Natural History Book Service

NHBS, short for Natural History Book Service, is a British online and mail-order retailer that has served naturalists, ecologists, conservation professionals, students and amateur wildlife enthusiasts since it was established in 1985. The company is best known for combining an extensive specialist book business — field guides, academic monographs, identification handbooks and environmental history titles — with a deep catalogue of practical field equipment for wildlife survey and monitoring. Its website, nhbs.com, presents the brand simply as 'NHBS – Wildlife, Ecology & Conservation', signalling that the modern business is as much about tools and technology as it is about books. The product range is unusually broad for a specialist retailer. On the equipment side, NHBS stocks bat detectors, bioacoustics software, bat traps and nets, ultrasound microphones, small and large mammal traps, telemetry gear, trail cameras and wildlife CCTV, microscopes and hand lenses, underwater drones and remotely operated vehicles, aquatic survey nets, water testing kits, waders, pond-dipping equipment, quadrats and point frames, botanical presses, binoculars, thermal imaging and night-vision scopes, amphibian and reptile survey kit, insect nets, moth traps, malaise traps, mist nets, bird-ringing equipment, dataloggers, thermometers, soil survey tools, weather stations, GPS and landscape survey instruments, field stationery, bird boxes, habitat management tools and forest-school supplies. On the book side, it sells field guides and natural history titles, academic and professional books, and environmental history, including curated 'Good Reads' selections. NHBS operates primarily as a direct-to-customer business, serving customers in the United Kingdom, the European Union and the United States, with country-specific pricing and delivery options shown on its website. It publishes a blog and newsletter and maintains a customer rating of 4.8 stars on Google, according to its own homepage. The company is privately held and remains a niche but influential supplier within the ecology, conservation and environmental-education sectors, where it is often the first port of call for hard-to-find survey equipment and specialist literature.

The Natural History Book Service was established in 1985, according to the company's own website, which displays the line 'Established 1985' in its header. It began as an online and mail-order supplier of ornithology books and scientific equipment, according to its Wikidata entry, and over time expanded into a broader natural history, ecology and conservation retailer. By the 2020s, NHBS had developed a comprehensive e-commerce platform at nhbs.com, organised around major categories such as Wildlife Survey & Monitoring, Wildlife Photography, Microscopes & Hand Lenses, Underwater Drones, Aquatic Survey & Monitoring, Plant Survey, Optics, Amphibian & Reptile Survey, Entomology, Ornithology & Bird Ringing, Environmental Survey & Monitoring, Practical Conservation Equipment, and Education. Within these categories it lists hundreds of individual product types, from bat detectors and mist nets to quadrats, trail cameras and weather stations. The book side of the business also grew beyond ornithology into general natural history, academic and professional titles, and environmental history. The website maintains separate sections for natural history field guides and for environmental history, including a 'Good Reads' selection. NHBS serves customers in the United Kingdom, the European Union and the United States, offering country-specific pricing and delivery. It publishes a blog and newsletter and reports a 4.8-star Google rating on its homepage. The company remains privately held and continues to trade as a specialist supplier to the ecology and conservation sector.

• 1985

  Natural History Book Service established.

Specialist online and mail-order supplier for wildlife, ecology and conservation professionals and enthusiasts.

• Wildlife Survey & Monitoring equipment

  Includes bat detectors, mammal traps, telemetry, trail cameras, microscopes, aquatic nets, quadrats, mist nets and dataloggers.

• Natural history and field guide books

  Field guides, identification handbooks and natural history titles.

• Environmental history books

  Academic and professional books on environmental history, including a 'Good Reads' selection.

1. 1NHBS - Wildlife, Ecology & Conservationnhbs.com
2. 2Natural History | Field Guides & Natural History | NHBSnhbs.com
3. 3Environmental History | Academic & Professional Books | NHBSnhbs.com
4. 4Environmental History | Good Reads | NHBSnhbs.com
5. 5Natural History Book Service - Wikidatawikidata.org