| The Magazine of the CALIFORNIA ACADEMY OF SCIENCES |
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Reviews Ten Books No California Naturalist Should Be Without
All the naturalist needs to be happy, said John Muir, are health and a day to walk in. We would add only one ingredient to that recipe: a good guidebook to help weave the ephemeral beauty of the observed into the enduring power of the understood. The ten books we've chosen for this list fit on one shelf, but they constitute the core of a California naturalist's library. Some are broad in scope, others narrow, but together they draw a picture of California's biological and geological diversity and splendor. Most are best read outdoors on the hoof, but all make fine companions on a rainy, home-bound day as well. There are countless worthwhile books about the natural history of California that we could not fit into this space. If you have favorite "essentials" that we've left out, please let us know what they are and why you like them. We would like to include "readers' choices" in a future issue. 1. A Field Guide to Western Reptiles and Amphibians, by Robert C. Stebbins, Houghton Mifflin, 1985. Known simply as "Stebbins," this classic was first published in 1954. Updated by the author in 1985, it remains the authority. Excellent color paintings, distribution maps, and habitat descriptions accompany the complete and detailed identification guide that makes up its bulk. Stebbins is the dean of western herpetology, but in addition to his meticulous science, he is also a clear writer and adept illustrator and painter. At age 82, Stebbins is working on a third edition, with updated distribution maps and color illustrations. He predicts it will be ready by the turn of the century. 2. An Island Called California: An Introduction to its Natural Communities, by Elna Bakker, University of California Press, 1984. Conceived when Bakker was designing an exhibit on California natural history for the Oakland Museum, the first edition of this book described the natural communities of a swath of central northern California, moving from the Pacific Coast to Mono Lake. For a trail only about 200 miles long, there is more variety of habitat type, fauna, and flora than just about anywhere else on Earth. Drawing the natural history of California into a story well told, it is less of a guidebook than a guided tour. New editions include many improvements and updates and three chapters about southern California. 3. Assembling California, by John McPhee, Farrar, Straus & Giraux, 1993. First serialized in The New Yorker, this explanation of California's delightful, dynamic, and deadly geology is packed with facts and theories, but it is also a page turner, even for the geologically uninitiated. Over 15 years, McPhee took numerous field trips with Eldredge Moores, the renowned tectonicist at the University of California at Davis. Assembling California combines Moores's scientific brilliance and McPhee's storytelling genius, plunging not only below the Earth's crust--revealing the mechanisms of mountain building and earthquakes--but below the surface of Moores and his scientific colleagues, revealing the psychological mechanisms of great geologists. 4. Between Pacific Tides, by Edward F. Ricketts, Jack Calvin, and Joel W. Hedgpeth, revised by David W. Phillips, Stanford University Press, 1992. This guide to the Pacific intertidal zones captures the drama and excitement of fieldwork better than any other. Ricketts, the primary author, was immortalized by John Steinbeck in The Log from the Sea of Cortez and Cannery Row. Ricketts's passion for his subject and his appetite for discovery were matched by his clarity of style and efficiency of organization. First published in 1939, Between Pacific Tides has been updated several times and remains the best guide to the marine creatures, plants, and habitats of the Pacific Coast. 5. Life on the Edge: A Guide to California's Endangered Natural Resources: Wildlife, edited by Carl G. Thelander, Biosystems Books, 1994. A compilation of original articles by top experts and interviews about California's endangered wildlife and habitats, Life on the Edge should be on every California conservationist's desk. It approaches the subject through an array of disciplines: science, history, mythology, law, poetry, and art. Hence its depth (and its weight: almost five pounds for a paperback). It includes the work of many of our most important California writers and photographers--who address both every endangered and threatened species, and general topics. It is a beautifully designed and produced book and, despite the gravity of its subject, is often fun and entertaining to read. 6. California Insects, by Jerry A. Powell and Charles L. Hogue, University of California Press, 1989. More than a field guide to the state's insects, this book is also an excellent introduction to the insect world. Professionals rely on it as a quick-and-dirty reference, but amateurs will find it accessible and comprehensive. All of the world's major orders are discussed, as are feeding, reproduction, and stinging behaviors. There is even a chapter on how to make an insect collection. Clear line drawings illustrate the text and 128 vivid color plates crammed onto 16 pages give you a quick visual taste of California's entomological variety. 7. Oaks of California, by Bruce M. Pavlik, Pamela Muick, and Sharon Johnson, Cachuma Press, 1993. No tree says "California" like the oak. Make that the oaks, for California has 18 different species and nearly 30 distinct varieties. Oaks of California gives a tree's-eye view of the state with chapters on the habitats oaks occupy, the animals and plants that depend on them, their prominence in California's human history, and the uncertain future of beleaguered oak varieties and their habitats. Finally, there is a chapter profiling nearly 80 of the best places in California to see oaks. 8. California Birds: Their Status and Distribution, by Arnold Small, Ibis Publishing Company, 1994. Birds flaunt boundaries, so there aren't many good state-specific bird books. In California Birds, though, we have a thorough and expertly written work covering all of this state's 586 exotic and native species, including North America's largest, the California condor, and the smallest in the U.S., the Calliope hummingbird. The book is too big to carry into the field for identifying birds, but it's a great place to get the lowdown on species once you're home. Beautiful photos, too. For a pocket guide, you can't go wrong with Roger Tory Peterson's A Field Guide to Western Birds (Houghton Mifflin 1990). 9. The Jepson Manual: Higher Plants of California, edited by James C. Hickman, University of California Press, 1993. When a completely revised "Jepson" was published four years ago, replacing Philip Munz's outdated A California Flora and Supplement as the authoritative guide, botanists gave a collective sigh of relief. Jepson is a current and comprehensive collection of descriptions of the state's plants. Although designed for the serious amateur and professional, it does include a glossary, good illustrations, and a minimum of jargon. It is well worth the effort to master. 10. Inland Fishes of California, by Peter Moyle, University of California Press, 1976. This is an authoritative and broad survey on the fishes inhabiting California's inland waters. Professionals and amateurs will find valuable information on the ecology of California's six major drainages and the 132 fish species, both native and exotic, that call them home. Population distributions, life histories, social behavior, and feeding habits are all meticulously examined, instilling a sense of awe at the breadth of inland fishes. At the same time, Moyle highlights those critical differences that make each species indispensable and worthy of protection. As in his overview of ichthyology, Fish: An Enthusiast's Guide, Moyle includes excellent species-specific illustrations. |
Fall 1997
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