Extinct Birds (Poyser)

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Extinct Birds (Poyser)

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1chrisharpe
Editado: Jan 26, 2012, 7:19 am

I've just been leafing through a new book called Extinct Birds* by Julian Hume and Michael Walters, published by Poyser. This is a subject that has always interested me, so I was excited to find this new title. At first glance this hefty catalogue of extinct bird taxa looks like the last word on the subject. It takes the form of a compilation of short accounts on the world's extinct birds - and interestingly, this book covers subspecies as well as species, and so provides information that has not previously been brought together. Unfortunately, after a few minutes I was disconcerted to find that the authors did not do the sort of exhaustive job that is essential in this kind of project. Looking through a handful of accounts, it became clear that important sources of information were not incorporated - and several subspecies seemed to be missing completely. Poyser used to be a wonderful imprint, publishing the very best information on (mostly British) birds, in volumes that have stood the test of time, which makes it all the more puzzling that this new title does not live up to that high standard. A huge amount of work has clearly gone into the research for the book, and it undoubtedly makes an important contribution to the subject, but is not authoritative enough to justify a place on my shelves at least - I'll wait for the second edition!

Edit: no LT touchstone, but Amazon links at: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Extinct-Birds-Poyser-Monographs-Julian/dp/140815725X and http://www.amazon.com/Extinct-Birds-Poyser-Monographs-Julian/dp/140815725X

2Bowerbirds-Library
Mar 7, 2012, 3:00 am

Hi Chris,

It's useful to get an expert opinion on books - especially when they cost as much as Extinct Birds costs. It would have been very disappointing to 'shell' out on an expensive book to find out it wasn't really worth it.