The Mammals of Washtenaw County, Michigan

Wood, Norman Asa, 1857-Project Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

Rating 2.8

Word count: 38K words
Chapters: 4

Summary

Project Gutenberg was the first provider of free electronic books, or eBooks. Michael Hart, founder of Project Gutenberg, invented eBooks in 1971 and his memory continues to inspire the creation of eBooks and related technologies today.The Mammals of Washtenaw County, Michigan by Norman Asa WoodAuthor: Wood, Norman Asa, 1857-,Language: English, Class: QL: Science: Zoology, Release Date: Aug 23, 2010

Editor's review

This is a typical early local fauna, in which Wood systematically records the species, distribution, and observational information of mammals within Washtenaw County, Michigan. Its value lies not in literary style or narrative but in offering a retrievable slice of historical ecology: readers can see a county-level mammal list and field recording methods from over a century ago, which is quite helpful for understanding the tradition of North American local fauna surveys. As a free Project Gutenberg e-book, it is easy to search and cite, suitable as a reference work rather than a leisure book to read from cover to cover. When reading, it is best to consult maps and taxonomic background knowledge and compare species names with modern scientific names to appreciate its historical significance. For nature writing enthusiasts, it is also a plain and honest observational sample.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Readers studying North American local fauna and the history of early field surveys
Nature enthusiasts who need a county-level mammal list as reference material
E-book readers interested in public-domain scientific literature and old natural history books

Not a good fit for

General leisure readers expecting vivid narrative or popular science stories
Those lacking basic animal taxonomy background who hope for an easy introduction
Readers needing contemporary conservation data or the latest species distribution information

Reading tips

Start with the table of contents and introduction to understand the survey scope and recording format, then read selectively by taxonomic group.
Prepare a modern mammal classification table and compare old scientific names while reading.
Use it as a reference book, searching by species rather than reading every page.

About the publisher

Project Gutenberg United States · Founded in 1971

Project Gutenberg is a digital publishing project focused on public-domain ebooks. Its publishing direction centers on classic literary works whose copyright has expired, covering genres such as poetry, drama, fiction, and epic. Representative books include Lyrical Ballads by Wordsworth and Coleridge, Proust's Du côté de chez Swann, Shakespeare's Macbeth and The Complete Works of William Shakespeare, Homer's The Iliad, Dante's La Divina Comèdia: Purgatòri, Cervantes's The History of Don Quixote, Volume 2, and Grahame's The Wind in the Willows. Its author resources consist mainly of classic Western writers such as Wordsworth, Proust, Shakespeare, Homer, Dante, Cervantes, Grahame, and Tolstoy. Its publishing feature is the provision of freely accessible ebooks in EPUB and Kindle formats; it is not a traditional publisher, and publicly available information is limited.

FAQ

Is this book suitable for readers with no zoology background at all?

Not very suitable. The book consists mainly of lists and observational records and involves taxonomic terms and old-style scientific names, so readers lacking basic knowledge may find it tough going. If merely curious, you can first read the introduction for background, then browse entries for familiar species, without forcing yourself to read it all.

What use is this old local fauna today?

Its main value is historical comparison: it records the mammal species and observation methods of Washtenaw County over a century ago and can serve as a reference for those studying local ecological change, survey methods, and the tradition of natural history writing. It is not a contemporary conservation guide, and citations should be paired with modern sources.

What should be noted when reading the electronic edition?

This is a public-domain e-book from Project Gutenberg, convenient for full-text search and citation, but the layout is plain and lacks modern charts. It is advisable to use reading software that supports search, look up entries by species name, and supplement maps and taxonomic materials for understanding.

This site is an index: you start “Search all sources” in your browser, and the entries it lists all point to third-party sites; please judge their availability yourself.

About the author

Wood, Norman Asa, 1857- Author · 1857

Norman Asa Wood (born 1857) is a natural history author about whom little biographical information survives; public records are limited, and his nationality, education, and professional career cannot be reliably established. What is known is that he was born in 1857, and only one of his works is held in this collection: The Mammals of Washtenaw County, Michigan. Judging from its title and subject, the book is a local faunal survey focusing on the mammal species of Washtenaw County, Michigan. It shows the typical features of local natural history writing from the late nineteenth to early twentieth century: it is based on field collecting and observation records and emphasizes species lists, distribution, and morphological description. Studies of this kind provided basic material for later regional faunas and ecological surveys and retain some value as historical sources and references.