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My Book Collection

Discussion in 'TV, Movies, Books about Zoos & Wildlife' started by snowleopard, 26 Dec 2010.

  1. snowleopard

    snowleopard Well-Known Member 15+ year member Premium Member

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    Here is my personal collection of 153 books that range from thick guide books, zoo and aquarium history books, nature-themed literary creations, Gerald Durrell classics and assorted odds n' ends. Some are legendary books that are well known by zoo enthusiasts, while others are much more obscure.

    Anyway, over the Christmas holidays I typed up this list by analyzing my bookshelves at home (my wife and I have a mini-library of a ridiculous number of books) and the reason that I have decided to post my list on ZooChat is three-fold. I'd like ideas for great zoo books that I'm missing out on, I would be willing to purchase anyone's books that they would willingly sell, and I'd also be intrigued by comments on the thread or privately on my list.

    Alphabetical List By Author:

    William Adams & Carl Shiver - St. Augustine Alligator Farm Zoological
    Adelaide Zoo - Guide Book (2001)
    Adelaide Zoo - Guide Book (2006?)
    Alberta Game Farm - Guide Book (1975?)
    Lawrence Anthony + Spence - Babylon’s Ark: The Incredible Wartime Rescue of the Baghdad Zoo
    David Attenborough - The Living Planet
    Baratay & Hardouin-Fugier - Zoo: A History of Zoological Gardens in the West
    J. Barrington-Johnson - The Zoo: The Story of London Zoo
    Bay Books (Australia) - Australia’s Amazing Wildlife
    Deborah Blum - The Monkey Wars
    Jeffrey P. Bonner - Sailing with Noah: Stories from the World of Zoos
    Douglas Botting - Gerald Durrell: The Authorized Biography
    Peter Brazaitis - You Belong in a Zoo!
    Bill Bruns - A World of Animals: The San Diego Zoo
    Burt & Grossenheider - Peterson Field Guide: Mammals
    Maurice & Robert Burton - The Encyclopedia of the Animal Kingdom
    Busch Gardens: Tampa Bay - Guide Book (2008)
    Sheldon Campbell - Lifeboats to Ararat
    Bruce Carlson & Steve Shindell- Bringing the Ocean to Atlanta: The Creation of the Georgia Aquarium
    Mark Carwardine - The Encyclopedia of World Wildlife
    Chester Zoo - Guide Book (2004)
    Carl S. Chilton, Jr. - The History of Gladys Porter Zoo
    Cleland Wildlife Park - Guide Book (1996)
    Darill Clements - Postcards from the Zoo
    Colchester Zoo - Guide Book
    Patricia Corrigan - Wild Things: Untold Tales from the First Century of the Saint Louis Zoo
    Cotswold Wildlife Park - Guide Book (2006)
    Vicki Croke - The Modern Ark: The Story of Zoos: Past, Present and Future
    Dallas World Aquarium - Field Guide
    Dallas World Aquarium - Field Guide (2009?)
    Catherine De Courcy - Dublin Zoo: An Illustrated History
    Felix Dennis - Man-Eating Sharks
    Disney’s Animal Kingdom - Guide Book (2007)
    Fort Worth Zoo - Guide Book (2007)
    Deuchler & Owens - Brookfield Zoo
    Georgia Aquarium - Guide Book (2007)
    Georgia Aquarium - Guide Book (2009)
    Gerald Durrell - The Overloaded Ark
    Gerald Durrell - My Family and Other Animals
    Gerald Durrell - Three Singles to Adventure
    Gerald Durrell - The Drunken Forest
    Gerald Durrell - Encounters with Animals
    Gerald Durrell - The Bafut Beagles
    Gerald Durrell - Rosy is my Relative
    Gerald Durrell - A Zoo in my Luggage
    Gerald Durrell - Golden Bats & Pink Pigeons
    Gerald Durrell - The Ark’s Anniversary
    Gerald Durrell - The Stationary Ark
    Gerald Durrell - Catch me a Colobus
    Gerald Durrell - The Aye-Aye and I
    Gerald Durrell - How to Shoot an Amateur Naturalist
    Gerald Durrell - Birds, Beasts and Relatives
    Gerald Durrell - The Garden of the Gods
    Ann Ferns - Watch Out! These Australian Creatures Bite
    Tim Flannery - Chasing Kangaroos
    Karen Furnweger - Shedd Aquarium: The First 75 Years
    Birute M.F. Galdikas - Reflections of Eden: My Years with the Orangutans of Borneo
    Garbutt & Bradt & Schuurman- Madagascar Wildlife: A Visitor’s Guide
    Nick Garbutt & Mike Unwin - 100 Animals to See Before They Die
    Katherine Girlich - San Francisco Zoo
    Gladys Porter Zoo - Guide Book (2002)
    David Hancocks - A Different Nature
    Jack Hanna - Monkeys on the Interstate
    Dean Harrison - Return to Eden
    Sonya A. Haskins - Knoxville Zoo
    Healesville Sanctuary - Guide Book (2004?)
    Stephen Herrero - Bear Attacks: Their Causes and Avoidance
