New Encyclopaedia of Birds
New Encyclopaedia of
Birds
Edited by Christopher M Perrins, Edward Grey Institute of Filed Ornithology, University of Oxford. OUP October 2003
£35
What a sumptuous feast this book is! Fully revised and expanded the illustrations are just superb and alone justify its publication. All those brilliant artists and photographers and we so seldom see them published in such a large format.
Which answers the question which went through my mind on first seeing the title – what is the point of such a volume at one and the same time so general and yet comprehensive in its coverage of bird families? If you have all the published volumes of the Handbook of Birds of the World I guess you could dispense with such a volume – if you are willing to wait for the passerine volumes to be published. If you have field guides to cover all the destinations you have visited why would you need it? Simply because it is that mixture – all the bird families of the world in one volume makes it an invaluable reference.
If, like me, you get to travel a bit and are at a loss when you know you are likely to come across families you have never encountered before, this book is an excellent reference. It has a profile that gives you, in a nutshell what makes this family different from all others. I particularly like the easy to understand size guide and notes on the number of species and so forth. Being written by a team you can be sure that the facts are just that too.
Its not just easy to read but
a book you will take from yours shelves frequently whenever you encounter a new family on your travels whether real or
virtual.
At £35 it`s a snip too – especially when compared to family or species monographs which cost this much or more.
So, its readable, useful and
comprehensive, but that`s not why I am so enamoured… what really makes this a book you will want to own are the stunning photographs
and wonderfully executed illustrations. Nearly every page has a mouth-watering bird portrait, making this a book that you can dip
into for eye candy as often as you dip into it for the staples of birding.
Fatbirder Recommended
Created: 18th Sep 2003
