A Field Guide to the Birds of the West Indies

Rating:
Summary: The book that made James Bond famous
Review: A bit of trivia related to this book: Ian Fleming was writing the first of his spy novels when he happened across this book on a coffee table. He liked the sound of the author's name and so the world was introduced to James Bond.

Rating:
Summary: Did you Know?
Review: Did you know that Ian Flemming bought a copy of this book, when it was published, for his girlfriend, and that when he quit the service to write his famous novels, he used this man's name as the character name in his super-spy thrillers? It's true, believe it or not

Rating:
Summary: Book makes a cameo in "Die Another Day"
Review: Hard core 007 afficianados will notice a pile of 007 in-jokes that are scattered throught the latest Bond film, "Die Another Day". Among them: While in a Cuban office, Pierce Brosnan casually picks up a first edition of this book, which, as others have noted, is where Ian Fleming came up with 007's name. Better than available alternatives I suppose ("My name is Audobon - - John James Audobon..."

Rating:
Summary: Book makes a cameo in "Die Another Day"
Review: Hard core 007 afficianados will notice a pile of 007 in-jokes that are scattered throught the latest Bond film, "Die Another Day". Among them: While in a Cuban office, Pierce Brosnan casually picks up a first edition of this book, which, as others have noted, is where Ian Fleming came up with 007's name. Better than available alternatives I suppose ("My name is Audobon - - John James Audobon..."

Rating:
Summary: A bit disappointing...
Review: I am sadly disappointed by this book. The plates are sporadically placed throughout the book, and some species of birds are not illustrated. For example, what does a Greater Antillean Grackle look like? There is a brief description in the text, but will I be able to differentiate between it and a Great-tailed Grackle?
There are no distribution maps either, so I have to rely on checklists printed from my Thayer's Birder's Diary program to determine which species to expect in, say, the Cayman Islands.
I will be field testing this guide in May 2002 and may have a better feel for the usefulness, or lack thereof, of this book. Meanwhile, studying the birds prior to my trip is a bit cumbersome due to the design of this book. In any event, would recommend a North American supplement for any trip to the region.

Rating:
Summary: Bond, James Bong
Review: I've never actually read this book, but I just found out that Ian Fleming got the name from the author of this book, so I decided to look it up and share it with all of you ornotholgists. Bye!

Rating:
Summary: Bond, James Bong
Review: THE field guide to West Indian birds, a must-have for birders travelling in the Carribean, Northeast coast of South America, or the Bahamas. This book has only gotten better since being taken over by those wonderful folks at Peterson, and it was fine before that. Make sure you have this with you when you hit the airport, but consider taking along a North American guidebook, as well, and be aware that a few of the names vary from one book to another.

Rating:
Summary: Nothing to do with Ian Fleming...
Review: THE field guide to West Indian birds, a must-have for birders travelling in the Carribean, Northeast coast of South America, or the Bahamas. This book has only gotten better since being taken over by those wonderful folks at Peterson, and it was fine before that. Make sure you have this with you when you hit the airport, but consider taking along a North American guidebook, as well, and be aware that a few of the names vary from one book to another.

Rating:
Summary: Review of "Birds of the West Indies."
Review: Unless one is collecting Peterson Field Guides, I do not recommend this book. Its organization is dated. Color plates are segregated from the bird descriptions. Many of the descriptions are accompanied by a black and white sketch. Some of the birds described lack any sketch or color plate. The book does not contain distribution maps. Redeeming aspects of the book are (1) it is small in size and (2) it includes a comprehensive list of species in the area with a written text for each.

Rating:
Summary: Review of "Birds of the West Indies."
Review: Unless one is collecting Peterson Field Guides, I do not recommend this book. Its organization is dated. Color plates are segregated from the bird descriptions. Many of the descriptions are accompanied by a black and white sketch. Some of the birds described lack any sketch or color plate. The book does not contain distribution maps. Redeeming aspects of the book are (1) it is small in size and (2) it includes a comprehensive list of species in the area with a written text for each.