• Vintage Golden Guide Birds (1949/1956) by Zim & Gabrielson. Early pocket bird guide with color illustrations. Cover
  • Vintage Golden Guide Birds (1949/1956) by Zim & Gabrielson. Early pocket bird guide with color illustrations. Back Cover
  • Vintage Golden Guide Birds (1949/1956) by Zim & Gabrielson. Early pocket bird guide with color illustrations. Forward
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Golden Field Guide Series

Golden Guide Birds (1949/1956) Zim & Gabrielson | Vintage Pocket Bird Guide | James Gordon Irving Illustrations

Golden Guide Birds (1949/1956) Zim & Gabrielson | Vintage Pocket Bird Guide | James Gordon Irving Illustrations

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AT A GLANCE

Title:
A Golden Guide: Birds
Publisher:
Golden Press (Western Publishing Company)
Subject:
North American birds
Artist:
James Gordon Irving, Illustrator
Author:
Herbert S. Zim; Ira N. Gabrielson
Era:
Mid-20th Century (1946 - 1969)
Date:
1949 (1956 revised edition)
Origin:
Racine, Wisconsin
Dimensions:
4 ⅛" x 6 ⅛"
Condition:
Good (G)
Cover:
Softcover
Pages:
160
OCLC:
733711627
Book genre:
Field Guide | Natural History
Notes:
Early Golden Guide; includes 1956 revisions; 129 color plates; maps and species data

🐦 The Book That Introduced America to Birding — A Golden Guide Classic

Collector’s Note

Vintage birding guides are collected for their blend of scientific insight and artistic illustration. Mid-century editions helped popularize birdwatching, bringing identification into the hands of everyday enthusiasts. Today, they are valued as both practical references and nostalgic artifacts of a growing appreciation for the natural world.

First published in 1949, A Golden Guide: Birds is one of the earliest and most influential pocket field guides ever produced—designed to bring bird identification out of academic circles and into everyday life.

This edition reflects the early evolution of the series, incorporating revisions from the 1956 update, including additional pages and expanded information while maintaining the compact, portable format that made the Golden Guides so popular.

Covering 129 familiar North American species in full color, the guide also provides information to help identify more than 250 birds in total. Range maps, migration notes, and tables on nesting and feeding habits make this a remarkably complete reference for its size. 

About the Creators

Herbert S. Zim (1909 - 1994), founder of the Golden Guides series and a prolific science educator, partnered with ornithologist Ira N. Gabrielson (1889 - 1977) to create an approachable bird guide. Gabrielson, a respected ornithologist and former head of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, brought scientific authority and field expertise to the project.

Illustrator James Gordon Irving (1913 - 2012), a New Jersey-born commercial artist, had a lifelong interest in national history illustration. He established the visual language of the Golden Guides series with vivid, lifelike color plates that helped generations of readers recognize birds in the field.

Softcover in good condition, with tight binding and clean interior pages. Visible shelf wear and some staining along the cover edges consistent with age and use. A solid, readable copy of an early Golden Guide.

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