# Book Recommendations **URL:** \ **Category:** Nature Talk\ **Created:** [May 22, 2019, 2:58am UTC](https://forum.inaturalist.org/t/book-recommendations/3504 "2019-05-22T02:58:26Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![mamestraconfigurata](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/forum.inaturalist.org/mamestraconfigurata/32/10149_2.png) [@mamestraconfigurata](https://forum.inaturalist.org/u/mamestraconfigurata)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2021, 1:46pm UTC](https://forum.inaturalist.org/t/book-recommendations/3504/21 "2021-02-28T13:46:42Z")
The _Wind in the Willows_ is a favourite childhood. I’m particularly fond of Stephen J. Gould’s writings, although they are mainly about Palaeontology. _Wonderful Life_ is an incredible book. ---
**Author:** ![dhricenak](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/47e85d/32.png) [@dhricenak](https://forum.inaturalist.org/u/dhricenak)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2021, 1:47pm UTC](https://forum.inaturalist.org/t/book-recommendations/3504/22 "2021-02-28T13:47:58Z")
Anything by David Quammen. I also like Edwin Way Teale, especially the American Seasons books. ---
**Author:** ![fluffyinca](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/forum.inaturalist.org/fluffyinca/32/10786_2.png) [@fluffyinca](https://forum.inaturalist.org/u/fluffyinca)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2021, 6:43pm UTC](https://forum.inaturalist.org/t/book-recommendations/3504/23 "2021-02-28T18:43:19Z")
I read _The Hidden Life of Trees_ by Peter Wohlleben a while ago; it had some really interesting insights on tree communities and other rarely-considered plant facts. ---
**Author:** ![lia\_the\_naturalist](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/forum.inaturalist.org/lia_the_naturalist/32/15907_2.png) [@lia\_the\_naturalist](https://forum.inaturalist.org/u/lia_the_naturalist)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2021, 12:01am UTC](https://forum.inaturalist.org/t/book-recommendations/3504/24 "2021-03-01T00:01:04Z")
Glad to know I’m not the only one who reads field guides for fun!😂 ---
**Author:** ![lia\_the\_naturalist](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/forum.inaturalist.org/lia_the_naturalist/32/15907_2.png) [@lia\_the\_naturalist](https://forum.inaturalist.org/u/lia_the_naturalist)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2021, 12:01am UTC](https://forum.inaturalist.org/t/book-recommendations/3504/25 "2021-03-01T00:01:42Z")
Oh I _love_ Wind in the Willows! ---
**Author:** ![trickman](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/forum.inaturalist.org/trickman/32/14925_2.png) [@trickman](https://forum.inaturalist.org/u/trickman)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2021, 3:28am UTC](https://forum.inaturalist.org/t/book-recommendations/3504/26 "2021-03-01T03:28:52Z")
@jbroadhead if you can stand another book on viruses, Quammen’s “Spillover” from 2012 explains a lot about zoonotics and thus puts a lot of context around the current coronavirus. And another vote for Pollan, this time for Second Nature. Loren Eiseley had beautifully written prose in his books, such as the The Unexpected Universe and The Firmament of Time. For N American history, The Year of Decision: 1846 by Devoto was good, as were the narratives from Fremon’ts explorations. For those who like historical books, Gold Rush diaries, journals of Antarctic and Arctic expeditions, and many others, the internet archive digital library includes a number of searchable archives, including American Libraries, Canadian Libraries, and a Live Music Archive as well, all w free downloads (including Kindle format for texts) at [https://archive.org/index.php](https://archive.org/index.php) ---
**Author:** ![henryy1355](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/forum.inaturalist.org/henryy1355/32/7573_2.png) [@henryy1355](https://forum.inaturalist.org/u/henryy1355)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2021, 5:08pm UTC](https://forum.inaturalist.org/t/book-recommendations/3504/27 "2021-03-02T17:08:27Z")
Anything by Bernd Heinrich especially _Ravens in Winter_ and _Mind of the Raven_. _Salt, A World History_ by Mark Kurlansky. One of the best books I’ve read. More later. ---
**Author:** ![lia\_the\_naturalist](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/forum.inaturalist.org/lia_the_naturalist/32/15907_2.png) [@lia\_the\_naturalist](https://forum.inaturalist.org/u/lia_the_naturalist)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2021, 5:34pm UTC](https://forum.inaturalist.org/t/book-recommendations/3504/28 "2021-03-02T17:34:36Z")
I really recommend all of Stan Tekelia’s field guides, they’re great! ---
