I wanted to like the book, but was gravely disappointed. I was originally going to rate it two stars--I raised it to three because the author seems such a nice guy! The book consists of fifty sets of two facing pages, each set devoted to a bird. On the right is a painting, usually showing a side view of the bird and nothing else. On the left is a page of text on the bird, usually an anecdote about the author's experience with the species. Most of the stories are very dated, from the 1940s or 1950s. I find the book mildly amusing to leaf through when I'm bored, but it is no use as a reference, didn't challenge or inspire me, and I wouldn't dream of taking it into the field. There are much better uses for your reading dollar.