A History of the County of Essex: Volume IX: The Borough of Colchester (Victoria County History)

Book Description

The volume, the first full-scale, comprehensive and scholarly history of the ancient borough of Colchester to be published, describes the life of the oldest and for long the largest town in Essex from the Iron Age to 1990. It tells how the stronghold of Cunobelin was replaced by a Roman fortress, later a colonia sacked by Boudica and rebuilt within walls which survived to encompass first a 10th-century burh and later an important medieval town and were to be severely battered be the Royalist siege of 1648. Colchester's Norman castle continued to serve as the sheriff's seat, housing the county gaol until the 17th century. Nevertheless it failed to become the county town, though chosen in 1962 as the site of the University of Essex, and its functions as an administrative centre were overshadowed by the industrial and mercantile activities described in the volume. Colchester became an important trading centre linked particularly with the Low Countries, and from the 12th century was noted as a centre of the textile industry, a speciality that encouraged a remarkable growth of population in the later 14th century and that was stimulated be the arrival of Dutch refugee clothmakers in Elizabeth I's reign. The decline of the bay industry in the 18th century was compensated for by growing diversity in overseas trade and services. Colchester was notable from the 17th century to the 19th as a hive of Protestant nonconformity. It became a garrison town in 1855, a centre of engineering in the late 19th century, and a retail and tourist centre in the 20th. The account is divided into three parts. The first, arranged chronologically, treats the economy, social and cultural life, gov-ernment and politics, and topography. The second deals with particular features and institutions of the town, topic by topic. The third describes topographically the parishes of Greenstead, Lexden, Mile End, and West Donyland, which formed the outlying parts of the liberty.

A History of the County of Essex: Volume IX: The Borough of Colchester

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A History of the County of Essex: Volume IX: The Borough of Colchester
Janet Cooper
Manufacturer: Victoria County History
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000OKSAG2

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Perfect for Caribbean bird lovers!

Ideal reference book

missing the behavioral tips

Good bird guide

The One and Only Field Guide for the West Indies.

Birds of the West Indies (Princeton Field Guides)
Herbert Raffaele , James Wiley , Orlando H. Garrido , Allan Keith , and Janis I. Raffaele
Manufacturer: Princeton University Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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Caribbean Birds: An Introduction to Familiar Species

A Birder's West Indies: An Island-by-Island Tour (Corrie Herring Hooks Series)

Snorkeling Guide to Marine Life: Florida Caribbean Bahamas

A Guide to the Birds of Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands: Revised Edition

Birds of Mexico and Central America (Princeton Illustrated Checklists)

ASIN: 069111319X

Book Description

Fully illustrated, easy to use, and completely up-to-date, Birds of the West Indies is the only field guide that covers all of the bird species known to occur in the region--including migrants and infrequently occurring forms. Each species is represented by a full description that includes identification field marks, status and range, habitat, and voice. A map showing the bird's distribution accompanies many species accounts, and plumages of all species are depicted in ninety-three beautifully rendered color plates.

Bird lovers, vacationing tourists, local residents, and "armchair travelers" will all want to own this definitive field guide to the birds of the West Indies.

Includes all species recorded in the region
Features ninety-three color plates with concise text on facing pages for quick reference and easy identification
Species accounts cover identification, voice, status and habitat, and range
Color distribution maps

Customer Reviews:

Perfect for Caribbean bird lovers!.......2007-06-01

Much clearer and more up-to-date than The Birds of the West Indies (by James Bond) This book includes great full colour plates with lots of details.Descriptions are concise but very useful. I highly recommend this book to anyone birdwatching in the Caribbean.

Ideal reference book.......2007-03-22

Birds of the West Indies is the ideal refernce publication for residents of and visiitors to the Caribbean whether they be avid bird watchers or amatuurs wishing to satisfy their curiosity in identifying the charming little creature that wished to share their breakfast on the terrace every morning.

