Turtles and Tortoises of the World (Of the World Series) [Hardcover]

David Alderton (Author)

Book Description

Series: Of the World Series | Publication Date: December 1988

This title covers all the world's chelonidae - the turtles, tortoises and terrapins, and includes information on all the important conservation aspects, such as the pet trade in small tortoises and destruction of the sea turtles' egg-laying beaches.

--This text refers to the Paperback edition.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 191 pages
• Publisher: Facts on File (December 1988)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0816017336
• ISBN-13: 978-0816017331
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.3 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #5,135,571 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

David Alderton, MA (Cantab.) grew up in a home surrounded by pets and originally trained to be a vet until an allergic dermatitis forced a change of career in his final year of study. Since then, David has used his experience, knowledge and passion for the subject to concentrate on writing about animals and the natural world.

David also broadcasts regularly on television and radio, and has recently set up the website www.petinfoclub.com while his blog can be found at www.davidalderton.com His books have currently sold some 6.5 million copies worldwide and are available in 30 languages. He has won various awards for his work, including the Maxwell Medallion from the Dog Writers Association of America, and he is well-known as a columnist on various newspapers and magazines, as well as editing Practical Reptile Keeping magazine.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars This book would be your first book to the world of turtles., April 4, 1999

By 

[e-mail] (Hong Kong) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Turtles & Tortoises of the World (Of the World Series) (Paperback)

A concise yet comprehensive book on this diverse and fantastic group of animals. The author has succeeded in giving us an overview of almost all species of turtles in very readable text, even for the layman. The book wrote not only on the bare classification materials but also supplemented with many interesting facts about turtles. Although photo is not for every species, it does cover many of them and the quality is good. I think this book will lead you to discover more about turtles. It's the book you have to read before reading Dr. Pritchard's classic "Encyclopeida of Turtles". Highly recommended.

8 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Scientifically-Oriented and Comprehensive but Lacking, January 27, 1999

By 

[e-mail] (Florida, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Turtles & Tortoises of the World (Of the World Series) (Paperback)

The author does a wonderful job of examining the lifestyles and mating habits of a broad range of turtles. Chelonians (turtles and tortoises) are thoroughly examined here. In fact, there is so much information packed into these pages that it can become slightly confusing as the author jumps from one species to another while discussing a single topic.

As a resident of Florida and an avid scuba diver, I was extremely disappointed to discover that there were no photos of the four most common marine turtles found here. I had hoped for, and sorely needed, photos of each along with some kind of guide on how to distinguish between them. In this regard, this book falls woefully short. There are, however, plenty of photos of hard-to-find, freshwater turtles from remote places on the globe that practically no one will ever see. At least the book didn't cost much!