A selection of recommended titles for this expedition, available from nhbs.com

State of the Planet
David Attenborough

Attenborough brings his matter-of-fact clarity to discuss the latest scientific research on the state of the planet with explanations on rainforest destruction, global warming, extinction of species, rising sea-levels, drought and meteoric collisions.
Over the course of three programmes, he works with experts to ask whether nature really is in a crisis of species extinction, to examine why has this come about and finally to understand what options for the future remain open to us. His quest takes him on a truly global trail, from Kenya to Ecuador, from the Philippines and the Maldives to Easter Island, and from South Africa to California - visiting habitats of threatened species and exploring ways in which life can be sustained for the future.

Running time: 150 minutes.
BBC Video

Diversity of Life
Edward O Wilson

An inspiring work by this eminent scientist and conservationist. Wilson traces the processes that create new species in bursts of adaptive radiation, and identifies the five major extinctions of the last 600 million years. Each cataclysmic event, caused by a meteorite strike or climatic change, required 10-100 million years of evolutionary repair. The lessons are clear - the sixth major extinction, caused this time entirely by man - could ultimately be the greatest of them all. Drawing on evidence and examples from around the world, the author argues forcibly that the conflicting forces of economic development and natural preservation must be reconciled if the world's biological diversity is to be saved. A great book.
From the text: `Consider this: Of the estimated 10 million species of plants and animals alive in the world's rain forests, a minimum of 27,000 go extinct each year; 74 each day; 3 each hour'
`Edward Wilson is today's towering figure in American Biological Literature. Not since Darwin has an author so lifted the science of ecology with insight and delightful imagery.' Richard Dawkins. New edition includes an extensive new forward by the author.

406 pages, b/w illus, figs.
Penguin

Last Chance to See . . .
D Adams and M Carwardine

Now available on CD-ROM. A book full of tragi-comic overtones, this is an account of five expeditions to various parts of the world to search for rare and endangered species, such as the aye-aye, the kakapo and the Yangtse River dolphin. Carwardine is an experienced zoologist, but Adams is better known as the bestselling author of A Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy.

224 pages, col illus.
Pan

Wolf Almanac
Robert H Busch

Complete illustrated reference for wolf enthusiasts of all kinds. Among the topics covered are: wolf evolution; habitat, anatomy and behaviour; the wolf in literature, art, and myth; man's relationship with the wolf; the distribution and biology of wolves throughout the world.

226 pages, col & b/w photos, illus, tabs, maps.
Lyons Press

Brother Wolf
Jim Brandenburg

This sequel to White Wolf conveys the history, in words and photographic images, of the relationship between wolves and men - and urges us all to realise that the wolf's future is our future.

160 pages, col photos, map.
NorthWord

Wolf

The definitive story of this much-maligned animal - filmed in habitats ranging from the high Arctic to the hill farms of Europe and monsoon-sodden India.

49 mins running time.
BBC Video

Wolf: The Ecology and Behavior of an Endangered Species
L David Mech

A classic monograph, first published in 1970, and still the best comprehensive guide to the species.
`A fine, comprehensive survey of the ecology and habits of the wolf - his food, habitat, hunting, mating, social behaviour and much more. Written in non-technical language, the book sets down just about everything that we need to know about his beautiful and - propaganda aside - shy animal' - The New York Times Book Review

384 pages, 53 b/w photos.
Minnesota UP

Wolf
Dimitry Bibikow

198 pages, b\w photos, illus, figs, tabs, maps.
Westarp Wissenschaften

Wolf
Henryk Okarma

160 pages, 75 illus.
Blackwell Verlag

Field Guide to the Mammals of Britain and Europe
David MacDonald

Definitive field guide to the mammal fauna of Europe written by one of the world's mammal experts. It covers every species of mammal that occurs in Europe, including marine mammals, a total of over 230 species. The text covers identification, taxonomy, biology, behaviour, and distribution. The plates detail not only identification features but also paw prints, feeding signs and variants. The most authoritative guide yet published on the European mammal fauna. The colour plates include over 600 individual illustrations.

448 pages, 64 colour plates [by Priscilla Barrett], 236 b/w illus, 234 maps.
Harper Collins

Tracking and the Art of Seeing
Paul Rezendes

Second fully revised edition on reading animal tracks and signs. Includes information on tracking and identifying more than 50 species of wildlife, from coyotes to chimpanzees. The author discusses animal habitat and behaviour, tracks, trail patterns, scratches, dens, droppings, diggings etc.

