Basics: 2008, 2nd edition, hardcover, 544 pages, 35 color plates, 920 color photos, range maps
Exquisite. Impressive. Awesome. This is an incredible book for three reasons. One, the thoroughness of information for so large a geographic region is unmatched in any other book I've seen. Two, the depth of coverage for each species leaves the reader wanting for little else. Three, the photos are outstanding and probably offer the best examples available for many of these remote species. A fourth reason just came to mind: I cannot think of one bird species in the region that is not represented with a good color photo.
This book has excellent photos for remote species that 99% of us will only dream about seeing. This is the only book I know of to offer quality photos of all the birds of the Tristan da Cunha islands -- a remote location that has always captured my fancy and wishes. Other sub-antarctic islands like Antipodes, South Georgia, Falklands, Chatham, Campbell, and Aukland islands have their unique species covered.
The text dedicated to each of the bird and mammal species is well written, complete, and invaluable to anyone visiting this sub-polar region. Topics for each include identification, distribution and biology, conservation, and taxonomy. The range maps do a valiant job at trying to capture detail for such a massive area. Viewed from directly above the southern pole, the map shows all of Antarctica along with the southern tips of South America, Africa, Australia, and all of New Zealand. The information in the identification section is detailed and offers great information on the plumage variations and critical differences between similar species.
The author uses the latest taxomonic revisions, which is important for the ongoing flux with albatrosses, petrels, and shearwaters.
The layout of the chapters is a bit different from the typical book. I recommend taking a few moments to first review the contents outline at the very beginning. It helped me to better understand how the species and geographic groups were aligned as I flipped through the pages. There are several distinct sections which include a synopsis of the region, species accounts for birds and mammals, and regional descriptions to cover the many island groups.
The breadth of information in the first 40 and in the last 120 pages of the book is excellent material on the ecology, natural history, and geography of a rarely seen world. It is also a testament to the author's passions, experience, and scientific contributions.
If you ever go south of the S40-degree latitude, you must take this book despite its size and weight. This is also a requirement for your library if you have even the slightest interest in Antarctic wildlife.
I've listed several related books below...
1) Birds And Mammals of the Antarctic, Subantartic And Falkland Islands by Todd
2) Birds of the Antarctic and Sub-Antarctic by Watson
3) Handbook of Australian, New Zealand and Antarctic Birds: Vol 1-7 by Marchant et.al.
