A World of Watchers: An Informal History of the American Passion for Birds - From Its Scientific Beginnings to teh Great Birding Boom of Today

241 pp. 9 1/4 x 6 3/4. Illustrations by Louis Fuertes Aggasiz. "Bird-watching and bird-listing have long been American preoccupations (many early explorers kept lists of the birds they saw in the New World); today as many as 7 million Americans take some active interest in birds, making birding second in popularity only to fishing among nature-related recreational activities. Focusing on the men and women who led the way and on the clubs they founded, Kastner traces the rise of both scientific and popular bird study in the United States from earliest times to the present. His careful research, affection for his subject, and witty writing style add up to a book that all birders will enjoy immensely."