDE TO AMERICAN WILDLIFE. East, Central and North. Covering all Species of Birds, Mammals, Reptiles, Amphibians, Food and Game Fishes, Seashells, and the Principal Marine Invertebrates Occuring Annually in North America East of the Rockies and North of the 37th Parallel.

Genres: Field Guides, Nature, Nonfiction

Hardcover

First published June 1, 1959

Reviews

[Alan Maxwell · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book holds a special place in my heart because it was one of the first non-comic books that I bought with my own money. It was the special for joining the Outdoor Life Book Club. It was offered for 10 cents! I was around 10 years old and read it from cover to cover. It lit a passion in me for animals in general and wildlife in particular. Around 12 years later I graduated from Clemson with a BS in Zoology and a minor in Wildlife Biology.
The book gives incredible detail about “all species of birds, mammals, reptiles, amphibians, food and game fishes, seashells, and principal marine invertebrates occurring in North America east of the Rockies an north of the 37th parallel.” (From the sub-title).
The range of some species have changed in the 60 years since this book was published so I can’t recommend this edition, but later editions do exist.
It gets 5 stars from me for the thoroughness and material and for sentimental reasons.

[Ward · Rating 4 out of 5]

The best comprehensive single volume guide to birds, mammals, reptiles, amphibians, fish, seashells and marine invertebrates I've ever come across. I own 3! I would really love to see an updated edition however. Some of the range maps are horribly out of whack. If anyone doubts that our climate and natural environment hasn't changed much in the last 58 years a thumb through this book will change their mind.

[Pam · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you have the space for only one animal identification guide on your bookshelf, this is the book for you. What it lacks in large color photos, it makes up for with its comprehensiveness. Per its subtitile it includes "birds, mammals, reptiles, amphibians, food and game fishes, seashells and the prinicpal marine invertebrates occurring annually in North America east of the Rockies and north of the 37th parallel." Excellent distribution maps are included for all the animals and generally each member in the family. Flying profiles and small colored photos are included for the birds and there are even some illustrations of beaks and wing tips included. While I generally prefer more regional identification guides, this book is amazing in its coverage and is a book I often reference. Animal descriptions are several paragraphs in length and include size, habitat, food and habits. Grouped by family, each section begins with an overview of the family and what makes them unique. Despite its age, this is not a book to miss!

[Fredrick Danysh · Rating 3 out of 5]

A guide to the wildlife of America to include illustrations , behavior, and habitat.