... our ears finally become attuned to a series of faint voices, high buzzing songs, or lisping tseeps or chucks, and before we know it we are embarked on an almost never-ending adventure... Ludlow Griscom on The Technique of Warbler Study

{HISTORY}

The Golden-Winged, the Blue Tipped, the Yellow Throated. The Parula, the Magnolia, the Myrtle. The Blackburnian, the Cerulean, the Chestnut-Sided. All these warblers of North America, plus many many more, are featured here in this beautifully illustrated 1950s field guide book.

Published in 1957 by ornithologists Ludlow Griscom (1890-1959) and Alexander Sprunt Jr. (1898-1973) with contributions by over 19 avian experts, The Warblers of North America is a coffee table size nature guide and an absolute beauty in words and imagery. Illustrated with full color plates throughout by John Henry Dick (1919-1995), celebrated nature painter and son of Titanic-survivor Madeleine Talmedge Force and the young wife of John Jacob Astor, this book is full of interesting history from its contributors to its subject matter. 

On the contributors front, here are just a few highlights of the birders that contributed their knowledge and expertise to this volume...

Ludlow was a pioneer of the field guide method of study when it came to identifying birds. This method replaced killing birds for identification purposes and instead, not only spared their life, but gave observers more of a chance to view the birds in their natural habitat for extended periods of time to study behaviors, diets, nesting sites, songs and brooding practices.  Alexander was a celebrated ornithologist specializing in birds of the Southern states. Gale Monson (1912-2012) was an expert in birds of Arizona. Josselyn Van Tyne (1902-1957) was a curator of Birds at Michigan's Museum of Zoology for over 25 years. Allan Cruickshank (1907-1974) was the National Audubon Society's official photographer for over three decades.

The information provided on the warblers themselves is equally interesting. The Northern Black-Throated Green warbler forms perfect cup shaped nests using only thin, intricately interwoven stems and rootlets. The Worm-Eating Warbler is most at home in deciduous  tree tracts growing near streams and swamps, and has a way of walking the watery ground "keeping steadily about its search for food and way of life, deliberate always without being lethargic." The Red-Faced Warbler was first spotted in the Graham Mountains of southeastern Arizona in 1874 by Henry Henshaw (1850-1930), a collector for the Smithsonian, an editor of the journal American Anthropologist, and an expert on Hawaiian birds and indigenous communities of New Mexico.  The Cerulean warbler is North America's only true blue warbler. 85% of the diet of Audubon's warblers is made up of spiders and insects. The Magnolia warbler has a variety of songs that change as the season progresses. So many fun facts live within these pages, readers will be experts themselves by book's end. 

Last but not least, there are the beautiful color illustrations by John Henry Dick that capture the color and character of each variety of warbler. Often painted three pair to a page, its great to see the subtle differences of each bird side by side. These slight changes in color arrangement and shading make identifying warblers in the wild much easier. Without such an accurate visual interpretation to reference, many varieties of  warblers could easily be mistaken as all but the same bird. 

Included here are sections on bird song, the comparison of warblers in other areas such as Panama, the West Indies and Central America, information on how warblers are classified and a brief introductory background to this bird family as a whole. 

Absolutely lovely for the nature library, this book is sure to entertain, enchant, and inspire future scouting and study trips for any avian enthusiast. 

{SPECIAL FEATURES}

• Published in 1957, First Printing 
• 356 pages
• Includes original dust jacket 
• Illustrated throughout by John Henry Dick
• Oversized book

{CONDITION}

In beautiful vintage condition, this book is very clean and bright throughout with a completely intact original dust jacket and decorated coverboards. A previous owner's name is written in pen on the front inside cover. The dust jacket is price clipped. There's a vintage sticker on the back endpaper for New York City's American Museum of Natural History Bookshop. There is slight fading and fixing to the front and back of the endpapers. The spine is tight and all pages are intact. 

{SIZE}

Measures 10.25" inches (length) x 8.25" inches (width) x 1.75" inches (thickness) and weighs 3.4 lbs.