**Author:** ![jasonhernandez74](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/forum.inaturalist.org/jasonhernandez74/32/33615_2.png) [@jasonhernandez74](https://forum.inaturalist.org/u/jasonhernandez74)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2021, 3:38pm UTC](https://forum.inaturalist.org/t/book-recommendations/3504/29 "2021-03-04T15:38:33Z")
> [@earthknight](#): > > _Tropical Nature : Life and Death in the Rain Forests of Central and South America_ by Adrian Forsyth and Ken Miyata One of my favorites also. I will add: _Neptune’s Ark_ by David Rains Wallace – marine paleontology of the North American Pacific Coast. I like the works of the naturalists of long ago. _Wanderings in the Great Forests of Borneo_ by Odoardo Beccari is a fascinating read, in part because it includes hints of a “lost” theory of evolution that you don’t really read about anymore, called plastination. ---
**Author:** ![lia\_the\_naturalist](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/forum.inaturalist.org/lia_the_naturalist/32/15907_2.png) [@lia\_the\_naturalist](https://forum.inaturalist.org/u/lia_the_naturalist)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2021, 8:50pm UTC](https://forum.inaturalist.org/t/book-recommendations/3504/30 "2021-03-05T20:50:25Z")
Another book I recommend is Winter is Coming. Though it’s a picture book, the illustrations are beautiful and realistic, the writing is superb, and it is overall a wonderful book about nature. ---
**Author:** ![ursus\_arctos](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/forum.inaturalist.org/ursus_arctos/32/1409_2.png) [@ursus\_arctos](https://forum.inaturalist.org/u/ursus_arctos)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2021, 1:05pm UTC](https://forum.inaturalist.org/t/book-recommendations/3504/31 "2021-03-06T13:05:56Z")
Your friendly neighborhood nature-geek librarian recommends these fabulous junior titles: _An extraordinary ordinary moth_, by Karlin Gray & illustrated by Steliyana Doneva. ISBN 9781585363728. One of the few moth-related titles for children. _Gotta go! Gotta go!_, Sam Swope ; pictures by Sue Riddle. ISBN 9780374327576. My favorite picture book about Monarch butterflies. _Two tiny mice: a mouse-eye exploration of nature_, by Alan Baker. ISBN 9781629146270. A beautifully-illustrated book about British nature. _Moonbird: a year on the wind with the great survivor B95_, by Phillip Hoose. ISBN 9780374304683. Follows a male Red Knot who was banded multiple times over two decades. _My first book of Canadian birds_, text by Andrea Miller ; art by Angela Doak. ISBN 9780374304683. Only caveat - this book still uses “Gray Jay” (since renamed “Canada Jay.”) _Is this Panama?: a migration story_, by Jan Thornhill ; illustrated by Soyeon Kim. ISBN 9781926973883. Sammy the Wilson’s Warbler knows he needs to migrate south, but where is Panama? _A bear’s life_, by Ian McAllister & Nicholas Read. ISBN 9781459812703. One of series on the wildlife of Canada’s Pacific coast. _The girl who drew butterflies: how Maria Merian’s art changed science_, by Joyce Sidman. 9780544717138. Maria Merian (1646-1717) was one of the first naturalists to document butterfly metamorphosis. The book is illustrated with Merian’s own art. And some personal adult non-fiction favorites: _Hope is the thing with feathers: a personal chronicle of vanished birds_, by Christopher Cokinos. ISBN 9781585427222. _An enchantment of birds: memories from a birder’s life_, by Richard Cannings ; illustrations by Donald Gunn. ISBN 9781553652359. _A feathered river across the sky: the passenger pigeon’s flight to extinction_, by Joel Greenberg. ISBN 9781620405345. _Candid creatures: how camera traps reveal the mysteries of nature_, by Roland Kays. ISBN 9781421418889. _Wild West: nature living on the edge ; endangered species of Western North America_, by Heather Beattie and Barbara Huck. ISBN 9781896150352. Shameless plug: these titles and thousands more can be requested through your local public library! ---
**Author:** ![lia\_the\_naturalist](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/forum.inaturalist.org/lia_the_naturalist/32/15907_2.png) [@lia\_the\_naturalist](https://forum.inaturalist.org/u/lia_the_naturalist)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2021, 2:42pm UTC](https://forum.inaturalist.org/t/book-recommendations/3504/32 "2021-03-07T14:42:47Z")
Cool! ---
