Golden Guide


The Golden Guides, originally Golden Nature Guides, were a series of 160-page, pocket-sized books created by Western Publishing and published under their "Golden Press" line from 1949. Edited by Herbert S. Zim and Vera Webster, the books were written by experts in their field and illustrated in a simple straightforward style.
Intended for primary and secondary school level readers, the first books were field guides illustrated by James Gordon Irving, with such titles as Birds, Insects, and Mammals. The series later expanded beyond identification guides to cover a wider range of subjects, such as Geology, Scuba Diving , and Indian Arts.
In 1966, Zim launched a related series, the Golden Field Guides, aimed at high school or college-age readers.
An updated series was relaunched in 2001 as "Golden Guides by St. Martin's Press", illustrated largely with photographs but retaining some of the original 1950s illustrations.

List of Golden Guides

TitleAuthorDate Published
Acadia National ParkGrant Sharpe1968
American Antique GlassElizabeth Oliver1977
AntiquesAnn Cole1967
ArchitectureCharles Rambert1969
Bats Of The WorldGary Graham1994
BicyclingGeorge Fichter & Keith Kingbay1972
Bird LifeStephen Kress1991
BirdsHerbert Zim & Ira Gabrielson1949
Birds Of EuropeBertel Bruun1967
BotanyTaylor Alexander, R. Will Burnett, Zim1970
Butterflies And MothsRobert Mitchell & Herbert Zim1962
CactiFrank Venning1974
CampingRobert Smallman1965
Casino GamesBill Friedman1973
CatsGeorge Fichter1973
Chemistry ExperimentsRobert Brent1969
DinosaursEugene Gaffney1990
EcologyTaylor Alexander & George Fichter1973
Endangered AnimalsGeorge Fichter1995
Everglades National ParkHerbert Zim1960
EvolutionFrank T. Rhodes1974
Exotic PlantsJulia Morton1971
Exploring SpaceMark Chartrand1991
Families Of BirdsOliver Austin1971
FishesHerbert Zim & Hurst Shoemaker1955
FishingGeorge Fichter & Phil Francis1965
FlowersHerbert Zim & Alexander Martin1950
FlyingBarry Schiff1971
FossilsFrank Rhodes, H. Zim & Paul Shaffer1962
GamebirdsAlexander Sprunt & Herbert Zim1961
GeologyFrank Rhodes1972
GunsLarry Koller1961
Hallucinogenic PlantsRichard Schultes1976
HeartSarah Riedman1974
Herbs And SpicesJulia Morton1976
HorsesMoira Duggan1972
Indian ArtsAndrew Whiteford1970
Insect PestsGeorge Fichter1966
InsectsHerbert Zim & Clarence Cottam1951
Israel and The Holy LandRinna Samuel1967
ItalyPaul Friedlander & Joseph Brooks1955
KitesWyatt Brummit1971
LandformsGeorge Adams & Jerome Wyckoff1971
Light And ColorClarence Rainwater1971
MammalsZim & Hoffmeister1955
MexicoHerbert Zim1969
Modern PaintingMichel Hoog1970
Non-Flowering PlantsFloyd Shuttleworth & Herbert Zim1967
OceanographyGilbert Voss1972
OrchidsShuttleworth, Zim & Gordon Dillon1970
Pacific NorthwestHerbert Zim & Natt Dodge1959
Painting - From Its OriginsGenevieve Monnier1969
Painting, Gasser's Guide toHenry Gasser1964
PhotographyHerbert Zim & R. Will Burnett1956
PlanetsMark Chartrand1990
Pond LifeGeorge Reid1967
Power BoatsBill Wallace1961
Reptiles and AmphibiansHerbert Zim & Hobart Smith1953
Rocks And MineralsHerbert Zim & Paul Shaffer1957
Rocky MountainsHerbert Zim1964
SailingBill Wallace1960
Scuba DivingWheeler North1968
Sculpture, An Introduction ToGuillaume Janneau & Simone Hoog1970
Seashells Of The WorldR. Tucker Abbott1962
SeashoresHerbert Zim & Lester Ingle1955
SkiBill Wallace & Bob Beattie1966
Sky Observer's GuideR. Newton, M. Mayall & Jerome Wyckoff1965
SnakesSarah Whittley2002
Southeast, The AmericanHerbert Zim1960
Southwest, The AmericanNatt Dodge & Herbert Zim1959
Spiders & Their KinHerbert & Lorna Levi1968
Sports CarsMortarini, Leopold & Waterfall1968
StarsHerbert Zim & Robert Baker1951
TreesHerbert Zim & A. Martin1952
Tropical FishBruce Halstead & Bonnie Landa1975
Venomous AnimalsEdmund Brodie, Jr.1989
Washington D.C.Robert Smallman1964
WeatherPaul Lehr, R. Will Burnett & Herbert Zim1957
WeedsAlexander Martin1972
Whales And Other Marine MammalsGeorge Fichter1990
WinesHenri Fluchère1973
YosemiteDouglass Hubbard1970
Zoo AnimalsDonald Hoffmeister1967
ZoologyWill Burnett, Herbert Zim, & Harvey Fisher1958