The Birds Of America Volume 2 - John James Audubon Illustrated Bird Book | Rare Collectible Edition for Bird Watchers & Nature Enthusiasts - Perfect for Home Decor, Gifts & Educational Use

For an Audubon fan, it is hard to believe everyone doesn't like his work as much as you do. But it's true: there has always been and there always will be something to criticize about Audubon and his watercolors and the various formats and media on which his works are reproduced. Some of the people in the 1800's who subscribed to Audubon's Birds of America, cancelled their subscriptions because they were disappointed with what they received. And those were the double-elephant folio recipients!I can't answer for those people. And after reading the complaints about the Kindle version of Birds of America, I can't answer for those people, either! A diehard fan like myself is nearly blind to the imperfections of media on which Audubon's Birds of America has been offered, at various costs and compromises. I consider the source and appreciate it all. Maybe I shouldn't even write a review.The real question here is, "What do you expect from the Kindle version of Birds of America?" You already know how big the screen size is. You already know the limitations of Kindle navigation. If you have a black-and-white Kindle, you already know when you download this work, it's going to be in black and white on your device (but you can still use the Kindle Apps and PC versions and see these pictures in color). There is nothing here that you don't already know before you purchase it.So how do I answer for you? All I can say is: $5.98. Total price for both volumes.If you are stalling on a purchase of Birds of America for that ridiculously low price, why are you even reading these reviews? For whatever reason, it is obviously not worth it for you unless you can get it for free. That's fine. In case you haven't heard, or somehow don't know, Quagmire, you can view and/or download full-size (50 to 100MB) JPEG's of all 435 plates from the internet.However, downloading 435 large images or using the very slow and painful "zoomify" tools to enlarge and pan each image in a web browser is not something you're going to want to do on your tiny mobile device. For one thing, iOS devices don't permit the use of Flashplayer, so zoomify is out of the question. And you certainly won't fit the entire collection of 435 full-size pictures of Birds of America on your iPhone if you have less than a 32GB model (and even then you won't have any room left for your music and other stuff). Not to mention the data usage limitations of some smartphone plans.No. If you have any gripe about the Kindle folio of Birds of America, you have your expectations set impossibly too high, my friend! But for any of my brethren who are diehard John J. Audubon fans and are reading the reviews just to find out if the Kindle form of this monumental work is practicable, then I can assure you: yes! On your iOS or Android phone or tablet, you'll view and swipe through these reasonably-sized (think "small," smartphone/10-inch-tablet sized) images in color, just like you would expect. Fast and comfortably. No "zoomify and pan" garbage. No glitch and lag. The navigation is just what you'd expect of any other Kindle book, except in this case, since this is mostly a photo album, the table of contents is much more useful than normal. Use the table of contents to scroll to the plate you want to look at and click the link. Click the back button to return to the table of contents or swipe onto another plate.Sorry if this review makes you feel left out if you're not a John J. Audubon fanatic. That is really where this line in the sand has been drawn. If you love the work of Audubon, there's no arm-twisting necessary. You'll want to buy this Kindle version for the usual convenience of carrying your favorite books around without adding any more weight or bulk to what you are already carrying. And if you don't love the work of Audubon, you will not like it in a box or with a fox.On the other hand, if you're unsure but decide to purchase the Kindle version on a lark and afterward you find that you don't really like it, you can at least console yourself by the admission that you didn't spend any more money than you did for a value meal at McDonald's. And you probably complained about that, too.So I ask again, "What were you expecting?"