Book Review: Tracking Mammals in the Northeast

Spielman's text is also first rate. Her descriptions of animal behavior are clear and accurate. Her commentary and interpretations show that she has a huge amount of "dirt time" under her belt. And despite her obvious expertise, she avoids the common pitfall of over-interpreting what she has seen and presenting conjecture as fact.As with most regional guides, A Field Guide to Tracking Mammals in the Northeast is useful well beyond its geographic range. Most of the thirty-three mammals covered in this book are found across the continental United States. Every book makes trade-offs, of course, and this book has its downsides. The paper is lightweight and porous. While the book is small and light enough to carry anywhere, it may not hold up well in the field. The book does not include images of the animals themselves. The track illustrations are not life sized with small tracks are shown larger than life and large tracks are reduced. There is little information about sign. And, of course, some people just find photographs of tracks easier to interpret than illustrations. With the exception of the books durability, these are minor issues. And even the durability shouldn't keep anyone from buying this excellent book. For anyone who has puzzled over a track that just didn't look like any of the illustrations in the field guide, this guide may be what you are looking for. For the intermediate tracker, in particular, it can help avoid many common mistakes in identifying tracks in the field. And for anyone who already has a library of tracking books, I would consider this a worthwhile addition.

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