Fishes of the World, 3rd Edition [Hardcover]

Joseph S. Nelson (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0471547131 | ISBN-13: 978-0471547136 | Publication Date: April 15, 1994 | Edition: 3

Considered a classic guide to fish classification and identification, it is the only book which uses recent findings in arranging all major fish groups worldwide. Covers 445 families in which over 21,700 species of living fishes are recognized. Adopts a synthetic approach to classification and presents groups in evolutionary order. This edition updates all families to reflect progress and changes in the field.

Editorial Reviews

From the Back Cover

"Of all the literature I use while preparing field guides for the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, Nelson's Fishes of the World is, by far, the one I refer to most often. [This] book is a standard reference . . . I continue to use it extensively in the ichthyology courses I teach, particularly in laboratory sessions."
—Kent E. Carpenter Old Dominion University

"Fishes of the World is a unique and essential resource for anyone seriously interested in the diversity and evolution of fishes. The family accounts provide quick summaries of current knowledge on all groups of living fishes and many key fossil taxa. It is a required work for every student in my laboratory."
—William E. Bemis Kingsbury Director of Shoals Marine Laboratory, Cornell University

"Only classics are known by the single name of their author, and certainly [Nelson's book] has for four editions been such a book for all those who seek an accessible, up-to-date, readable reference on fish classification. Once again, Nelson presents a balanced view of the sometimes tumultuous, but ever-exciting, study of the phylogenetic relationships and classification of fishes. In doing so, Nelson makes an excellent case for organismal biology, highlighting the many and varied morphological characters we use to diagnose fish taxa and differentiate among the 515 families of living species."
—Lynne R. Parenti Curator of Fishes and Research Scientist, National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution

Fishes of the World, Fourth Edition is the updated edition of a true classic in the field. A unique presentation of a modern, cladistically based classification of all the major living and fossil fish groups, this indispensable reference helps scientists and others identify and classify specimens, make familial connections, understand the evolution of fishes, and springboard into further research.

The taxonomy of fishes presented includes the anatomical characteristics, distribution, common and scientific names, and phylogenetic relationships for all 515 families of living fishes. Packed with representative species drawings and information on phylogentic relationships, this informative Fourth Edition features:

• Both fossil and extant species
• More than 500 illustrations
• Fully vetted scientific and common names
• An extensive bibliography

--This text refers to an alternate Hardcover edition.

About the Author

JOSEPH S. NELSON, PHD, is Professor Emeritus of Biological Sciences in the Department of Biological Sciences at the University of Alberta in Edmonton, Canada. He is also Chair of the Joint ASIH-AFS Committee on Names of Fishes. --This text refers to an alternate Hardcover edition.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 624 pages
• Publisher: Wiley; 3 edition (April 15, 1994)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0471547131
• ISBN-13: 978-0471547136
• Product Dimensions: 9.6 x 6.5 x 1.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.3 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,803,384 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

37 of 45 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars $60 book for $125, how much would you pay for line drawings?, June 23, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Fishes of the World, 3rd Edition (Hardcover)

The comprehensive coverage of fish taxonomy is immense. What else does $125 get you? A lot of nice line drawings. Comparable works with mammals and birds cost about the same, but have higher quality paper and photos/drawings. This book should be selling for about $60 considering what it is lacking visually. It is uncommon to have such a small (600 pages) book demand such a high price without any photos (black and white or color). If you think line drawings are just fine, that is not the issue. It is cost.

16 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Good book but WAY OVERPRICED!, May 28, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: Fishes of the World, 3rd Edition (Hardcover)

The taxonomy of this book is dated and should be revised. The author of the book is a quality ichthyologist. However, I will not buy this book because of the ridiculous price that Wiley and Sons is asking. I would not recommend that anyone buy this book at this price. All you get are line drawings and text. Surely, Wiley and Sons can do a better job for the community of people interested in the world of fishes!

11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars THE world reference for a classification of fishes, April 20, 2006

By 

Nicolas Bailly (FishBase Team) (Philipines) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Fishes of the World (Hardcover)

This is the fourth, long awaited, edition of Fishes of the World.
Since the 2nd edition, it is THE reference for a STABLE PRACTICAL classification of all fishes of the world.
The work done by J. Nelson in the background is enormous, because for each node of the hierarchy are discussed and referenced the concurrent alternatives recently published, and is explained the choice made between them (so that one can appreciate the diversity of opinions, and the work remaining to be done).
Apart from the price that we can always find too expensive (and I am quite sure that he does not pay the author's efforts), the reviews of the previous edition missed 3 points:
- The book does not claim to give an overview of the biology and ecology of fishes, nor to give thorough illustrations of the diversity of fishes. The outlines are extremely useful to memorise the global shape of families and subfamilies. Ok, the 4th edition could have been complete in this area ...
- The book provides a management classification that is close enough of the last validated advances of research. Saying that it is not uptodate is a clear misunderstanding of what this book is useful for. In particular, it does not endorse the last published phylogeny (and by the way, a phylogeny is not a classification) if work clearly still needs to be done to establish and disseminate a new view: it tries to point out the most evidenced status of the classification, but presenting the alternatives: the people in need of one reliable classification can use it as such, the people closer to the edge of research can go further and use the information from the references given.
- I don't know any book in mammals, birds, snakes, lezards, turtles, amphibians that synthesizes the same amount of REFERENCED information, where there are altogether less species involved than in fishes! But sure, many of them have beautiful images ...
Thanks Joe.