| Collins Bird Guide: The Most Complete Guide to the Birds of Britain and Europe | 
 enlarge | Authors: Lars Svensson, Peter J. Grant
Creators: Killian Mullarney, Dan Zetterstrom, David Christie
Publisher: Collins
Category: Book
List Price: £16.99
Buy New: £8.49
You Save: £8.50 (50%)
New (26) Used (12) from £6.48
Avg. Customer Rating:  33 reviews
Sales Rank: 1147
Media: Paperback
Edition: New edition
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 412
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1.5
Dimensions (in): 7.5 x 5.4 x 0.9
ISBN: 0007113323
Dewey Decimal Number: 598
EAN: 9780007113323
ASIN: 0007113323
Publication Date: April 2, 2001
Shipping: Eligible for Super Saver Shipping
Availability: Usually dispatched within 24 hours
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| Customer Reviews:
 A pictorial guide with a difference. March 20, 2004
5 out of 6 found this review helpful
For once a guide that has detailed drawings that actually represent the species as seen in the wild. Attention to detail such as seasonal differences and maturity gives the drawings an almost photographic appearance. Written descriptions are of fine quality and even includes a voice description which can be helpful as you sometimes hear the bird but may not see it. Complete by name and complete by nature.
Pecket Encyclopedia November 28, 2003
7 out of 8 found this review helpful
Imagine a detailed description of every species you're likely to see in Europe? The descriptions include measurements, habitats, likely breeding range, maps, distribution, frequency of sightings, sounds and likelihood of seeing them (rated from 1 to 5 as well as V for vagrants). Moreover, the drawings are of the highest order and extremely detailed. The authors have also added some drawings of some typical postures (ie, cormorants drying their wings) as well as drawings of some birds when seen under poor light conditions etc.. In short, the perfect guide.
Comprehensive and authoritive April 2, 2003
3 out of 4 found this review helpful
This superbly illustrated version is a joy to behold, as comprehensive and authoritive as it is pleasing to the eye.
Very handy and helpful March 26, 2002
30 out of 33 found this review helpful
I imagine this book being of help to the varying degrees of peoples interest in our winged friends.
The text is a little small but this can be viewed as a positive by allowing the writers/publishers to cram more in...
If you are looking for a bird book, this is the one to go for, simple as that.
It's neat, well set out, very thorough, excellent diagrams and it's a good size for pocket or backpack.
Very good, but not quite the definitive guide. May 20, 2001
113 out of 116 found this review helpful
Much attention and comment has been focused on this book since its original publication in hardback, and deservedly so. As stated in The Times review, it most probably is 'the richest and most comprehensive of the current guides'. Just holding the book and looking at the cover, you get the impression that the publishers had every confidence that this book would sweep away the competition, and wanted to display it that way. The front design is striking - jet black, with bold, shining, gold and white upper-case text - 'BIRD GUIDE' - the image of a barn owl on silent wings and the proclamation of 'the most complete field guide to the birds of Britain and Europe' adding to the effect. The book seems to scowl 'Buy me, I'm brilliant and I'm the best!'. Clever, yet the appearance is strangely unwelcoming and almost intimidating.Does it live up to the hype? The earlier 'Guide to the Birds of Britain and Europe' with Bertel Brunn is a landmark, a classic book that had everything right - perfect illustrations, clear and unambiguous descriptions. Has this continued in that vein? Well, yes and no. By-and-large, the contents are excellent. Extraordinary works of art show the appearance of each species, immaculate, stunning and intimate in their detail. This, coupled with perfectly clear and in-depth descriptions of form, plumage, song and flight, provides a wonderful guide to the identification of even the most easily confused species. For the size of the book, everything has had to be crammed in, and the visual 'feel' is of slight overcrowding - but this is unavoidable if you want a book this informative and descriptive for field use. The major fault is that for some species, some distribution maps contain inaccuracies. Examples - the cormorant breeds quite happily along most of the Irish coast and on lakes in the midlands, yet the relevant map wrongly indicates it is only a winter visitor to most of the coast, and a resident only in pockets. The map for the yellow wagtail shows it as absent from Ireland and Wales, though it is not. Also, the nightjar breeds in parts of the Algarve, yet is only shown as a passage visitor to the region. I have spotted several more examples relating to Ireland, Portugal and Italy which makes me wonder if other maps are unreliable for other countries. This is a real dissapointment for what otherwise is a very fine book, and could cause confusion for learners and those hoping to use this book while travelling - defeating the purpose of a field guide. If these errors could be corrected, this book would be the definitve guide to Europe's birds.
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