The illustrations are beautifully and accurately produced and reference by species makes the identifying both quick and easy.

missing the behavioral tips.......2007-02-15

I used this guide in Februrary 2007 on St. John, U.S. Virgin Islands. Color illustrations were very good. But I missed the short behavioral cues that you find in Peterson's guides, like "scratches in leaves near road edges," "bobs head and swims half submerged."

St. John's has a Park Ranger-led walk on Francis Bay trail that was very productive.

Good bird guide.......2006-11-05

Used in Jamaica;I bought this guide for my husband,a keen bird watcher,he said it was a good field guide, easy to use with clear pictures.Handy to pop in the suitcase.

The One and Only Field Guide for the West Indies........2006-07-27

Why is the One and Only?
The color Plates
The Cover and size
The Distribution Maps
The Basic and accurate Information
Do I mention the color plates?

Caribbean Birds: An Introduction to Familiar Species

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Caribbean Birds

Caribbean Birds: An Introduction to Familiar Species
James Kavanagh
Manufacturer: Waterford Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 1583551581

Book Description

The Pocket Naturalist Guides introduces novices to common plants and animals and natural phenomena. Each pocket-sized, folding guide highlights up to 150 species and most feature a map highlighting prominent sanctuaries and outstanding natural attractions.

Customer Reviews:

Caribbean Birds.......2007-01-10

I thought this guide was very helpful,well done, and inexpensive. It is fully laminated, and folded such that it is easily carried in your pocket into the field for "birding". I can't imagine anyone would be unhappy with this purchase for the price. mg

A Field Guide to the Birds of the West Indies (Peterson Field Guides(R))

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Good only for 007 fans.
Review of "Birds of the West Indies."
West Indy Birds
A disappointment
Book makes a cameo in "Die Another Day"

A Field Guide to the Birds of the West Indies (Peterson Field Guides(R))
James Bond
Manufacturer: Houghton Mifflin
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0618002103

Book Description

Descriptions of more than 400 species of birds found in the islands of the West Indies include local names of birds, notes on migrants and winter residents -- as well as birds that breed there -- and voice, habitat, and range information. More than 340 illustrations aid in identification.

Customer Reviews:

Good only for 007 fans........2006-05-17

You will find the Ornithologist James Bond's old employer, Philadelphia's Academy of Natural Sciences does not sell copies of this book. They will sell you Herbert Raffaele's updated version of this book instead.

Why?

Because, it is at least from the 1930. it contains information which is seriously dated. Not to mention that the pictures are mostly in black and white with only about 10 colour plates. The pictures that are contained in the volume are not very representative of the birds you will encounter.

This book is acceptable if you intend on bird watching on your caribbean holiday, but we spent much of our time guessing if we were really looking at a bird. Yes, you can take a book of Eastern US birds with you, but do you want to take a birdwatching library with you on your holiday? Not to mention there are birds which will not show up in a US Bird book (e.g., bananaquit and parrots).

You will notice that the most effusive reviews of this book come from fans of Ian Fleming's 007, not bird watchers. That is because this book is much more a piece of 007 trivia than useful to modern bird watchers.

The story of How Ian Fleming's agent was named was that Fleming was at Goldeneye, his Jamaican house, and needed a name for the protagonist of his spy novel. Fleming wanted a plain name and his eye came upon his copy of James Bond's "Birds of the West Indies", which Fleming described as his bible. Fleming thought that James Bond would be the perfect name for his spy (No, Audobon would not have been a possibility). Mr. Fleming paid the ornithologist a dollar a year for the privilege of using the name James Bond in his novels.

Serious bird watchers are better served buying Herbert Raffaele's updated version of this book or James Kavanagh's "Caribbean Birds".

You could also be sentimental and want this because it was what you used when you were young during the period that this version of "Birds of the West Indies" was the only show in town.

In case you haven't guessed, I am both a bird watcher and James Bond fan who owns two copies of this book. Consider this review with that in mind.

Review of "Birds of the West Indies.".......2004-02-22

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.

