The Encyclopedia of Birds
Like Bruce Campbell and Elizabeth Lack's A Dictionary of Birds ( LJ 7/85), The Encyclopedia of Birds is superbly written, edited, and illustrated. Many of the same authors have written on the same subjects in both books. An important difference is that the Dictionary is arranged alphabetically, while the Encyclopedia is organized by taxonomic order. The Encyclopedia contains an index, but due to the sometimes confusing classification of birds, its format may still make it difficult to use. In addition, the Dictionary is more detailed and extensive, and includes references at the end of long definitions. But the Encyclopedia 's large color photographs, which are often strikingly beautiful, will be useful to both amateurs and professionals. While the Dictionary is a necessity for most academic libraries, both books are highly recommended to public libraries with large reference collections. Nicholas J. Volkman, Point Reyes Bird Observatory, Stinson Beach, Cal.Copyright 1985 Reed Business Information, Inc.