The Peterson Field Guides (PFG) are a popular and influential series of

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

field guide A field guide is a book designed to help the reader identify wildlife (flora or fauna) or other objects of natural occurrence (e.g. rocks and minerals). It is generally designed to be brought into the "field" or local area where such objects e ...

s intended to assist the

layman In religious organizations, the laity () consists of all members who are not part of the clergy, usually including any non-ordained members of religious orders, e.g. a nun or a lay brother. In both religious and wider secular usage, a layper ...

in identification of birds, plants, insects and other natural phenomena. The series was created and edited by renowned

ornithologist Ornithology is a branch of zoology that concerns the "methodological study and consequent knowledge of birds with all that relates to them." Several aspects of ornithology differ from related disciplines, due partly to the high visibility and th ...

Roger Tory Peterson Roger Tory Peterson (August 28, 1908 – July 28, 1996) was an American naturalist, ornithologist, illustrator and educator, and one of the founding inspirations for the 20th-century environmental movement. Background Peterson was born in James ...

(1908–1996). His inaugural volume was the classic 1934 book ''A Field Guide to the Birds'', published (as were all subsequent volumes) by the

Houghton Mifflin Company Houghton Mifflin Harcourt (; HMH) is an American publisher of textbooks, instructional technology materials, assessments, reference works, and fiction and non-fiction for both young readers and adults. The company is based in the Boston Fina ...

. The PFG series utilized what became known as the Peterson Identification System, a practical method for field identification which highlights readily noticed visual features rather than focusing on the technical features of interest to scientists. The series both reflected and contributed to awareness of the emerging

environmental movement The environmental movement (sometimes referred to as the ecology movement), also including conservation and green politics, is a diverse philosophical, social, and political movement for addressing environmental issues. Environmentalists a ...

. Most books in this series use a section of plates of drawings (usually reduced from commissioned paintings) rather than photographs of the subject species, grouped at the center of the book. This allows for idealized portraits that highlight the identifying "field marks" of each species; such field marks are often indicated by arrows or straight lines in the plate illustrations. However, in several books in this series, the plates consist of photographs (usually without such arrows or indicators), such as in the guides for the atmosphere, coral reefs, rocks and minerals, and the (old Charles Covell 1984 guide to) Eastern moths. In many books in this series (especially older editions), a number of the plates are in black and white. For examples, older editions of the Eastern reptiles/amphibians book had many black and white plates which were colorized for the current edition, and the original 1934 Eastern bird book had only 4 color plates. At least one book (insects) was entirely in black and white. However, most newer editions are often full-color (or almost full-color) and tend to be larger. One source claims that the increased size of one of the new editions (Eastern reptiles/amphibians) was considered detrimental to its use as a field guide by its own author and was a publisher decision. In some cases, new "editions" in this series are entirely new books with completely new texts and illustrations. For example, the fourth edition of the mammals guide has an entirely new text and illustrations by new author Fiona Reid, because the author (William Burt) and illustrator (Richard Grossenheider) of previous editions are both deceased. In fact, Grossenheider died prior to the publication of the ''previous'' third edition of 1976. Also, the current Northeastern moths guide by David Beadle and Seabrooke Leckie is an entirely new book than the out-of-print 1984 Eastern moths guide by Charles Covell. The Beadle/Leckie book covers a smaller geographical area and (one author claims) covers moths in greater detail. The old Covell book has been out-of-print for many years, but is currently available through the Virginia Museum of Natural History (which purchased the rights to that book). The above situation of an old "edition" persisting alongside its intended replacement edition is not unique to the Eastern moths guide. George Petrides' 1988 Eastern trees book (PFG11B) was originally intended to replace Petrides' own 1958 Eastern tree and shrubs (PFG11A) book. However, both books remain popular and the original publisher still offers both books for sale (unlike the case of the old Eastern moths book). Differences between editions can serve to indicate changes in scientific perspective as well as changes species distribution. For example, the second edition of the freshwater fishes guide by Page and Burr (2011), published 20 years after the first edition, increased the number of species included from 768 to 909, largely due to the addition of previously unrecognized species (114), as well as increased numbers of newly established exotic species (16). It also expanded coverage of marine fish commonly found in freshwater (19).