West Indy Birds.......2003-03-01

Yea, The book could definently use some improvements, but overall the pictures did depict the birds pretty well. The only species illustrated {in color} are those endemic ONLY to the Carib islands. Any birds that are seen in the continental US are only given black and white drawings, and small descriptions. So a field guide and familiarity to eastern migratory birds are a plus! I am VERY dissapointed with the quality of the pages in the book. After a week in the Islands, mine looks worse than any of my regular guides! Bring a water-proof sleeve or something, because it's going to get wet! Not a bad book though, I had a lot of fun, and pretty much every bird you see tends to be a new species! Have fun!

A disappointment.......2003-01-03

When I ordered this guide, I was expecting a format that was similar to the other Petersen bird guides. Unfortunately, this book is nowhere near as well organized. The plates are small, the artwork is not as good, and not all the species are illustrated. The text was also rather thin in life history information. If you are traveling to the Caribbean in winter and aren't up to speed on North American migratory singbirds, you will need to take an Eastern U.S. bird guide with you as well, as the numerous migrants that comprise the wintertime fauna are merely mentioned. I managed to identify most birds that I saw while using this guide, but it was a frustrating process.

Book makes a cameo in "Die Another Day".......2002-11-25

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..."

A Birder's West Indies: An Island-by-Island Tour (Corrie Herring Hooks Series)

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Just like being there (but without the map)

A Birder's West Indies: An Island-by-Island Tour (Corrie Herring Hooks Series)
Roland H. Wauer
Manufacturer: University of Texas Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0292791011

Book Description

The West Indies offer so much more than sun, sand, and shopping. This sweeping arc of islands, which runs from Cuba to Grenada and includes the Virgin Islands, teems with a rich diversity of plant and animal life. Up to 40 percent of the plants in some forests are found nowhere else on earth, while the West Indian flyway is a critical link in the migratory routes of many birds.

In A Birder's West Indies, Roland Wauer takes you on an island-by-island journey of discovery. He describes the unique natural features of each island and recounts his often fascinating experiences in seeking out the nearly 400 species of birds known in the West Indies. His accounts give insight into the birds' habitats, status, and ecology and record some of the threats posed by human activities.

For readers planning trips to the West Indies, Wauer also includes helpful, up-to-date facts about the best times to travel, the kinds of entry and customs systems to expect, the money exchange services available, and general information about weather, food, and accommodations. Filling a unique niche among current guides, A Birder's West Indies offers both professional ornithologists and avocational bird watchers a chance to compare notes and experiences with an expert observer. And for readers who haven't yet visited the islands, Wauer's fluid prose and lovely color photographs will be the next-best thing to being there—and an irresistible invitation to go.

Customer Reviews:

Just like being there (but without the map).......2007-02-16

Readers that have read Roland Wauer's "A Birders Mexico" will enjoy this guide to all the islands of the Caribbean. This book is primarily aimed for birders and nature or eco-tourists. It is a joy to read and after getting it out again this morning to review it during breakfast I was almost late for work as it was hard to put down. It was also very difficult to make the transition from his discription of the Island of Monteserrat to my driving in the snowy cold morning to work.

This 238 page book is packed from cover to cover with information on the birds, forests, plants, and history of the Caribbean Islands with photographs and excellent pen and ink drawing of endemic island birds by Mimi Wolf. There is a checklist of 161 Island bird species in the first section of the book and an excellent list of references in the back. There is a chapter devoted to each island. Wauer walks you around the best natural areas of the islands recounting his personal visits there and the sights he encountered with his keen observation skills and rich knowledge of natural history. If you are a birder, or ecotourist this book will give you very convincing reasons to plan a trip and if you have already bought the tickets it will rachet up your excitement over it.

The only shortcoming of this book is the lack of maps or specific instructions to the parks and reserves mentioned in the book. A good compliment to this book would be Wheatly and Brewer's "Where to Watch Birds in Central America, Mexico and the Caribbean" which has all the specific lists, maps and directions you would need. If you don't get this book (A Birder's West Indies) you will though miss out on a more literary and rich reading experience of the islands.

