Fieldwork book
I got the advance copies of my fieldwork book a few days ago. It’s very exciting, although the number of typos and other things that have already made it to the errata page is a bit embarrassing. The web site was also left off the book frontpiece for some reason. It’s here.
Some of my colleagues and I have been considering the relative advantages of this book over some of the others on sale. The form factor is one point in its favour. It is small enough to fit in a backpack, and the paper is light enough that it won’t add a whole bunch of weight to field packing. It has some blank pages at the end for notetaking, and errata noting. However, the covers are strong enough that this book could be used for killing insects and possibly small snakes. It has a pretty good ‘wipeoff’ cover too. So, while no replacement for a towel, it will do in an emergency.
December 11, 2007 at 1:30 am
hey, congratulations! what fun… looking forward to whacking bugs with it myself.
December 11, 2007 at 1:23 pm
Wow, you really know how to sell to your target audience! I’m totally gonna buy your book, if only because of your description here.
December 16, 2007 at 1:08 am
Right on Claire! Strong covers are really important when your doing fieldwork. Placing one fieldwork book underneath the door with another book slightly underneath it, at an angle, will make a perfect wedge that should stop the door slamming in the breeze and ruining your precious recordings.
December 21, 2007 at 2:50 am
But, is it good for dealing with crocodiles?
December 21, 2007 at 7:55 am
Joe, so true! and it could be used for propping up unsteady tables and vibrating fridges (but maybe you’d want a second copy for that). Bill, I think the $105 hardback edition might be a better bet for sticking between the jaws of a crocodile. It also has very sharp corners for poking out their eyes. The paperback might give them a papercut but going pro might be necessary for the larger animals.
I didn’t mention in the post that there are also some blank pages at the end for preserving insects and flowers previously unknown to Science.