The Peterson Field Guides

*PFG 1: ''A Field Guide to the Birds'' (1934), by Roger Tory Peterson **Second edition (1939): ''A Field Guide to the Birds'' **Third edition (1947): ''A Field Guide to the Birds'' **Fourth edition (1980): ''A Field Guide to the Birds: A Completely New Guide to All the Birds of Eastern and Central North America'' **Fifth edition (2002): ''A Field Guide to the Birds of Eastern and Central North America'' **Sixth edition (2010): ''Field Guide to Birds of Eastern and Central North America'', **Seventh edition (2020): ''Field Guide to Birds of Eastern & Central North America'', *PFG ??: ''Field Guide to Birds of North America'' (2008), **Second edition (2020): ''Field Guide to Birds of North America'', *PFG 1A: ''Bird Songs (Eastern)'' (1990) Dby the

Cornell Laboratory of Ornithology The Cornell Lab of Ornithology is a member-supported unit of Cornell University in Ithaca, New York, which studies birds and other wildlife. It is housed in the Imogene Powers Johnson Center for Birds and Biodiversity in Sapsucker Woods Sanctuar ...

*PFG 2: ''A Field Guide to Western Birds: Field marks of all Species found in North America West of the 100th Meridian, with a Section on the Birds of the Hawaiian Islands'' (1941), by Roger Tory Peterson and Virginia Marie Peterson **Second edition (1961): ''A Field Guide to Western Birds: Field Marks of All Species Found in North America West of the 100th Meridian, with a Section on the Birds of the Hawaiian Islands'' **Third edition (1990): ''A Field Guide to Western Birds: A Completely New Guide to Field Marks of All Species Found in North America West of the 100th Meridian and North of Mexico'' *PFG 2A: ''Western Bird Songs'' (1962) by the Cornell Laboratory of Ornithology **Second edition (1992) *PFG 3: ''A Field Guide to Shells of the Atlantic and Gulf Coasts and the West Indies'' (1947), by Percy A. Morris **Second edition (1951) **Third edition (1973) **Fourth edition (1995), by

R. Tucker Abbott Robert Tucker Abbott (September 28, 1919 – November 3, 1995) was an American conchologist (seashells) and malacologist (molluscs). He was the author of more than 30 books on malacology, which have been translated into many languages. Abbot ...

and Percy A. Morris; Photos by R. Tucker Abbott *PFG 4A: ''Field Guide to the Butterflies of North America, East of the Great Plains'' (1951), by Alexander B. Klots *PFG 4B: PFG 4A replaced by ''A Field Guide to Eastern Butterflies'' (1992), by Paul A. Opler; Illustrated by Vichai Malikul **Second edition (1998) *PFG 5: ''A Field Guide to the Mammals: Field Marks of all North American Species found North of Mexico'' (1952), by William Henry Burt; Illustrated by Richard Philip Grossenheider **Second edition (1964) **Third edition (1976) **Fourth edition (2006): ''A Field Guide to Mammals of North America'', by

Fiona Reid Fiona Reid, CM (born 24 July 1951) is an English-born Canadian television, film, and stage actress. She is best known for her roles as Cathy on the TV series ''King of Kensington'' and Harriet Miller in the film ''My Big Fat Greek Wedding''. E ...

*PFG 6: ''A Field Guide to Pacific Coast Shells, Including Shells of Hawaii and the Gulf of California'' (1952), by Percy A. Morris **Second edition (1966) *PFG 7: ''A Field Guide to the Rocks and Minerals of North America'' (1953), by Frederick H. Pough and Jeffrey Scovil **Second edition (1955) **Third edition (1960) **Fourth edition (1976) *PFG 8: ''A Field Guide to the Birds of Britain and Europe'' (1954), by Roger Tory Peterson,

Guy Mountfort Guy Mountfort (4 December 1905 – 23 April 2003) was an English advertising executive, amateur ornithologist and conservationist. He is known for writing the pioneering ''A Field Guide to the Birds of Britain and Europe'', published in 1954 ...

