Song and Garden Birds of North America

by Alexander Wetmore

Song and Garden Birds of North America, 1964 1st Printing, by Alexander Wetmore. 327 species portrayed in color and fully described. Contains 555 illustrations, 509 of which are in color. Handsome decorative hardcover book (cardinal on the front) with 400 pages, published by the National Geographic Society. The 1st printing of this book contained only 300,000 copies - so this is scarce. It includes a small spiral bound booklet in the back that contains record albums (smal 45's) with the songs of many of the species! Nice collectible!

Genres: Birds, Nature, Nonfiction, Animals, Reference, Natural History

400 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1964

About the author

1886-1978

Reviews

[Billy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Published in 1964, the text, photographs, and artwork of this National Geographic book appear dated. That being said, this is a very nice book. It's not a field guide. Rather it is an appreciation of birds. As Roger Tory Peterson says in the final chapter, "…I have found in birds the finest expression of the natural world. They are quick, incisive, and beautiful. They respond instinctively to the laws of nature. They demonstrate clearly the subtle forces of natural selection and adaptation."

The book covers 327 species, its companion volume, Water, Prey, and Game Birds of North America another 329 birds. Each birds gets a write-up of one quarter to one half page. There is at least one photo or painting of each species covered. There are introductions to each family of birds by various ornithological bright lights of the day and additional chapters on topics such as "birds in your garden" and "courtship and nesting behavior."

[David Ward · Rating 3 out of 5]

Song and Garden Birds of North America by Alexander Wetmore (National Geographic Society 1975)(598.2). This is National Geographic's volume on backyard birding and the natural history of birds. My rating: 7/10, finished 1979.

[Dan Meier · Rating 5 out of 5]

An old book but great, comes with pages that you can play on a record player to hear bird songs!

[Jocelyn · Rating 3 out of 5]

Great informational book, and I really loved the included record player book thing. Super neat!