If you’re like me – and my condolences to you if you actually are – you probably enjoy a well-researched list of natural history eponyms. And when it comes to natural history eponyms, bird species are one of the most popular subjects to examine in order to discover the history behind the name and as a result increase one’s overall knowledge about the history of natural history in general and the history of ornithology in particular.
Ever since I began reading the Seasons Anthology from Elliott & Thompson, I have been increasingly finding myself paying more attention to the genre of non-fiction called “place” writing. Focused on the interactions of people (either the writer or others) with a particular location in conveying the Zeitgeist of the place to the reader, place writing incorporates a wide range of elements from history to psychology – and of most interest to me, nature.
Whenever I am bound for some far-off destination, at least one of the books I stuff into my already over-stuffed bag will be a relevant volume of the Princeton Field Guides or Princeton Pocket Guides series. I make it a point of maintaining an extensive collection of them for just such purposes.