    Kevin Hile - Little Zoo by the Red Cedar: The Story of Potter Park Zoo
    Nick Jans - The Grizzly Maze: Timothy Treadwell’s Fatal Obsession with Bears
    Jersey Wildlife Trust - Guide Book
    Linda Koebner - Zoo Book: The Evolution of Wildlife Centers
    John Knowles - My Marwellous Life
    Joy W. Kraft - The Cincinnati Zoo and Botanical Garden
    Peggy Pickering Larson - Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum: A Scrapbook
    Mary Delach Leonard - Animals Always: 100 Years at the Saint Louis Zoo
    Ted Ligibel - The Toledo Zoo’s First 100 Years
    Living Australia Series - Dangerous Australians
    London Zoo - Guide Book (1971)
    London Zoo - Guide Book (2007?)
    Longleat Safari Park - Guide Book (1967)
    David Macdonald - The Encyclopedia of Mammals
    Macdonald Encyclopedia - The Macdonald Encyclopedia of Mammals
    Terry Maple + Erika Archibald- Zoo Man: Inside the Zoo Revolution
    Elena Marcon & M. Mongini - The World Encyclopedia of Animals
    Marineland of the Pacific - Guide Book (1959)
    Anthony D. Marshall - Zoo: Profiles of 102 Zoos, etc
    Benjamin Mee - We Bought a Zoo
    Monterey Bay Aquarium - Monterey Bay Aquarium: The Insiders’ Guide
    Desmond Morris - Animal Days
    Farley Mowat - Virunga: The Passion of Dian Fossey
    Farley Mowat - Never Cry Wolf
    Farley Mowat - Sea of Slaughter
    Farley Mowat - Rescue the Earth!
    Farley Mowat - Walking on the Land
    Farley Mowat - Tundra
    Farley Mowat - A Whale for the Killing
    Farley Mowat - Canada North Now
    Farley Mowat - Sibir
    Farley Mowat - Born Naked
    Farley Mowat - The Snow Walker
    Farley Mowat - People of the Deer
    Farley Mowat - The Desperate People
    Douglas G. Myers + Stephenson- Mister Zoo: The Life and Legacy of Dr. Charles Schroeder
    National Geographic - National Geographic’s Last Wild Places
    Dr. Murray A. Newman - People, Fish and Whales: The Vancouver Aquarium Story
    Norton/Hutchins/Stevens/Maple- Ethics on the Ark: Zoos, Animal Welfare, and Wildlife Conservation
    Allen W. Nyhuis - The Zoo Book: A Guide to America’s Best
    Allen W. Nyhuis + Jon Wassner- America’s Best Zoos
    David A. Oehler - Great Zoos of the U.S.A.: Cincinnati Zoo (children’s book)
    Oklahoma City Zoo - Guide Book (2005?)
    Robert Paddle - The Last Tasmanian Tiger
    Jake Page - Zoo: The Modern Ark
    Jake Page - Smithsonian’s New Zoo
    Dale Peterson - The Deluge and the Ark
    Point Defiance Zoo - 100 Years at Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium
    Reader’s Digest (many authors)- Sharks: Silent Hunters of the Deep
    Reader’s Digest (many authors)- Australia’s Dangerous Creatures
    Judith E. Rinard - Zoos Without Cages
    Phillip T. Robinson - Life at the Zoo: Behind the Scenes with the Animal Doctors
    Rosenthal/Tauber/Uhlir - The Ark in the Park: The Story of Lincoln Park Zoo
    Andrea Friederici Ross - Let the Lions Roar! The Evolution of Brookfield Zoo
    Saint Louis Zoo - River’s Edge Fold-Out Guide/Map (2008)
    San Diego Zoo - Guide Book (1976)
    San Diego Zoo - Guide Book (1988)
    San Diego Zoo - Guide Book (1991)
    San Diego Zoo - Guide Book (1997)
    San Diego Zoo - Guide Book (2000)
    San Diego Zoo - Guide Book (2007)
    San Diego Zoo + WAP - Souvenir Photo Book (2006)
    San Diego Wild Animal Park - Guide Book (2000)
    George B. Schaller - The Year of the Gorilla
    Joan Scheier - The Central Park Zoo
    Joan Scheier - New York City Zoos and Aquarium
    Gunther Schmida - The Cold-Blooded Australians
    Jeremy Seal - The Snakebite Survivors’ Club
    Lucy H. Spelman & Mashima - The Rhino with Glue-on Shoes
    Amy Dee Stephens - Oklahoma City Zoo: 1902-1959
    Taronga Zoo - Guide Book (1972)
    Taronga Zoo - Guide Book (1980)
    Patricia Van Tighem - The Bear’s Embrace: A True Story of Surviving a Grizzly Bear Attack
    Amelia Thomas - The Zoo on the Road to Nablus
    Tierpark Carl Hagenbeck - Guide Book (1964)
    Time Life Television Series - Birds of Sea, Shore & Stream
    Time Life Television Series - Bears & Other Carnivores
    Time Life Television Series - Elephants & Other Land Giants
    Toronto Zoo - Guide Book (2004)
    Ivan Tors - My Life in the Wild
    Torstar Books - All the World’s Animals: Hoofed Mammals Tyler Trafford - The Evolution of the Calgary Zoo
    Trevino & Pastorello - Oak Park and the Montgomery Zoo
    Whipsnade Zoo - Guide Book (2007?)
    Wildlife Safari - Guide Book
    Alan Wykes - Snake Man: The Story of C.J.P. Ionides, Snake Catcher Extraordinary

