Customer Reviews

New Encyclopedia of Mammals

5 star:		(14)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I've been a docent at a zoo for several years, and this book has been invaluable. It presents the material clearly and consistently. The pictures are fantastic. It's also a book that my family keeps hauling off the shelf to answer "that animal question."

This book is informative enough to be a professional reference text, yet accessible and beautiful enough to be a coffee table book or even a picture book for older children. It presents a comprehensive overview of all the mammals, organized by taxonomical group. The text is supplemented with excellent photographs that allow the readers to "see the animals" for themselves and learn much the text does not say.

It was used as a textbook for my college mammalogy class, and it served the purpose better than any standard text. The authors and editor, top mammalogists, do a good (albeit slightly conservative) job of bringing together what is known about mammalogy and condensing it into one large volume. Each section summarizes one species or group of animals. Special spreads describe details such as the songs of the gibbons and the responses of voles to the scent of their predators. It was very engaging, and I highly recommend it even as a popular science reference.

For years I have keep this book close by my side. I'm amazed by the number of times I have consulted it while watching a nature show or after a discussion of wildlife. The coverage of mammalian families is comprehensive and the photographs are beautiful. A must own for any naturalist

"The Encyclopedia Of Mammals" is a wonderful book. BN offered a one-volume edition with over 930 pages until sometime in 2003 for under $50. The book covers all the mammals in the world in full color with comprehensive text and weighs about 12 lbs. The current offering is a 3-volume edition by Facts On File Natural Science Library at about $300.

Biology (BN 357/2)

After acquiring the Encyclopedia of Mammals, I went out and bought the others in the series. A great thing about the Facts on File animal encyclopedias is the excellent color photos - I am amazed they can give so many photos at such a low price; each page is packed!

Both high school and public library reference holdings strong in animal science will find the second updated edition of the three-volume set The Encyclopedia of Mammals to be an excellent survey of the latest developments in mammal science. A team of editors have produced volumes which lend to both serious study and leisure browsing with a blend of color photos and drawings and articles newly revised to reflect the latest research and trends. From maps demonstrating species distribution patterns to articles that survey conservation issues and mammal natural history, the set seeks to clarify scientific terms and perspectives and will prove a delightful resource for any student of natural history.

Diane C. Donovan
California Bookwatch

The exact same book (I think) exists in another form... available only from a certain "B and N" bookseller, it's huge (930 pg), nice, and $30. Check it out there for BIG savings...

I will admit right away that I am not a biology major, and that I bought this huge volume for personal love of animals and all the wonderments of the world. Sometimes, the author of this tome gets a little excited, and forgets that not everyone who reads this book is in the research field, but even that can be over-looked, because as long as you are willing to except that you may have to look up a term or two occasionally, you won't be sorry you bought this. Not only does it cover over 5,000 species of mammals (all known to date), but it has wonderful pictures that I look at with my daughter. It has an entry on every mammal you can think of, and has several longer articles on subjects as varied as why whales sing, to studies on friendships in certain Primate species, to Reindeer Migration and Bat Blood Donors. This is engrossing, intelligent, spectactular. I am currently writing a novel on sea mammals, and this book is certainly a help! One warning: It is very heavy and a little clumsy because of the vast knowledge it holds. By the way, this is the 2006 version I'm speaking of, I don't know what the reviewers of 3 and 1 star are talking about unless they have the wrong edition or a different book entirely. MacDonald is brilliant and passionate!

I had the second edition of this book, published in 2001. There are so far 3 editions, First edition 1984; second edition 2001; third edition 2006. This review is under the second edition. The latest edition was published by Oxford University, in the end of 2006. The price is much lower than this second edition. I am not sure why amazon.com lists the expensive second edition first, not the latest third edition.

I checked the 3rd editon, and it seems to me there are lots of update. Almost all the chapter titles have been changed ..

I bought the second edition for my kids from Borders under 10 bucks in the bargain section. My kids like it very much.

The best book about mammals....

If you cann't find a good bargain, buy the latest edition published by Oxford University Press, not this 3-volume second edition. It's way over priced..

I have an older edition of this book, just found this 2001 edition (new) at a book sale at Barnes & Noble for only $20.00! As a Docent at a local wildlife facility, this is an excellent resource book, as well as good reading material. Super illustrations, with easy-to-understand text makes this a "must-have" for anyone interested in the Mammal world.