336 pages, col & b/w photos, illus.
Harper Collins

Animal Tracks and Signs
Preben Bang and Preben Dahlstrom

Provides text and colour illustrations to identify over 200 animals that occur throughout North-West Europe from the evidence they have left behind - footprints, feeding damage, bones and holes in the ground are all covered.
A very welcome volume in the new OUP 'Pocket Guides' series, which fills a real gap - both Dahlstrom's 'Collins Guide to Animal Tracks and Signs' and the 'Hamlyn Guide to Animal Tracks, Trails and Signs' are long out of print.

264 pages, col photos, line illus.
OUP

Life of Birds
David Attenborough

Now available on DVD, this is vintage Attenborough (originally broadcast as a BBC TV series in 1998, and also available as a video, an audio CD and a hardback).
Attenborough uncovers new research into the behaviour of the most popular and perhaps the best adapted life forms on Earth, investigating the secrets of birds' great success - their remarkable strategies for finding food, their complex social systems, and their ingenious and often bizarre ways of mating and breeding. In the CD, Attenborough and the Life of Birds team choose their all-time favourite songs and calls from the series and tell the stories of their encounters with the stars of the show.
The new DVD contains additional footage and scene selection.

320 pages, col photos throughout, CD playing time: 72 mins.
BBC Books

Birdwatcher's Handbook
PR Ehrlich, DS Dobkin, SL Pimm and D Wheye

European equivalent of the authors' Birder's Handbook, which covered North American species. It covers 515 species that breed in Britain, Europe and adjacent parts of the Middle East and North Africa, and offers at-a-glance details on diet, displays and mating, nests and eggs, wintering, conservation status, and much more. In addition to the information on each species, there are also 150 essays covering various topics in ornithology. There are also full indexes of English and scientific names, and species names in French, German, Dutch, Spanish and Swedish. An invaluable reference work.

700 pages, 35 line illus.
OUP

Collins Bird Guide
Lars Svensson, Killian Mullarney, Dan Zetterstrom and Peter J Grant

Written by one Europe's leading ornithologists and illustrated by two of the world's finest bird illustrators - Killian Mullarney and Dan Zetterstrom ( with a translation by David Christie). Covering Britain and Europe, the book provides all the information needed to identify any species at any time of year, with detailed text on size, habitat, range, identification and voice. Accompanying every species entry is a distribtuion map and colour illustrations (over 3500 in all) to show the species in all the major plumages (male, female, immature, in flight, at rest, feeding). The book is fully integrated, so that all this information appears on one spread, the ideal structure for use in the field. Each group of birds has an introduction, which covers the major problems involved in identifying or seeing them: how to organise a sea watching trip, how to separate birds of prey in flight, which duck hybrids can be confused with which species etc. Is this book worth buying if you already have Jonsson's Birds of Europe and Beaman & Madge's Handbook of Bird Identification ? The answer is probably yes - as Harper Collins rightly point out in their publicity, the Svensson/Mullarney/Zetterstrom team is one of the strongest ever recruited to put together a field guide.
`The Collins Bird Guide is undoubtedly the finest field guide that has ever been produced and now deservedly sits in a bird book elite of essential titles - nestling between BWP, HBW and Birds of Europe. The nomenclature and taxonomy may not be to everybody's liking, but it is a certainty that the magnificent work of Mullarney and Zetterstrom has set the illustrative standard for decades to come and will be admired and enjoyed by thousands of birders worldwide for many years. The word `classic' is so often over-used these days but, for once, it is a particularly fitting way to refer to this book. This is the last great bird book of the 20th Century, and I am sure that Peter Grant would have been happy knowing that. It is a fitting tribute to him, and his co-author and the world class artists. This book is an absolute gem.' Mark Golley, Birding World

392 pages, 3500 col illus, 700 maps.
Harper Collins

Bradt Hiking Guides: Poland and Ukraine
Tim Burford

384 pages, 36 maps.
Bradt

Lonely Planet Travel Guides: Russia, Ukraine and Belarus, Travel
John Noble et al

1200 pages, 16pp colour photos, 150 maps.
Lonely Planet

Lonely Planet Phrasebooks: Ukrainian
Olena Bekh and Jim Dingley

200 pages,
Lonely Planet