aby,
Sorry but you are incorrect or, you incorrectly referenced my reference :-). "Birds of Kenya and Northern Tanzania" by Zimmerman et. al. is a Princeton Field Guide, ISBN 0-691-01022-6. I recently purchased my copy through Amazon.com and am holding it in my hands right now. I believe the editon you are referring to is a very large unabridged 1996 edition, not suitable for field use. Hope this is informative, the edition I reference is indeed a field guide, 576 pages and excellant color plates as well. The Preface to this later, 1999 edition states that the authors intent was to create a "more portable format....". I think they have been successful.
Cheers, Chuck

Hi Chuck - my apologies for my serious unjustful accusations
now i understand your Zimmerman is a Princeton book...
however mine is (also) a 1999, 576 pages (abridged) Helm field guide...
<b> more important is the fact that Princeton has also another guide by Stevenson &amp; Fanshawe 2001/2006</b> for people to consider..

Pole sana

aby

aby,
Asante Sana for your Pole Sana :-). But this entire thread made me review the way we have always selected Bird books for safari. Rather then take your own, wait until you use the ones the guides and camps have on hand. Usually they have a selection in the camp library and our guides have always had two available in the vehicle for client use. In fact, at Savuti, two excellent guides were left in our rooms. If one is an advanced or expert birder, selecting one ahead of time is probably a good idea. We are simply enthusiastic, not expert so have always found the supplied guides adequate; also the weight savings of not needing to carry the books can be significant. On our last safari I was weighing batteries and leaving home dental floss.
Regards, Chuck