**Author:** ![jasonhernandez74](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/forum.inaturalist.org/jasonhernandez74/32/33615_2.png) [@jasonhernandez74](https://forum.inaturalist.org/u/jasonhernandez74)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2021, 4:33am UTC](https://forum.inaturalist.org/t/book-recommendations/3504/33 "2021-03-08T04:33:30Z")
Continuing with the classics: Rachel Carson’s trilogy on marine life: _Under the Sea Wind_ - _The Sea Around Us_ - _Edge of the Sea_. And of course her diatribe on persistent pesticides, _Silent Spring_. Euell Gibbons’ trilogy on wild food foraging: _Stalking the Wild Asparagus_ - _Stalking the Blue-eyed Scallop_ - _Stalking the Healthful Herbs_. That trilogy was truly life-changing for me. He was my childhood hero. And a couple by Marston Bates: _Where Winter Never Comes_ and _The Forest and the Sea._ ---
**Author:** ![lia\_the\_naturalist](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/forum.inaturalist.org/lia_the_naturalist/32/15907_2.png) [@lia\_the\_naturalist](https://forum.inaturalist.org/u/lia_the_naturalist)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2021, 3:37pm UTC](https://forum.inaturalist.org/t/book-recommendations/3504/34 "2021-03-08T15:37:50Z")
Ooh yes Rachel Carson is the best! ---
**Author:** ![lia\_the\_naturalist](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/forum.inaturalist.org/lia_the_naturalist/32/15907_2.png) [@lia\_the\_naturalist](https://forum.inaturalist.org/u/lia_the_naturalist)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2021, 4:02pm UTC](https://forum.inaturalist.org/t/book-recommendations/3504/35 "2021-03-08T16:02:50Z")
Even though I’ve said this before, Get Your Boots On is _wonderful_! It’s like a field guide to life as a nature lover. ---
**Author:** ![fluffyinca](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/forum.inaturalist.org/fluffyinca/32/10786_2.png) [@fluffyinca](https://forum.inaturalist.org/u/fluffyinca)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2021, 11:43pm UTC](https://forum.inaturalist.org/t/book-recommendations/3504/36 "2021-03-10T23:43:21Z")
I also recommend a book called _The Invisible Rainbow: A History of Electricity and Life_ by Arthur Firstenberg. It’s not exactly nature related, but it is extremely eye-opening. It’s history, science and speculation all in one, extremely well researched and written, and basically tells you everything you didn’t want to know about electricity. Those of you whose cell phone is your most important possession (I suspect most of you) will probably want to pretend it’s all a bunch of lies. But it’s a great book and you should read it anyway. ---
**Author:** ![lia\_the\_naturalist](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/forum.inaturalist.org/lia_the_naturalist/32/15907_2.png) [@lia\_the\_naturalist](https://forum.inaturalist.org/u/lia_the_naturalist)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2021, 4:04am UTC](https://forum.inaturalist.org/t/book-recommendations/3504/37 "2021-03-22T04:04:56Z")
Another wonderful picture book is Puma Dreams by Tony Johnson. It is a poignant, beautiful book about Mountain Lions (cougars, pumas) with a slightly hidden message of conservation. ---
**Author:** ![williamfullofwood](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/forum.inaturalist.org/williamfullofwood/32/15364_2.png) [@williamfullofwood](https://forum.inaturalist.org/u/williamfullofwood)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2021, 6:20am UTC](https://forum.inaturalist.org/t/book-recommendations/3504/38 "2021-03-22T06:20:20Z")
Twilight of the Mammoths is a pretty interesting book that talks about the extinction of the world’s megafauna, but focusing mainly on North America. ---
**Author:** ![lia\_the\_naturalist](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/forum.inaturalist.org/lia_the_naturalist/32/15907_2.png) [@lia\_the\_naturalist](https://forum.inaturalist.org/u/lia_the_naturalist)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2021, 2:05pm UTC](https://forum.inaturalist.org/t/book-recommendations/3504/39 "2021-03-23T14:05:45Z")
Ooh sounds cool! ---
**Author:** ![greenshade](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/forum.inaturalist.org/greenshade/32/9031_2.png) [@greenshade](https://forum.inaturalist.org/u/greenshade)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2021, 7:07pm UTC](https://forum.inaturalist.org/t/book-recommendations/3504/40 "2021-03-23T19:07:28Z")
- _Darwin’s Armada_ by Iain McCalman weaves together the formative sea voyages of four legendary naturalists (and close compatriots)- Charles Darwin, Joseph Hooker, Thomas Huxley, and Alfred Russel Wallace. Highly recommend. - _Naturally Curious_ by Mary Holland is thoroughly delightful- and packed with great information. [Previous page](https://forum.inaturalist.org/t/book-recommendations/3504.md?page=1) [Next page](https://forum.inaturalist.org/t/book-recommendations/3504.md?page=3)