Books to the ceiling,
Books to the sky,
My pile of books is a mile high.
How I love them! How I need them!
I'll have a long beard by the time I read them.

~ Arnold Lobel [1933-1987] author of many popular children's books.

Compiled by Ian "Birdbooker" Paulsen, the Birdbooker Report is a long-running weekly report listing the wide variety of nature, natural history, ecology, animal behaviour, science and history books that have been newly released or republished in North America and in the UK. The books listed here were received by Ian during the previous week, courtesy of these various publishing houses.

New and Recent Titles:

• Muir, John. My First Summer in the Sierra. 2011. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. Hardbound: 190 pages. Price: $30.00 U.S. [Amazon UK; Amazon US].
  SUMMARY: From the photographer who brought Thoreau's Walden and Cape Cod to life comes a new work combining classic literature with brand-new photography. This time, Scot Miller takes on the seminal work of John Muir, My First Summer in the Sierra. The book details Muir's first extended trip to the Sierra Nevada in what is now Yosemite National Park, a landscape that entranced him immediately and had a profound effect on his life. The towering waterfalls, natural rock formations, and abundant plant and animal life helped Muir develop his views of the natural world, views that would eventually lead him to push for the creation of national parks.
  Timed to coincide with the 100th anniversary of the book's original publication by Houghton Mifflin Company, My First Summer in the Sierra is illustrated with Miller's stunning photographs, showcasing the dramatic landscape of the High Sierra plus John Muir's illustrations from the original edition and several previously unpublished illustrations from his 1911 manuscript. The publication of My First Summer in the Sierra inspired many to journey there, and this newly illustrated anniversary edition will surely inspire many more.
  This book is being published in collaboration with Yosemite Conservancy and, for each copy sold, Scot Miller is making a donation to Yosemite Conservancy.
  IAN'S RECOMMENDATION: For those with a passion for stunning photography, and who have an interest in the works of naturalist John Muir.
  
• Prothero, Donald R. Catastrophes! Earthquakes, Tsunamis, Tornadoes, and Other Earth-Shattering Disasters. 2011. Johns Hopkins University Press. Hardbound: 326 pages. Price: $30.00 U.S. [Amazon UK; Amazon US].
  SUMMARY: Devastating natural disasters have profoundly shaped human history, leaving us with a respect for the mighty power of the earth -- and a humbling view of our future. Paleontologist and geologist Donald R. Prothero tells the harrowing human stories behind these catastrophic events.
  Prothero describes in gripping detail some of the most important natural disasters in history:
  
  • • the New Madrid, Missouri, earthquakes of 1811–1812 that caused church bells to ring in Boston
  • • the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami that killed more than 230,000 people
  • • the massive volcanic eruptions of Krakatau, Mount Tambora, Mount Vesuvius, Mount St. Helens, and Nevado del Ruiz
  
  His clear and straightforward explanations of the forces that caused these disasters accompany gut-wrenching accounts of terrifying human experiences and a staggering loss of human life. Floods that wash out whole regions, earthquakes that level a single country, hurricanes that destroy everything in their path -- all are here to remind us of how little control we have over the natural world. Dramatic photographs and eyewitness accounts recall the devastation wrought by these events, and the people -- both heroes and fools -- that are caught up in the earth's relentless forces.
  Eerie, fascinating, and often moving, these tales of geologic history and human fortitude and folly will stay with you long after you put the book down.
  IAN'S RECOMMENDATION: Unfortunately a VERY timely book! If you want to learn more about these disasters than just what's in the news headlines, this is the book for you.
  

.

Ian "Birdbooker" Paulsen is an avid and well-known book collector, especially to the publishing world. Mr Paulsen collects newly-published books about science, nature, history, animals and birds, and he also collects children's books on these topics. Mr Paulsen writes brief synopses about his collected books on his website, The Birdbooker Report.