As regular readers of The Well-read Naturalist well know, it all began long ago with a curious young boy and an old library copy of the Herbert Spencer Zim’s “Fishes: A Guide to Fresh and Salt-water Species.” Therefore, whenever a new field guide to fish is published (which doesn’t happen all that often) I immediately take notice.
As one who was raised in an area where an extractive industry – in my case logging – was a key part of the local economy, I have long been familiar with the toll such industries can take on the land and the landscape if not practiced with a larger view to the sustained health kept clearly in mind.
Field guides to specific urban neighborhoods? When Leslie Day’s new book Field Guide to the Neighborhood Birds of New York City is published by Johns Hopkins University Press, then yes, there will be – one.
Merriam Webster defines “longheaded” as “having unusual foresight.” Oxford goes a bit further with having or showing foresight and good judgment” – although it cites the usage of the word as now dated (make of that and its implications upon our times what you will). However dated or not, the qualities that when assembled together earn […]