Review by Choice Review
Of the flood of books on endangerment and its corollary, extinction, this is one of the very best by any standard, be it format, readability, illustration, currency, or authoritativeness, but most especially in its excellent analysis. Most titles dealing with extinction provide an overview of threatened species. This one deals in depth with some 20 flagship birds, most of the Old World, where extinction is especially prevalent. But it is with the essays on the nature of threats to birds that the book excels. Topics include the causes and distribution of rarity, especially in island birdlife (more vulnerable than most), efforts to save rare birds, birds presumed extinct but rediscovered, and future paths of rarity and extinction. The accompanying illustrative material is of the highest quality: 127 color photographs, 34 tables or figures, 25 maps, and 21 drawings. The thoroughly documented text has over 900 references, 36 by the book's authors, Donald (Royal Society for the Protection of Birds) and fellow British conservationists. Climate change, rates of extinction, "the human footprint," threats that invasive species pose, captive breeding, and why extinction matters are only a few of the subjects treated in this new edition (1st ed., 2010). Summing Up: Essential. All academic libraries. H. T. Armistead formerly, Free Library of Philadelphia
Copyright American Library Association, used with permission.
Review by Choice Review
