The Well-equipped Naturalist

While I’ve been reviewing books on natural history subjects for nearly two decades, I’ve been developing equipment used by naturalists (as well as birders, hunters, and many others) for even longer. And not surprisingly, I’ve written about such items for a wide range of print publications. From this work in the development of, and writing about, such items, I’m often asked for recommendations about them, or for explanations of how they work and similar lines of enquiry.

Therefore, I’ve decided to add a section to The Well-read Naturalist named The Well-equipped Naturalist. In this new section will be published the occasional piece of news of, reviews about, and advice pertaining to the types of things, other than books, that those involved in naturalist pursuits will – I hope – find interesting as well as useful. What sort of things? Quite frankly – and I’m in earnest about this – everything a poly-curious (no, wait, I think that means something else now…), that is, a naturalist of a wide range of interests, as well as an avid reader, might find useful. Such things as field equipment (binoculars, microscopes, hand lenses, flash lights and head lamps, etc.), reading-related items (reading glasses, notebooks, writing instruments, portable and stationary lamps, protective book covers, etc.), and other items pertaining to the studying of and reading about the wonders of the natural world that take my fancy to the point where I exclaim “Gosh! This is brilliant. I must tell my readers about it.”

And don’t worry; if you’ve been reading my work for even a short period of time you’ll know perfectly well that I’m not a “gear head” or “tech junky.” Everything published in this new section will be presented, as I do with all my writing about books, in my own avuncular, mildly eccentric, charmingly anachronistic style. I very much hope you’ll find what I include in this new section to be of interest and perhaps of use in your own field and library pursuits.

(So you know, the image of the beardy, tweedy, chap depicted lounging in a comfortable chair whilst observing the heavens through an impressively large telescope is not yours truly (thought I wish it was) but rather an image borrowed from the cover of the book The Astronomer’s Chair; A Visual and Cultural History by Prof. Omar W. Nasim.)