, and P.A.D. Hollom **Second edition (1965), additional authors: I.J. Ferguson-Lees and D.I.M. Wallace **Third edition (19??) **Fourth edition (19??) ***Fourth edition, revised and enlarged (1983) **Fifth edition (1993) **Sixth edition (2004), *PFG 9: ''Animal Tracks'' (1954), by Olaus J. Murie **Second edition (1974) **Third edition (2005), by Olaus J. Murie and Mark Elbroch *PFG 10: ''A Field Guide to Ferns and their Related Families: Northeastern and Central North America with a Section on Species also found in the British Isles and Western Europe'' (1956), by Boughton Cobb and Laura Louise Foster **Second edition (1963): ''A Field Guide to Ferns, Second Edition: Northeastern and Central North America'' by Boughton Cobb, Cheryl Lowe, and Elizabeth Farnsworth *PFG 11A: ''A Field Guide to Trees and Shrubs: Northeastern and North-central United States and Southeastern and South-central Canada'' (1958), by George A. Petrides **Second edition (1972): ''A Field Guide to Trees and Shrubs: Field Marks of All Trees, Shrubs, and Woody Vines That Grow Wild in the Northeastern and North-Central United States'' *PFG 11B: PFG 11A revised as ''A Field Guide to Eastern Trees: Eastern United States and Canada'' (1988), by George A. Petrides; Illustrated by Janet Wehr **First edition, expanded ic ''A Field Guide to Eastern Trees: Eastern United States and Canada, Including the Midwest'' (1998) *PFG 12: ''A Field Guide to Reptiles and Amphibians of the United States and Canada East of the 100th Meridian'' (1958) by Roger Conant; Illustrated by Isabelle Hunt Conant **Second edition (1975): ''A Field Guide to Reptiles and Amphibians of Eastern and Central North America'' **Third edition (1991), additional author:

Joseph T. Collins Joseph Thomas Collins, Jr. (July 3, 1939, Crooksville, Ohio – January 14, 2012) was an American herpetologist. A graduate of the University of Cincinnati, Collins authored 27 books and over 300 articles on wildlife, of which about 250 were on amph ...

, and illustrator: Tom R. Johnson ***Third edition, expanded (1998) **Fourth edition, (2016), additional author:

Robert Powell Robert Powell (; born 1 June 1944) is an English actor who is known for the title roles in '' Mahler'' (1974) and ''Jesus of Nazareth'' (1977), and for his portrayal of secret agent Richard Hannay in '' The Thirty Nine Steps'' (1978) and its s ...

*PFG 13: ''A Field Guide to Birds of Texas and Adjacent States'' (1960), by Roger Tory Peterson; Illustrations by Roger Tory Peterson *PFG 14: ''A Field Guide to Wildflowers of Northeastern and North Central North America'' (1968), by Roger Tory Peterson and

Margaret McKenny Margaret McKenny (April 17, 1885 - August 1969) was an American landscape architect, naturalist, activist, and writer who was referred to as the "Grand Dame" of Northwest mushrooming. Early life and education Born in Olympia, Washington, she was ...

*PFG 15: ''A Field Guide to the Stars and Planets'' (1964), by

Donald Howard Menzel Donald Howard Menzel (April 11, 1901 – December 14, 1976) was one of the first theoretical astronomers and astrophysicists in the United States. He discovered the physical properties of the solar chromosphere, the chemistry of stars, the atmos ...

; Illustrations by Ching Sung Yu **Second edition (19??): by Jay M. Pasachoff, Wil Tirion and

; Additional author: Ching Sung Yu **Third edition (1992) **Fourth edition (2000) *PFG 16: ''A Field Guide to Western Reptiles and Amphibians: Field Marks of All Species in Western North America'' (1966), by Robert C. Stebbins **Second edition (1985): ''A Field Guide to Western Reptiles and Amphibians: Field Marks of All Species in Western North America, including Baja California'' **Third edition (2003): ''A Field Guide to Western Reptiles and Amphibians'' *PFG 17: ''A Field Guide to Rocky Mountain Wildflowers from Northern Arizona and New Mexico to British Columbia'' (1968), by

John Craighead John Craighead (born November 23, 1971) is a retired professional ice hockey Winger (ice hockey), right winger. He played five games for the Toronto Maple Leafs during 1996–97 NHL season, 1996–97 season. The rest of his career, which lasted f ...

, Ray J. Davis, Frank C. Craighead, and Eduardo Salgado **Second edition (1996) *PFG 18:This PFG number was used for two field guides. :In 1968 this number was ''Mammals of Britain and Europe'' by Van Den Brink. This title was dropped from the series in 1985. :In 1986 This number became ''Birds of the West Indies'' by James Bond. Both of these guides appeared in the Easton Press leather bound copies of the series. For that series the title of the Bond book was changed to "''Birds of the Caribbean''". '' Birds of the West Indies'' (1999), by

James Bond The ''James Bond'' series focuses on a fictional British Secret Service agent created in 1953 by writer Ian Fleming, who featured him in twelve novels and two short-story collections. Since Fleming's death in 1964, eight other authors hav ...