    153 books
     
  2. Chlidonias

    Chlidonias Moderator Staff Member 15+ year member

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    my list of 54 zoo books is here http://www.zoochat.com/183/my-zoo-book-list-26312/ ranging in publication date from 1887 to 2002. The list is from 2008 so I have quite a few more now (probably around 70 or so). I won't list my (non-zoo) animal books as I have around 1000 of them :)
     
  3. Hix

    Hix Wildlife Enthusiast and Lover of Islands 15+ year member Premium Member

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    At last count I have 497 animal/zoo books (not counting zoo guide books) and 117 non-animal books. And hundreds of magazines and journals.

    The last one I purchased was a secondhand 1967 copy of the english translation of Stümpke's treatise on the now-extinct Rhinogradentia.

    @Snowleopard - your Durrell library needs "Two in the Bush", "The Whispering Land", "Menagerie Manor" and "The Mockery Bird".

    Colin Tudge's "Last Animals at the Zoo" is an excellent (if now a little dated) book on zoos and conservation.

    Other books you might consider:
    "The Peacable Kingdom" by John Sedgewick (a year at Philadelphia Zoo)
    "Wild Animals in Captivity" and "The Psychology and Behaviour of Animals in Zoos and Circuses", both by Heini Hediger.
    "It Began with a Roar" by Wegeforth and Morgan, a history of the San Diego Zoo.

    Finally, "Zoo Culture" by Mullan and Marvin. The authors are not zoologists or animal people - they are sociologists who were interested in why people go to the zoo. A bit heavy going, but a good study on the psychology of the average zoo-goer.

    :p

    Hix
     
  4. carlos77

    carlos77 Well-Known Member

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    What a great idea, many young zoochaters would do well reading up this winter. In spanish, i read durrell and loved them, though some were not translated. Desmond Morris was also translated. I teach anthropology, so primates are my main interest. Jane goodall is a great writer, In the shadow of man, is a must read for my students. I read here that her last book has a fine chapter on zoos and endagered animals but i have not seen it translated. maybe someone remembers the name. Also recommended is Frans de waal´s Chimpanzee politics based on his studies on the Arnhem Zoo chimps. Frans de Waal has other books that I have lent and lost. Not related to zoos, but a must read to understand evolution are the great books by stephen Jay Gould, what a great scientist and what a great writer. I give The Mismeasurement of man in the spanish version for my antro introductory course and students enjoy it too. Like durell, gould never wrote a dull book.
     
