Beacon Press

Uncertain Peril: Genetic Engineering and the Future of Seeds (Feb., $24.95) by Claire Hope Cummings examines the threat and surveys the struggle to save this basic environmental resource.

Chronicle

Bird Songs from Around the World (Sept., $45) by Les Beletsky captures 200 birds visually with colorful illustrations and aurally with a built-in digital audio player.

DK

Bird: The Definitive Visual Guide (Sept., $50) by David Burnie profiles more than 1,500 species in 3,500 photos; includes audio CD of songs and calls. 75,000 first printing. $50,000 ad/promo.

Reef (Sept., $40) by Scubazoo. More than 500 photos taken by underwater photography collective Scubazoo showcase coral reefs worldwide; includes DVD. 100,000 first printing. $100,000 advertising/promo.

Farrar, Straus & Giroux

The Life of the Skies (Feb., $24) by Jonathan Rosen evaluates the pursuit of bird-watching throughout American history by a culture torn between the desire to conquer and to conserve.

Firefly

Earth Then and Now: Amazing Images in Our Changing World (Sept., $39.95) by Fred Pearce. Pairs of captioned before-and-after photos depict changes in environment, industrialization, warfare and more.

Shells (Sept., $85) by Jacques Senders, photos by Paul Starosta presents an album of the author’s collection with commentary by expert malacologists.

Greystone Books

(dist. by PGW)

The Great Lakes: The Natural History of a Changing Region (Oct., $39.95) by Wayne Grady examines a complex and important ecosystem through text and color photos.

Johns Hopkins Univ. Press

Motorized Obsessions: Life, Liberty, and the Small-Bore Engine (Sept., $22) by Paul R. Josephson explores the development of these “obnoxious” machines and their cultural appeal.

Ohio Univ./Swallow Press

The World Beyond the Windshield: Roads and Landscapes in the United States and Europe (Dec., $49.95), edited by Christof Mauch and Thomas Zeller, provides a scholarly take on the relationship between roads and landscapes.

Reader’s Digest Books

Global Warming: The Last Chance for Change (Sept., $29.95) by Paul Brown summarizes scientific evidence and suggests a call-to-action plan for individuals.

Think Books

(dist. by Sterling)

The Extinctionary: A Compendium of Creatures That Never Made the Final Cut, and the Reasons Why (Sept., $24.95) by Think Books editors studies extinctions and posits circumstances that may have caused them.

Univ. of California Press

American Chestnut: The Life, Death, and Rebirth of a Perfect Tree (Nov., $27.50) by Susan Freinkel articulates the saga of one of America’s most common, valued and beloved trees.

Univ. Press of Colorado

Listening to Cougar (Nov., $24.95), edited by Marc Bekoff and Cara Blessley Lowe, collects stories of personal encounters, beliefs and attitudes, and the history and future of America’s lions.

Voyageur Press

Birds in Love: The Secret Courting and Mating Rituals of Extraordinary Birds (Oct., $20) by Jean Léveillé celebrates this amazing behavior in the avian repertory.