This big bird book came in the mail. It came here because we write about birds, and people who are interested, including you, read the stuff we write.

The publishers of this big book, Princeton University Press, figure that if I write about it, you’ll see it and maybe you’ll buy the book. I’m an ad guy. I understand this.

I’ve worked, at one time or another, for Madison Avenue ad agencies. New York ad agencies, Chicago ad agencies. My territory included big board rooms and big bored rooms.

All the ad nuttiness you see in movies about ad agencies. The running for planes and trains. The filming in Hollywood. The demanding clients and eccentric bosses. The eccentric clients and demanding bosses.

The fondness for an unpleasant liquid called midnight oil. The fondness for a pleasant liquid called vodka. Whoa. How’d I get on that rant…

Oh, yeah, I understand advertising. The need to put a product in front of its target audience. Well, Princeton also understands. I was happy to get this big bird book.

Due to a condition I can only describe as weirdness, I will sit down and read a bird book like a novel. Always did. Even as a kid.

I also would sit down and read a novel like it was a bird book.

What the hell does that mean? Try it some time. It means you notice field markings about all the characters, you remember their names, and look for their types and traits when you get out into the world.

Getting out into the world becomes really necessary when you work in advertising. Or read bird books like they’re novels. Or read novels like they’re bird books.

Life inside the cubicles, conference rooms, airports, studios and martini hangouts of the ad world does nothing more than make a guy want to get into the woods as fast as possible, as often as possible and as deep as possible.

To get away from the smoke, tech talk, buzz words, booze buzz, flip charts, the power points, meetings, phones…the eccentrics around you and the eccentric inside you.

And reading novels like they’re bird books or bird books like they’re novels makes you want to jump out of your skin and your old chair, and head for the woods.

Indoor work and reading are fine and necessary, but make outdoor exploration even more necessary. Whoa, how’d I get on that rant…

Oh, yeah. I’ve got a book report due.

Like any schoolboy, I’m stalling. But that’s not fair to the big book. I love the book.

I really respect Princeton University Press. The name “Princeton” alone, is worthy of respect, being in the Ivy League and all. I wonder why they call it the Ivy League. All college buildings have ivy growing on them…

And the word “press,” well, it means all kinds of things. Like in basketball, for example. When I used to play, and man, did I have a shot, I would hate the full court press.

Or even the half court press. Hate doing it to the other team. Hate having it done to our team. I was all about shooting. Playing offense. Whoa….the book.

It’s called the Crossley ID Guide. Eastern Birds. It’s the best-looking bird book I ever saw. Too big to carry around for some people, but a two-fisted lug can manage it. This book’s not a field guide anyway; it’s an “ID” guide. It’s made for birding at home. You can read it like a novel.

With pictures. A million pictures of a million birds from a million angles in their actual surroundings.

For better book reports about this big book, please check just about every other bird blog in the world. They were sent copies, too, and are better at this than I am.

Meanwhile, I’m going to curl up with my Crossley ID Guide. Then go for a long hike.

This entry was posted on Saturday, February 19th, 2011 at 1:10 pm and is filed under "Daily Sightings" A Blog. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.