  5. Chlidonias

    Chlidonias Moderator Staff Member 15+ year member

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    I have about ten non-animal books :D
     
  6. snowleopard

    snowleopard Well-Known Member 15+ year member Premium Member

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    I am always intrigued by the levels of passion clearly evident in ZooChatters. I can tell someone in my line of work (secondary school teacher) that I've been to 120 zoos and they think that I'm bonkers, while someone on this site might have visited 400 or more zoos! I can post a list of 150 animal-themed books and someone else mentions that they have 500 books!

    As my wife and I are both teachers and avid readers we have about 1,800 books in total, with approximately half of them being children's books and the other half a nice mix of fiction and nonfiction. The 150 animal-themed books that I mentioned don't include many others that I have read, including several Gerald Durrell classics that are not in my personal collection.

    @Hix: the Hediger books are legendary, and thanks very much for the other suggestions. I'll be sure to add them to a "bucket list" of mine that I'm accumulating.
     
  7. Arizona Docent

    Arizona Docent Well-Known Member 15+ year member

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    I can't believe you have a visitor's guide from the long-closed Marineland Of The Pacific! Now that is a real collector's item. I grew up in L.A. and remember going there as a child (as well as to four other southern California animal attractions that are long since closed).
     
  8. Tim May

    Tim May Well-Known Member 15+ year member Premium Member

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    One classic zoo book, missing from your list, that is essential reading for any zoo enthusiast is:-

    Management of Wild Mammals in Captivity (Lee S. Crandall; 1964)

    Another favourite of mine is

    Longevity of Mammals in Captivity from the Living Collections of the World (Richard Weigl; 2005)

    Although I appreciate that they are probably of less interest to a Canadian, as a Londoner, particularly interested in the history of London Zoo, I would have to recommend the following:-

    A Walk through the Zoological Gardens (F. G. Aflalo; 1900)

    A Record of Progress of the Zoological Society of London During the Nineteenth Century (1901)

    The Zoological Society of London : a Sketch of its Foundation and Development, and the Story of its Farm, Museum, Gardens, Menagerie and Library (Henry Scherren; 1905)

    • A Centenary History of the Zoological Society of London (P. Chalmers Mitchell; 1929)

    List of the Vertebrated Animals Exhibited in the Gardens of the Zoological Society of London
    1828 – 1927: Centenary Edition in 3 volumes
    (1929)
    Vol 1 Mammals (by S. S. Flower)
    Vol 2 Birds (by G. Carmichael Low)
    Vol 3 Reptiles (by S. S. Flower); Amphibians (by Malcolm A. Smith); Fishes (by E.G. Boulenger)

    • London Zoo from Old Photographs: 1852 – 1914 (John C. Edwards; 1996)
     
  9. Pertinax

    Pertinax Well-Known Member 15+ year member

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    Particularly the two or three chapters which deal with the power struggles and coalitions between the males Yereon and Luit (and Nikkie) which are among the most interesting in-depth behavioural study of primates I've come across.

    Belle Benchley's books about the earlier years of San Diego Zoo are very interesting too. They are probably hard to find nowadays. 'My Friends the Apes' deals just with the four Ape species, including detailed chapters on the lives of all the individuals then at the Zoo but in particular her favourites, the two Eastern Lowland Gorillas, Mbongo and Ngagi. 'My Life in a Man-Made Jungle' is a more general look at San Diego and its animals in the same period. M/s Benchley was originally the book-keeper but ended up as Director.

    Another interesting read in a similar vein is Sam Dunton's 'Hold that Tiger' about life for a staff photographer at the Bronx Zoo in the 1940-50's era.

    And for fans of the now closed Belle Vue Zoo in Manchester there is 'At Home in the Zoo' by a past director of Belle Vue- Gerald Iles.
     
    Last edited: 27 Dec 2010
  10. zooman

    zooman Well-Known Member 15+ year member

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    Really?

    I am sure l have one of those as well will have to have a look.
     
  11. blospz

    blospz Well-Known Member 10+ year member

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    I got Zoo Borns for Christmas this year. Although it's not a good lengthy read, the photos are great and they melt your heart. It was a surprise gift from my stepmom who thought of me when she saw it. My squeal moment of the night was when I saw the photo of the baby tamandua.

