August 27, 2009 -The gift of booksAUGUST 27, 2009 1 SUFFOLKTIMES.COM
Tle gift
What was the first boox you G[LLL Lu1—=-- -- --
-st one I can remember was a book called "The
Hgess Bird Book for children;" illustrated by the
mous artist Louis Agassiz Fuertes, that my par -
zts gave me. I had gotten my introduction to birds
trough my, dad, who always kept a piece of suet
ed to .a tree just outside_ our dining room.
There, woodpeckers, chickadees and others would
ome to feed, a mere six feet from the window Then
ur whole family would discuss the comings and
;Dings of the birds. It was at that time that my p
;ave me the small pocket -size field guide to birds tha
started my collecting of natural history books.
Books were a major part of my mother's life. I
;an remember her and her friend Ellie walking twc
miles to the library to pick up books, which were s
important to help keep their "wits about them' in
those hard times of the Depression.
was the librarian at
library at that time
and ran it on the
meager allotments
she received. I can
still see her trying to
keep warm close to
the single floor reg-
ister in that big frigid
room. The lighting
PAUL STOUTENBURGH was so poor that Mrs.
Lynch, a later librar-
i, told me she had to use a flashlight to locate
me of the books on the shelves.
One year the trustees wanted to "clear out" the
)n- circulating books to make room for all the
-w ones that were piled up along the floor. One
ty,. Mrs. Morrell called me over to a pile of dusty
d books she told me were going to be disposed of,
id said she had one or two volumes she thought .1
iitzht be interested in.
US ON NATURE
of boo
With a twinkle in her eye, she dusted off two
I volumes of bird prints. Evidently, these had
t been circulating and therefore were surplus. I
uldn't believe it, but there they were: two vol-
nes of bird prints by Louis Agassiz Fuertes. They
>uld become the center of all my future books on
e natural world.
One day in 1942, when I was home from the
rvice, I visited my Aunt Martha in her sick bed
A she told me to go downstairs and bring up a
iok on NewYork State birds that she wanted me to
ive. Over the years, other family and friends have
ought me books that have added to my collection.
Just recently, a lovely lady in New Suffolk called to
e if I was interested in some copies of plates of bird
dritings by Louis Agassiz Fuertes. Of course I was,
This chickadee is busy feeding on seeds. For a change in
diet, you can provide it with suet attached to a tree, where
you can watch it close up.
and we stopped by to see her and pick up those beau
tiful plates, dated 1913, and I thank her for them.
Then there is always that good friend who stops
by and surprises me with a book he's had or has
recently picked up, which adds to my collection
and gives me great pleasure.
My dad not only got me interested in birds years
ago, but would walk with me through the woods
around our home. We'd go in the springtime, when
the lovely arbutus, with its rare fragrance, was
IN
Before we left, Sam gave me an autographed
copy of his book, which later was printed in a
paperback edition called "The Pocket Guide to the
Wildflowers." Sam was probably the one who most
sparked my interest in flowers, an interest that has
been with me to this day.
Most of you who enjoy reading and books can
probably trace this interest back to the beginning,
when someone took time to be with you, talk with
you or give you a book that gave you the spark to
get involved yourself. Whether it be the natural
world, the sporting world, the world of art and
music, the world of politics —whatever — over the
years, books can become a great support to your
interests and, in some cases, good friends that you
return to over and over again.
Left: One of the best ways to attract woodpeckers, chickadees and other birds is to lure them to suet that's protectea
from raccoons and other predators behind a strong piece of wire mesh tied to a tree. Right: If you come across a pink
lady slipper, consider yourself lucky, for this rare orchid is becoming almost impossible to find, due to development and
destruction of its habitat.
blooming. It is rather difficult to find patches of
arbutus today, with so much building and clearing
of land going on.
Another wonderful plant my dad showed me
was a rare orchid called the lady slipper, which
bloomed in the woods in back of our house, at
about the same time as the arbutus. From that day
on, I would look forward to discovering new plants
and flowers and photographing them.
Many years later, in 1955, not long after Barbara
and I were married, we met Samuel Gottscho,
author of "Wildflowers — How to Know and Enjoy
Them." We spent the morning wandering around
the yard and gardens with Sam and his daughter,
who traveled and photographed with him.
RGH PHOTOS