Squirrels of the West

Sandy Campbell is a reference librarian in the Science and Technology Library at the University of Alberta.

Most of us are familiar with red squirrels, grey squirrels, and black
squirrels. In fact, the squirrel family encompasses chipmunks, marmots,
antelope squirrels, ground squirrels, prairie dogs, tree squirrels, and
flying squirrels. The focus of this book is the area west of the
Mississippi where 65 of the 66 North American species of squirrels live.
Many of the species are found only in the United States. Many have a
small range, often within one or two states.

Squirrels of the West follows the format of many of Lone Pine’s field
guides, with thumbnail images of all of the species at the front,
followed by a two-page spread devoted to each species. A text of about
250 words accompanies a large illustration of the animal. There is also
a small illustration of a similar species to aid field identification,
as well as a small range map. The range maps are color relief maps
rather than simple thematic maps; this allows the user to determine, in
a general way, the kind of terrain in which the species is found.

The quality of this field guide is such that it can be recommended to
most public, school, and academic science libraries.