Average customer rating:

A good book but be sure you know what you want.
Bahama Birds
It is the Bible for birding in the West Indies
More of a reference book than field guide
A good comprehensive fieldguide

A Guide to the Birds of the West Indies
Herbert Raffaele , James Wiley , Orlando H. Garrido , Allan Keith , and Janis I. Raffaele
Manufacturer: Princeton University Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0691087369

Book Description

This is the first comprehensive field guide to the birds of the West Indies to appear in more than fifty years. It covers all 564 bird species known to occur in the region (including migrants and infrequently occurring forms). Each species is represented by a full description that includes identification field marks, local names, status, habitat, voice, nesting, range, and comments about the bird. A map showing the bird's distribution accompanies each species account. Plumages of all species are depicted in eighty-six beautifully rendered color plates. Twelve of these plates feature individual endemics from each of twelve islands. Another seven plates feature the island endemics of the largest islands: Cuba, Hispaniola, Jamaica, and Puerto Rico.

Because the region is known for its extraordinary variety of avifauna and because no other accurate modern account of its birdlife exists, this book is a landmark publication that will be widely hailed by serious birders and amateur birdwatchers alike. The authors pay particular attention to endangered and threatened birds. For each island or island group, local experts have been invited to provide a survey of efforts made to date to conserve birds and their habitats. For many years there has been a need for an up-to-date field guide that could satisfy local residents, vacationing tourists, and "armchair travelers." At last, that need has been met with this fully illustrated Guide to the Birds of the West Indies.

Customer Reviews:

A good book but be sure you know what you want........2007-02-27

Raffaele's book is a very good one for the birds of SOME THE CARIBBEAN ISLANDS ONLY. He specifically states that he is not including birds of the islands off the Venezuelan coast or birds of Central America. We went on a cruise that included Aruba, Curacao, Panama and Costa Rica and my Birds of the West Indies was not useful at all. It's for birds of the Greater and Lesser Antilles only excluding islands off Venezuela. None of the rainforest birds we saw were in the book. So just be sure of what you want.

Bahama Birds.......2005-07-03

Just what I was looking for in a field guide to birds of the Carribean.

It is the Bible for birding in the West Indies.......2004-03-10

This book is THE authority in the region. Yes, it is a heavy little sucker, and no, it is not a field guide per-se, but this book has so much useful information for the serious birder (not the coffee-table birder, but the take-it-to-the-toilet-with-you-to-read birder) that these handicaps are largely overcome.

Though recent hyperactivity by taxonomists and ornithologists working the region have made just a tiny teensy bit of the info in the book outdated, it is still a must-have for the no-nonsense Caribbean birder.

More of a reference book than field guide.......2002-04-02

Just slightly smaller than 8.5 x 11 inch letter size with 500 pages and an inflexible, non-weather resistant cover, this book is too big and rigid to fit in anything other than a back-pack. It's not a quick reference field guide than you can quickly pop out of your coat pocket, and you'll ruin it if it gets caught in an otherwise lovely tropical drizzle. Additionally the way the book is organized does not facilitate quick on-the-fly identifications, the very kind that you most frequently need in the field. For instance, the first 200 plus pages contain color plates of the birds (86 full page plates in total, each containing between 1 and 15 species). If you open the book flat you're looking at the color plate on the right page and a numbered list of the birds on the left giving common name, biological name, size in centimeters and inches and a page reference number. It's this last point - page reference number - where A GUIDE TO THE BIRDS OF THE WEST INDIES really shows up its weakness in the field. The range and distribution maps, distinguishing characteristics, flight, voice, habitat and nesting information; basically all the data you'll need to pin down a firm sighting, are all on a different page than the birds picture. This information comprises the second half of the book.

