What is a field guide? Although the term is often misused, a true field guide is a compact book designed for quickly identifying things in the field. It may not have room for much extra information about the subject but it is organized to help the user to recognize things quickly. The "things" in the Kaufman Field Guides are living things, elements of nature.

The Houghton Mifflin Company of Boston, publishers of books by such luminaries as Henry David Thoreau, Rachel Carson, Jane Goodall, and Roger Tory Peterson, has long been known for its prestigious line of books on nature and the environment. In October 2000, Houghton Mifflin continued this tradition by launching the Kaufman Guides, a new series of nature identification guides with a revolutionary approach.

Field guides in the past had been illustrated with drawings or paintings (usually) or with photographs, and each approach had its limitations. The first Kaufman Guide, Birds of North America, introduced a totally new method of illustration. All of the images in the book started out as photographs, but then all were extensively edited by Kenn Kaufman, using digital photo-editing software. This process made it possible to clean up shadows and reflections, correct colors and sizes, and ensure that all important field marks were visible in each image. The results were hailed as producing the most accurate and lifelike illustrations ever published.

The hallmark of all of the Kaufman Field Guides is that they are designed for ease of use. Although the editor and publisher go to great lengths to ensure that the books are accurate and complete enough to be trusted by experts, the number one goal is to make the books accessible and understandable for beginners, so that newcomers to natural history will be able to take their first steps with confidence.

Currently in the series:

Kaufman Field Guide to Birds of North America
by Kenn Kaufman

Kaufman Field Guide to Butterflies of North America
by Jim P. Brock and Kenn Kaufman

Kaufman Field Guide to Mammals of North America
by Nora Bowers, Rick Bowers, and Kenn Kaufman

Kaufman Field Guide to Insects of North America
by Eric R. Eaton and Kenn Kaufman

Guia de campo Kaufman a las aves de Norteamerica
(Spanish version of bird guide)
by Kenn Kaufman, translated by Patricia Manzano Fischer, with additional content by Hector Gomez de Silva

To learn more about Kenn Kaufman and his field guide series, visit www.kknature.com/KFGseries.html