*PFG 19: ''A Field Guide to the Insects of America North of Mexico'' (1970), by Donald J. Borror and Richard E. White *PFG 20: ''Mexican Birds: Mexico, Guatemala, Belize, and El Salvador'' (1973), by Roger Tory Peterson and Edward L. Chalif *PFG 21: ''Eastern Birds’ Nests: The United States East of the Mississippi River'' (1975), by Hal H. Harrison, Mada Harrison and Ned Smith *PFG 22: ''A Field Guide to Wildflowers of the Pacific States'' (1976), by Niehaus and Ripper *PFG 23: ''A Field Guide to Edible Wild Plants of Eastern and Central North America'' (1977), by Lee Allen Peterson; Illustrated by Lee Allen Peterson and Roger Tory Peterson; Photos by Lee Allen Peterson *PFG 24: ''A Field Guide to the Atlantic Seashore: Invertebrates and Seaweeds of the Atlantic Coast from the Bay of Fundy to Cape Hatteras'' (1978), by Kenneth L. Gosner; Illustrations by Kenneth L. Gosner *PFG 25: ''Western Birds’ Nests: The United States West of the Mississippi River'' (1979), by Harrison *PFG 26: ''A Field Guide to the Atmosphere'' (1981), by

Vincent J. Schaefer Vincent Joseph Schaefer (July 4, 1906 – July 25, 1993) was an American chemist and meteorologist who developed cloud seeding. On November 13, 1946, while a researcher at the General Electric Research Laboratory, Schaefer modified clouds in the ...

and John A. Day; Illustrated by Christy E. Day *PFG 27: ''A Field Guide to Coral Reefs of the Caribbean and Florida: A Guide to the Common Invertebrates and Fishes of Bermuda, the Bahamas, Southern Florida, the ...'' (1982), by Eugene H. Kaplan; Illustrations by Susan L. Kaplan *PFG 28: ''A Field Guide to Pacific Coast Fishes: The Gulf of Alaska to Baja California'' (1983), by William N. Eschmeyer, Earl S. Herald, Howard E. Hammann and Katherine P. Smith *PFG 29: ''A Field Guide to Beetles of North America'' (1963), by Richard E. White *PFG 30: '' A Field Guide to Moths Eastern North America'' (1984), by Charles V. Covell **Second edition (2012) *PFG 31: ''A Field Guide to Southwestern and Texas Wildflowers'' (1984), by Theodore F. Niehaus, Charles L. Ripper and Virginia Savage *PFG 32: ''A Field Guide to Atlantic Coast Fishes of North America'' (1986), by

C. Richard Robins Charles Richard Robins (November 25, 1928 – November 12, 2020) was an American academic, environmentalist and ichthyologist. Early life and university Robins was born on November 25, 1928 in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, to Helen Ayers Robins and C ...

and G. Carleton Ray; Illustrations by John Douglass and Rudolf Freund *PFG 33: ''A Field Guide to Butterflies of Western North America'' (1986), by Tilden and Smith **Second edition (19??): ''A Field Guide to Western Butterflies'' by Paul A. Opler and Amy Bartlett Wright *PFG 34: ''A Field Guide to Mushrooms of North America'' (1987), by Kent H. McKnight and Vera B. McKnight; Illustrations by Vera B. McKnight *PFG 35: ''A Field Guide to the Hawks of North America'' (1987), by William S. Clark and Brian K. Wheeler *PFG 36: ''A Field Guide to Southeastern and Caribbean Seashores'' (1988), by Kaplan *PFG 37: ''A Field Guide to the Ecology of Eastern Forests: North America'' (1988), by John C. Kricher; Illustrated by Gordon Morrison *PFG 38: '' Birding by Ear: Eastern and Central North America'' (1989) assettes by Richard K. Walton and Robert W. Lawson **''Birding by Ear: Eastern and Central North America'' (2002) (Audiocassette) **''More Birding By Ear: Eastern and Central North America: A Guide to Bird-song Identification'' (2002) by Richard K. Walton and Robert W. Lawson (Audiocassette) *PFG 39: ''Advanced Birding'' (1990), by Kenn Kaufman *PFG 40: ''A Field Guide to Medicinal Plants: Eastern and Central North America'' (1990), by Steven Foster and

James A. Duke James A. Duke (4 April 1929 – 10 December 2017) was an American botanist. He was the author of numerous publications on botanical medicine, including the '' CRC Handbook of Medicinal Herbs''. He was well known for his 1997 bestseller, ''The Gree ...

