New Titles

 

1) del Hoyo, Josep (Editor). All the Birds of the World. 2020. Lynx Edicions. Hardbound: 967 pages. Price: about $95.00 U.S.

PUBLISHER’S SUMMARY: The easiest and most enjoyable way to browse through all the birds of the world and compare them.

For the first time ever, you can literally contemplate All the Birds of the World together in a single, easy-to-use, fully-illustrated volume. Created for a broad audience, from novice birders to expert ornithologists and anyone interested in the spectacular diversity of birds, this fascinating book has something for everyone to discover.

- Presents every taxon accepted as species by any of the four major world lists: 11,524 species in total.
- Checkboxes for personal record-keeping (the boxes are hard to spot though). 

- 20,865 illustrations covering sexual dimorphism, morphs and many distinctive subspecies.
- 11,558 distribution maps with altitudinal ranges included.
- All 3313 one-country endemic species marked.
- IUCN/BirdLife International conservation status given.
- Taxonomic treatment by the four major world lists indicated and compared.
- Nomenclatural discrepancies explained.
- All English and scientific names from eBird included.
- QR codes for instant access to videos, photos and sound recordings species-by-species.
- All species known to have become extinct since the year 1500 presented separately in their own appendix.
- A 37-page world atlas of colour reference maps with all the details that interest birders and ornithologists.
- The easiest and most enjoyable way to browse through all the birds of the world and compare them.

 

RECOMMENDATION: A must have for anyone with an interest in the World’s birds! The feature I like the most is the “ Taxonomic Circle” which compares the taxonomies of the four major World bird lists.

2) Burgin, Connor J. et al. (editors). Illustrated Checklist of the Mammals of the World. 2020. Lynx Edicions. Hardbound: two volumes in slipcase. Price: about $235.00 U.S.

PUBLISHER’S SUMMARY: The Handbook of the Mammals of the World (HMW) is an unprecedented, lavishly illustrated reference work for the Class Mammalia. This series of 9 large-format volumes describes and illustrates every currently recognized mammal species, and gives a detailed overview of each mammalian family. It provides up-to-date information on the evolutionary relationships, natural history, ecology, and current conservation status for all mammals. Every species is illustrated, and each family chapter contains beautiful colour photographs of mammals in action. HMW provides comprehensive worldwide coverage by involving an international group of expert authors, each of whom is a leading authority on their respective groups of mammals.

It took several years to produce the entire series, and this comprehensive Illustrated Checklist of the Mammals of the World forms a suitable impressive capstone to the series. This latest work updates the taxonomy of each currently recognized species of mammal, providing a complete checklist in a set of two volumes (a set that comes in at 9 kilograms). HMW followed traditionally accepted classifications, based on Mammal Species of the World (Wilson and Reeder, 2005), but with several improvements. The views of the authors, all of them acknowledged authorities on their respective groups, were incorporated into each volume. Each volume considered the description of new species and ongoing systematic revisions that continue to add to our knowledge of the phylogenetic relationships within Mammalia. Ongoing taxonomic work and recent research using new molecular techniques have revolutionized our ability to analyze evolutionary relationships. This has resulted in sweeping changes in the number of species recognized in almost every group of mammals.

The new illustrated checklist incorporates all recently published revisions and combines them into a new, brief species account for every species. In addition to the updated scientific name of each species, the accounts include common names in English, French, German, and Spanish, and the IUCN Red List Conservation Category. Taxonomic notes update recent changes, and updated distributions are included too. If subspecies are recognized, they are updated along with their current distributions. Accompanying each species account is a scientific illustration in full colour, adapted from the earlier volumes, along with an updated distribution map.

If you own the entire set of HMW, you will want to add this latest set of volumes to provide up-to-date coverage of all currently recognized species, including recently described forms. The Illustrated Checklist of the Mammals of the World also works well as a complete, stand-alone summary of the current taxonomy and distribution of every currently recognized species of mammal.

Features:
- 27 orders, 167 families, 1,343 genera, 6,562 species (102 extinct and 18 domesticated).
- Features more than 7,250 illustrations, including 800 new ones of primates and more than 100 of other groups.
- Includes 6,442 distribution maps.

RECOMMENDATION: A must have for anyone with an interest in the World’s mammals!

 

 

 

3) Will, Kip et al.. Field Guide to California Insects: Second Edition. 2020. University of California Press. Paperback: 521 pages. Price: $26.95 U.S.

PUBLISHER’S SUMMARY: Beautifully illustrated and approachable, this is the only California-specific, statewide book devoted to all groups of insects.

Completely revised for the first time in over 40 years, Field Guide to California Insects now includes over 600 insect species, each beautifully illustrated with color photographs. Engaging accounts focus on distinguishing features, remarkable aspects of biology, and geographical distribution in the state. An accessible and compact introduction to identifying, understanding, and appreciating these often unfamiliar and fascinating creatures, this guide covers insects that readers are likely to encounter in homes and natural areas, cities and suburbs, rural lands and wilderness. It also addresses exotic and invasive species and their impact on native plants and animals. Field Guide to California Insects remains the definitive portable reference and a captivating read for beginners as well as avid naturalists.

RECOMMENDATION: A must have for anyone with an interest in the insects of California!

 

 

 

4) Pellant, Chris and Helen. Rocks and Minerals. 2020. Princeton University Press. Paperback: 208 pages. Price: $19.95 U.S.

PUBLISHER’S SUMMARY: This detailed and easy-to-use guide contains striking photography of rocks and minerals from around the globe, and is designed to help readers and collectors identify specimens of these compounds, which are formed by geological processes in the earth’s crust. Useful for beginners and serious collectors alike, this handy volume features special color photography of specimens from the Natural History Museum in London, which holds one of the largest collections in the world.

• Beautiful color photographs
• Comprehensive, up-to-date information
• Suitable for serious collectors and those new to the field
• Special photography of unique specimens from the Natural History Museum in London

RECOMMENDATION: A must have for all rock-hounds!