Golden Guides are a series of small, pocket-sized books first printed in 1949 and continue to this day in roughly the same size and format.  They were publised by Western Publishing by their children's line called "Golden Press" which also printed Golden Books, famous for their Disney line.  These books were targeted more toward mid-grade to high school levels and started with titles such as Birds, Weather and Flowers.  They later expanded to include a wider range of information that weren't just field guides but more science information books with titles such as Power Boats, Photography, Botany and others.  The editorialship was mostly done by the famous Dr. Herbert Zim and also later by Vera Webster, they were straightforward with simple, colorful drawings.

School and community libraries began purchasing hardback versions of these little books and many people recall fondly their first introduction to insects or the seashore with these little guides. They have become quite collectable, and some of the rarer titles (such as Hallucinogenic Plants) can fetch high prices depending on the edition and condition.

For collectors, the edition number of any of these books is located on the last inside page (usually page 160), down at the bottom.  While there are exceptions, the general rule is that any book that has letters that begin with "A"  (Such as "A B C D") is a first edition, and thus worth more to collectors.  This is holdover from the children's Little Golden Books that would use the same edition "numbering" scheme.

Full List of Golden Guides
Title  / Author(s) / Date Published
Acadia National Park / Grant Sharpe / 1968
American Antique Glass / Elizabeth Oliver / 1977
Antiques / Ann Cole / 1967
Architecture / Charles Rambert / 1969
Bats Of The World / Gary Graham / 1994
Bicycling  / George Fichter & Kingbay / 1972
Bird Life / Stephen Kress  / 1991
Birds / Zim, & Ira Gabrielson / 1949
Birds Of Europe / Bertel Bruun / 1967
Botany / Alexander, Burnett, Zim / 1970
Butterflies And Moths Robert Mitchell, & Zim / 1964
Cacti  / Frank Venning / 1974
Camping  / Robert Smallman / 1965
Casino Games / Bill Friedman / 1973
Cats / George Fichter / 1973
Dinosaurs / Eugene Gaffney / 1990
Ecology / Taylor Alexander, Fichter / 1973
Endangered Animals  / George Fichter / 1995
Everglades National Park / Herbert Zim / 1960
Evolution  / Frank T. Rhodes / 1974
Exotic Plants / Julia Morton / 1971
Exploring Space / Mark Chartrand / 1991
Families Of Birds  / Oliver Austin / 1971
Fishes /  Zim, & Hurst Shoemaker / 1955
Fishing / Fichter, & Phil Francis / 1965
Flowers / Zim, & Alexander Martin 1950
Flying / Barry Schiff / 1971
Fossils /  Frank Rhodes, H. Zim / 1962
Gamebirds  / Alexander Sprunt, & Zim / 1961
Geology / Frank Rhodes  / 1972
Guns  / Larry Koller  / 1961
Hallucinogenic Plants / Richard Schultes / 1976
Heart / Sarah Riedman / 1974
Herbs And Spices  / Julia Morton  / 1976
Horses  / Moira Duggan /  1972
Indian Arts  / Andrew Whiteford / 1970
Insect Pests / George Fichter / 1966
Insects / Zim, & Clarence Cottam / 1951
Israel and The Holy Land / Rinna Samuel / 1967
Italy / Paul Friedlander  / 1955
Kites / Wyatt Brummit / 1971
Landforms / George Adams, Wyckoff  / 1971
Light And Color / Clarence Rainwater  / 1971
Mammals   / Zim & Hoffmeister / 1955
Mexico  /  Herbert Zim   / 1969
Modern Painting / Michel Hoog   / 1970
Non-Flowering Plants / Floyd Shuttleworth, Zim / 1967
Oceanography / Gilbert Voss / 1972
Orchids / Shuttleworth, Zim  / 1970
Pacific Northwest / Herbert Zim, & Natt Dodge  /1959
Painting - From Its Origins / Genevieve Monnier / 1969
Painting, Gasser's Guide to / Henry Gasser  / 1964
Photography  /  Zim & R. Will Burnett  / 1956
Planets / Mark Chartrand / 1990
Pond Life/ George Reid  / 1967
Power Boats / Bill Wallace / 1961
Reptiles and Amphibians  / Herbert Zim & Hobart Smith/ 1953
Rocks And Minerals / Herbert Zim & Paul Shaffer / 1957
Rocky Mountains   / Herbert Zim   / 1964
Sailing / Bill Wallace  / 1960
Scuba Diving / Wheeler North  / 1968
Sculpture, An Introduction To  / Janneau,Hoog  / 1970
Seashells Of The World  / R. Tucker Abbott / 1962
Seashores  / Herbert Zim & Lester Ingle / 1955
Ski  / Bill Wallace & Bob Beattie / 1966
Sky Observer's Guide / Newton,Mayall, Wyckoff  / 1965
Southeast, The American  / Herbert Zim / 1960
Southwest, The American / Natt Dodge & Zim   / 1959
Spiders & Their Kin  / Herbert & Lorna Levi / 1968
Sports Cars / Mortarini, Leopold  / 1968
Stars / Herbert Zim & Robert Baker / 1951
Trees   / Zim & A. Martin  / 1952
Tropical Fish / Bruce Halstead / 1975
Venomous Animals / Edmund Brodie, Jr. / 1989
Washington D.C.  / Robert Smallman  / 1964
Weather / Paul Lehr, Burnett & Zim / 1957
Weeds   / Alexander Martin  / 1972
Whales And Other Marine Mammals / George Fichter  /1990
Wines / Henri Fluchère  / 1973
Yosemite / Douglass Hubbard / 1970
Zoo Animals / Donald Hoffmeister / 1967
Zoology / Burnett, Herbert Zim/ 1958