; Illustrated by Lee Allen Peterson, Jim Bleakfeather Rose and Roger Tory Peterson; Photos by James A. Duke **Second Edition (1999) **Third Edition (2014) *PFG 41: ''Birding by Ear: Western'' (1990) D by Walton and Lawson *PFG 42: ''A Field Guide to Freshwater Fishes of North America North of Mexico'' (1991), by Lawrence Page and Brooks Burr; Illustrations by Eugene C. Beckham, III, John Parker Sherrod and Craig W. Ronto **Second edition (2011): Illustrations by Eugene C. Beckham, III, John Parker Sherrod, Justin T. Sipiorski and Joseph R. Tomelleri; Maps by Griffin E. Sheehy *PFG 43: ''Backyard Bird Song'' (1991) D by Richard K. Walton, Robert W. Lawson and Roger Tory Peterson *PFG 44: ''A Field Guide to Western Trees: Western United States and Canada'' (1992), by George A. Petrides; Illustrated by Olivia Petrides *PFG 45: ''A Field Guide to the Ecology of Western Forests'' (1993), by John C. Kricher and Gordon Morrison (See PFG 50 and 51) *PFG 46: ''A Field Guide to Venomous Animals and Poisonous Plants of North America North of Mexico'' (1994), by Roger Caras and Steven Foster *PFG 47: ''More Birding by Ear: Eastern and Central'' (19??) by Walton and Lawson *PFG 48: ''A Field Guide to Geology: Eastern North America'' (1996), by David C. Roberts; Illustrations by W. Grant Hodson This field guide originally appeared in print with the PFG number 47 on the spine. It was later changed to 48. *PFG 49: ''A Field Guide to Warblers of North America'' (1997), by Jon Dunn, Kimball Garrett, Sue A. Tackett and Larry O. Rosche *PFG 50: Revision of (part of) PFG 45 as: ''A Field Guide to California and Pacific Northwest Forests'' (1998), by John C. Kricher and Gordon Morrison *PFG 51: Revision of (part of) PFG 45 as: ''A Field Guide to Rocky Mountain and Southwest Forests'' (1998), by John C. Kricher and Gordon Morrison ''Other volumes:'' *PFG ??: Revision of (part of) Fourth edition of PFG 1 as: ''A Field Guide to Feeder Birds: Eastern and Central North America'' (2000), by Roger Tory Peterson, Virginia Marie Peterson, and Noble Proctor *PFG ??: ''A Field Guide to Hummingbirds of North America'' (2001), by Sheri L. Williamson *PFG ??: ''A Field Guide to the North American Prairie'' (2004), by Ruth Carol Cushman and Stephen R. Jones *PFG ??: ''Mammals of Britain and Europe'' (1968, 1986), by F. H. van den Brink *PFG ??: ''Peterson Reference Guide to Birding by Impression: A Different Approach to Knowing and Identifying Birds'' (2015), by Kevin T. Karlson and Dale Rosselet *PFG ??: ''Peterson Field Guide to Finding Mammals in North America'' (2015), by Vladimir Dinets *PFG ??: ''Peterson Reference Guide to Owls of North America and the Caribbean'' (2015), by

Scott Weidensaul Scott Weidensaul (born 1959) is a Pennsylvania-based naturalist and author. He was a finalist for the 2000 Pulitzer Prize in general nonfiction for his book ''Living on the Wind: Across the Hemisphere With Migratory Birds''. Profile and works In ...

*PFG ??: ''Peterson Reference Guide to Woodpeckers of North America'' (2016), by Stephen Shunk *PFG ??: ''Peterson Field Guide to Birds of Northern Central America'' (2016), by Jesse Fagan and Robert Dean; Illustrated by Robert Dean and Peter Burke *PFG ??: ''Peterson Field Guide to Bird Sounds of Eastern North America'' (2017), by Nathan Pieplow

iOS apps

Appweavers, Inc., the licensee of the Peterson field guides for mobile devices, has developed the Peterson Birds of North America and Peterson Feeder Birds of North America apps for mobile

Apple An apple is an edible fruit produced by an apple tree (''Malus domestica''). Apple trees are cultivated worldwide and are the most widely grown species in the genus '' Malus''. The tree originated in Central Asia, where its wild ancest ...

products. The Peterson Birds of North America app also includes some content from other books in the Peterson field guide series.

References

External links

* {{Authority control Biological literature Natural history books Series of books Wild animals identification iOS software