Birders will have the same problem with this book as we do with all those guides that present illustrations and/or photographs of the bird on one page and it's range map and other vital information somewhere else. A typical example. The bird takes to the air. From the glimpse we get we know it's a hummingbird with green back and white underparts. The most likely candidate we come up with is a female Streamertail. Fine, except that once we flip to the back and read about range we realize the Streamertail in endemic to Jamaica and we're still in Puerto Rico; I guess it did look more like a female Antillean Mango afterall! It's worse with warblers, flycatchers, and especially vireos. There is much flipping back and forth between pictures and descriptions, particularly so for novice birders who may not be familiar with endemics and the very limited ranges that are major factors to be aware of when dealing with bird species in islands.

This book is very colorful and informative and very up to date. It's just not very well laid out for work in the field. I wish I could be more helpful by recommending another book but unfortunately there are issues with most of the regional guides. Rather than a West Indian guide you may want to use island specific ones (some available locally) for your field trips and leave this one in the hotel for detailed reference later.

A good comprehensive fieldguide.......2000-08-17

This book is an excellent field guide. The descriptions are great and the colourplates are high quality. The book includes plates which features endimic species from the largest islands - a very valuable part of the book. Another fine thing is the locality index. The index is a great help when identifying species on localities where you have never been before. For my part I used the book on my first trip ever to Cuba, and I will bring the book with me again if I ever returns to Cuba. The text is very informative and descriptions of both juvenil and adult birds are included which is a great help. Furthermore the illustrations are very good. The book have a size that makes it possible to use it in the field. The only problem as far as I can see is that it could have been usefull with more illustrations e.g. more flying raptors, ducks and waders. All in all: A book worth using and buying.

A Photographic Guide to Birds of the West Indies

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Great book -- all my friends want one.
Photographic guide to the Birds of the West Indies

A Photographic Guide to Birds of the West Indies
G. Michael Flieg , and Allan Sander
Manufacturer: Ralph Curtis Publishing
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0883590506

Customer Reviews:

Great book -- all my friends want one. .......2004-10-24

I bought this book to check out local birds in the US Virgin Islands, as well as several similar books that were recommended to me. Not only do I really love it but, during a recent hurricane when our house was filled with folks, our guests raved about the quality of the book, great pictures, etc. And this was after they got a chance to compare it to other books on the same subject. Of all the Virgin Islands birding and wildlife books we have, this is the one our guests all want. It is easy to use, the pictures are accurate, and I recommend it.

Photographic guide to the Birds of the West Indies.......2001-07-20

This pocket guide contains photos and descriptions of virtually all of the endemic birds of the West Indies. It also covers introduced species and water birds of the Caribbean. It is an exceptionally usuable pocket guide for the birder to take along on a cruise or holiday to the islands.

Birds of the Caribbean (Birds of the West Indies) Easton Press (Roger Tory Peterson Field Guides: Collector's Lifetime Edition)

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Birds of the Caribbean (Birds of the West Indies) Easton Press (Roger Tory Peterson Field Guides: Collector's Lifetime Edition)
James Bond
Manufacturer: Easton Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Leather Bound

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ASIN: B000TYFGTC

Product Description

Collector's Lifetime Edition, published by Easton Press, leatherbound, gilt edges, with ribbon bookmark, part of the Roger Tory Peterson Field Guide Collection, written by James Bond.

Birds of the Caribbean: (birds of the West Indies) (Roger Tory Peterson field guides of the world)

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Birds of the Caribbean: (birds of the West Indies) (Roger Tory Peterson field guides of the world)
James Bond
Manufacturer: Easton Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding

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ASIN: B0006PIAPQ

Field guide to birds of the West Indies: a guide to all the species of birds known from the Greater Antilles, Lesser Antilles and Bahama Islands

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Field guide to birds of the West Indies: a guide to all the species of birds known from the Greater Antilles, Lesser Antilles and Bahama Islands
James Bond
Manufacturer: The Macmillan Company
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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Field Guide to the Birds of the West Indies (Helm Field Guides)

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Field Guide to the Birds of the West Indies (Helm Field Guides)
Herbert A. Raffaele , James Wiley , Orlando H. Garrido , Allan Keith , and Janis Raffaelle
Manufacturer: Christopher Helm Publishers Ltd
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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