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ZEISS DTI thermal imaging cameras. For more discoveries at night, and during the day.

Your most anticipated futures books (1 Viewer)

If you look through the earlier posts on this thread, I don't think a single commenter mentioned Thailand as being a priority.

This thread is about anticipated future books--not most desired guides. This is the first we've heard of a new guide for Thailand, so there would have been no reason to mention it. In any event, many of the highest demand sites already have books in the works, so Lynx probably didn't want their first guide to be facing prompt competition, or be rapidly superceded.

And I'm really not sure that "hundreds" of additional species would need to be covered.

Robson's Thailand guide covers c. 950 species; his SE asia guide covers 1270. Numbers likely larger now after splits.

Regarding local names, I can't say how useful these are in practice, but it would hardly be a big deal to include, say, Vietnamese names.

Whether the goals of the series are good ones is a different question from whether Thailand is a good choice for the first book in the series. I'm only addressing the latter question. In any event, producing a guide to SE Asia that included local names from Thailand and Vietnam, but not Malaysia, Cambodia, or Laos would be sure to, ahem, ruffle some feathers.
 
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Yes, a Vietnam guide is also scheduled to be published at the end of this year: https://www.lynxeds.com/product/birds-vietnam

If the 90% shared species with Thailand as mentioned above is accurate, a Vietnam title will, apart from 10% of species, be the same as the Thai guide?

Others have mentioned re other titles, LYNX's 'stretching' (to the absolute limit) of material which already exists. Basically they're taking existing plates and text and just replicating them across several titles so they'll hope to sell at least two titles here, that we're aware of, rather than one.

It won't be practical for people who do a trip that involves several countries which due to ease of travel and proximity within the region, many do.

What are the odds that once they've done the country guides, a 'concise' regional guide covering them all, will appear?



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It won't be practical for people who do a trip that involves several countries which due to ease of travel and proximity within the region, many do.

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I basically agree with you. There would be one exception, if many local people want a FG, one that concentrates on their own country would be an excellent start. My question for that is, however, whether their ability to handle an English FG is sufficient. But given the costs of translation, such a high quality book may be their best bet despite it being written in English. At least it will have the local names as well. So what I want to say, our arguing here concentrates too often on the international birding tourism only.
 
I basically agree with you. There would be one exception, if many local people want a FG, one that concentrates on their own country would be an excellent start. My question for that is, however, whether their ability to handle an English FG is sufficient. But given the costs of translation, such a high quality book may be their best bet despite it being written in English. At least it will have the local names as well. So what I want to say, our arguing here concentrates too often on the international birding tourism only.

The reality Robert is that a miniscule number of Thais are interested in birding, even fewer in Vietnam, Laos, Burma or Cambodia.

Few can afford the outlay required to pursue any hobby and those that are birders, are in it to make a living as guides or are equally likely to be photographers.


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Three books on paleontological subjects:

Carboniferous Giants and Mass Extinction by George R McGhee
Smilodon: The Iconic Sabertooth by Lars Werdelin, H Gregory McDonald, Christopher A Shaw
End of the Megafauna by Ross D. E. MacPhee
 
The series has been started with flesh eating creatures and it will end with blood sucking vampyres.

HMW9: Bats (sometime in 2019)
 
I was looking forward to the Handbook of British Bees by George Else, having waited so many years for it, and used draft keys from it, I now understand it's being published in September. But! it's priced at £150! which begs the question, who on earth is that aimed at? certainly not amateurs like myself with a view to increasing and improving our knowledge of this group. I certainly won't be buying a copy at that price. I'm so grateful for Steve Falk's book that came out last year, even if some of the keys do leave me wanting a few more confirmatory characters for ID - I often find my self identifying them with Falk, then re-checking them with my draft copies of Else.

An opportunity to encourage more people to study British bees in more detail lost I'm afraid.
 
……….., who on earth is that aimed at? certainly not amateurs like myself …………….
An opportunity to encourage more people to study British bees in more detail lost I'm afraid.

I presume the vast majority of the assured copies are aimed at the library market (as long as real books are still being bought by them). So the authors/publishers need to make sure they can recover their costs via this relatively small segment.
 
I was looking forward to the Handbook of British Bees by George Else, having waited so many years for it, and used draft keys from it, I now understand it's being published in September. But! it's priced at £150! which begs the question, who on earth is that aimed at? certainly not amateurs like myself with a view to increasing and improving our knowledge of this group. I certainly won't be buying a copy at that price. I'm so grateful for Steve Falk's book that came out last year, even if some of the keys do leave me wanting a few more confirmatory characters for ID - I often find my self identifying them with Falk, then re-checking them with my draft copies of Else.

An opportunity to encourage more people to study British bees in more detail lost I'm afraid.

I'm with you on this! As a general naturalist I have a casual interest in this group + have several bee books but the price of this certainly deters me from purchasing this. Other than the institutes mentioned in the post by Swissboy only hardened hymenopterists are likely to purchase this so won't encompass those of us less dedicated to the group.
 
Others have mentioned re other titles, LYNX's 'stretching' (to the absolute limit) of material which already exists. Basically they're taking existing plates and text and just replicating them across several titles so they'll hope to sell at least two titles here, that we're aware of, rather than one.
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Hi Andy

Have you looked at the guides? Whilst many of the original plates are being used, a lot of new illustrations have been / are being commissioned. The text is new and purpose written. HBW text was oriented more towards use at home or in a museum, which is appropriate for a handbook. You will find that Lynx and BirdLife International Field Guides text is written for field use. Yes, of course there will be some degree of duplication between countries with very similar avifaunas, as there is with other field guides series. However, both text and plates will reflect specific national identification challenges, racial variation, vocal variation, etc. New range maps and distributional revision are another key strength.

Best wishes, Chris
 
Hi Andy

Have you looked at the guides? Whilst many of the original plates are being used, a lot of new illustrations have been / are being commissioned. The text is new and purpose written. HBW text was oriented more towards use at home or in a museum, which is appropriate for a handbook. You will find that Lynx and BirdLife International Field Guides text is written for field use. Yes, of course there will be some degree of duplication between countries with very similar avifaunas, as there is with other field guides series. However, both text and plates will reflect specific national identification challenges, racial variation, vocal variation, etc. New range maps and distributional revision are another key strength.

Best wishes, Chris

Hi Chris,
haven't actually seen it yet as I'm in Russia but I have had it delivered and it's waiting for me in Nottingham.

Thanks for your input.

How is it over there, I recently wrote to Cecilia Herrera to enquire if she's ok but have had no reply. I was contemplating a trip to the Venezuelan Andes and parts we didn't do last time but seems a no go right now?
 
Hi Andy

Reviews of the Thailand guide have been positive. See what you think.

Venezuela is tough, a deepening humanitarian crisis. I ran into Ceci in Bello Monte in March and she was fine. I'll let her know you're trying to contact her, though she has not replied to my last email. Internet is becoming a scarce luxury.

Have a good trip! Chris
 
Hi Andy

Reviews of the Thailand guide have been positive. See what you think.

Venezuela is tough, a deepening humanitarian crisis. I ran into Ceci in Bello Monte in March and she was fine. I'll let her know you're trying to contact her, though she has not replied to my last email. Internet is becoming a scarce luxury.

Have a good trip! Chris

Good to know Chris, hope things start to normalise soon, stay safe,
 

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