paperback vs

[millipede]

I'm thinking of buying Sibley Birds East...  (maybe west as well, we'll see.)
Just looked on Amazon and there's only one(I'm sure more will come) of the flexbound and, somehow it's $23 more expensive than paperback. That seems steep to me.

Because of price alone I think I might just go with paperback. That's less than idea to me but... money is money. Any thoughts on how the two formats compare when it comes to long term use and wear? 

Also, any thoughts on things a person could do to a paperback book to make it last longer? A book cover? some sort of coating? Something???  I'd rather something be more durable as I'm not always friendly with books but, have to save money as well.
I wonder what it actually costs the people producing the books to use flexibound... certainly it can't be $23 more expensive. ?

[Charlie Spencer]

I think I only paid $23 for the flexbound on Amazon.  Heck, maybe I have the paperback and don't know the difference.

Unless you travel into or west of the Rockies, there's not much value in buying the West guide.  Any western birds likely to show up east of the Rockies are in Sibley East anyway.  Save the money.

As to making it last, if you're going to actually use it in the field, you might as well resign yourself to some wear and tear.  Carry it in a ZipLoc to minimize dirt and moisture, and maybe wipe your hands before you open it.  I'll admit I don't worry much about the longevity of field guides.  They're usually outdated in a decade or less, especially the range maps in these climate-changing times, and they're not that expensive to replace.  But then, I rarely pack one in the field anyway; my Sibley stays in the car or the suitcase.  I usually  concentrate on the bird and get photos if I can, then ID any unknowns when I get home.

If you're not going to use it in the field, if you'll be using it as a home reference, I'd suggest a large book instead of a field guide.  You'll get more and larger illustrations, more detailed descriptions, etc.  Something like NatGeo's 'Birds of North America' will run you about $60 in hard cover, not much more than you'd pay for the two Sibley's.  Oh, and it will be a lot easier to keep clean!

Edited March 5, 2019 by Charlie Spencer

[millipede]

I'm not sure who to be bothered with at the moment... probably amazon. I really don't like the way some things are listed and jumbled together... where you have reviews on a product that were for another similar product but not that one, etc...

So Amazon has it listed as $13.56 on Amazon...  The one I'm looking for. It shows "paperback."  There's an option for "flexibound" but if you click that, not only is it $23 more, it's the OLD version. In my mind that shouldn't even be an option there. Oh well... 
So I looked at the Sibley Guides site and they have the flexibound version for $19.99 or something... and a link to the same book on amazon which just leads to the one I already see on Amazon showing "paperback."  I can't help but wonder now if "paperback" is a mistake... or, if that's all they have on Amazon. Or maybe the Sibley site is using a vague interpretation of "flexibound" and they're all just really paperback...  ha. I have no idea.  If I don't figure that all out I'll probably just buy direct for the Sibley site where it actually tells me it's flexibound. $19.99 isn't horrible.

I have trouble comparing things while shopping online... and I'm starting to think it's not all my fault.

[DaveOl]

I have a copy of the Sibley's and the Nat Geo's Birds of America.  I prefer the Nat Geo for the images.  My copy of the Sibley's has a cover on it that looks to be water resistant.

You might also be interested in iBird if you have a tablet computer to display  it on.  You can't thumb through the pages, but if you already know what bird it is, it has much more information than the field guides.

[Charlie Spencer]

1 hour ago, DaveOl said:

I have a copy of the Sibley's and the Nat Geo's Birds of America.  I prefer the Nat Geo for the images.  My copy of the Sibley's has a cover on it that looks to be water resistant.

You might also be interested in iBird if you have a tablet computer to display  it on.  You can't thumb through the pages, but if you already know what bird it is, it has much more information than the field guides.

I'm trying to justify buying the latest edition of the big Nat Geo.  It's usually the first book I recommend for people looking for something general but more detailed than a field guide.