There's not been much innovation in the design of birding field guides from Peterson forward. With the exception of Crossley's book with its Cineramic and odd presentation of birds in every posture and pose, guide books have been pretty much cut from the same template forever.

There is an exception, a new guide from Princeton University Press that takes a fresh look at combination of illustrations and text, a change that makes very good sense. The subject of the book is a little off the useful track in Minnesota, being the well-done second edition of "Birds of New Guinea," but that's beside the point.

The authors — or the designer if there was that specific person — have paired bird illustrations with facing pages containing abbreviated text with range map, enough information to answer the pressing question — what am I seeing.

The second half of the book contains the expanded versions of this information — the details on size, status, plumages, habits, voice, and range. This is where you go for the more discussion of what you might have seen on today's trip into the field.

This design offers the reader a more convenient book. It's a good idea.