    As for your collection Snowleopard, I have like 2 or 3 of those zoo books. I guess I need to start up a collection of my own!
     
  12. Tarsius

    Tarsius Well-Known Member

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    I've never counted my zoo and animal books, I have too many of them....But I know, I have now 3750 zoo,-and aquarium guidebooks, of course, I have three guides of the closed Marineland of the Pacific ( it is not that long closed, only 23 years now ) They are not really hard to get, from time to time, you can get them on ebay for a couple of bucks. But all three I have are from the 50ty and 60ty years, I'm still searching for the last edition from the 80ty's, which is really hard to find....
     
  13. Tarsius

    Tarsius Well-Known Member

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    @Snowleopard. What shows the cover of the DWA Fieldguide from 2009 ?
     
  14. snowleopard

    snowleopard Well-Known Member 15+ year member Premium Member

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    @Tarsius: I have two DWA field guides, and the one that I received in the summer of 2010 is very large and actually 16 pages if one counts the front and back covers. The field guide that I suspect is from 2009 is a smaller booklet with a giant river otter on the cover. It is 12 pages in length and has a small picture of some manatees on the back cover.
     
  15. scimiterhorned1

    scimiterhorned1 Member

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    I dont supose you could scan and then send the Longleat Guide book from 1967 please my Email is [email protected]
     
  16. Tarsius

    Tarsius Well-Known Member

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    @Snowleopard. Are these the two DWA Field guides you have in your collection ?

    The Giant River cover edition isn't from 2009, it was published in 2002, and the big edition is from 2008.
     

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  17. Tim May

    Tim May Well-Known Member 15+ year member Premium Member

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    Agreed, Pertinax, "At Home in the Zoo" (Gerald Iles, 1960) is well-worth reading. Interestingly, this book was also published in America, a year later, with a slightly different title "My Home in the Zoo" (1961), the American edition having an introduction by Fairfield Osborn of the New York Zoological Society.

    I also concur with Hix; "Last Animals at the Zoo" (Colin Tudge); “Zoo Culture” (Mullan and Marvin) and the various books by Heini Hediger are all thoroughly recommended.

    My earlier post in this thread was rather biased in favour of London Zoo; two other books that I really should have included amongst my favourites are:-

    The Zoological Gardens of Europe (C. V. A. Peel, 1903)

    British Zoos (Geoffrey Schomberg, 1957)
     
  18. snowleopard

    snowleopard Well-Known Member 15+ year member Premium Member

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    Thanks everyone for the many intriguing selections of zoo-related books, and I'm thankful that I started this informative thread!

    @Tarsius: those are the two guide books that I own, and thanks for the clarification of the years (2002 + 2008).
     
  19. KCZooFan

    KCZooFan Well-Known Member

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    On of the best books I've ever read is "Kansas City Zoo Tales: A Wild 100-Year History" by Ruth Seeliger. Probably more interesting to me than to others though.

    My collection of several thousand books is lacking very many zoo books so I might get some on your list snowleopard.
     
  20. zamba

    zamba Active Member

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    my animal book list:
    richard walker: WOW! ANIMAL
    children's encyclopedia of animals
    last chance to see
    britain's favorite animals
    colchester zoo sovenier guide 2010
    colchester zoo sovenier guide 2009
    spotter's guide to zoo animals
    the little booh of dangerous animals
    amazing facts about australian wildlife conservation
    the complete illustrated encyclopedia of animals of the world
    about pets-african grey parrot
    about pets-the parrot
    how to care for your budgerigar

    my animal dvd list:
    addo the african king
    last chance to see: return of the rhinos
    last chance to see: series 1
    amazona: the birth of a zoo
    zoo days colchester: series 2 (recorded)
    playing in savage paradise
    a lion called cristian
    wildlife diary: disc 7
    wildlife diary: disc 9
    wildlife diary: disc 10
    wildlife diary: disc 6
    big cat week: series 3
    wildlife diary: disc 3
    deadly predators: the big cats
    big cat diary special
    johny morris: the magic memories
    big cat week: series 4
    zoo days colchester: series 1 highlights (i brought this one off of colchester zoo's website)
    big cat week: series 1 and 2
    the lion man: series 1, 2 and 3