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Birds of East Africa -Field Guides (1 Viewer)

I wonder, what can be the hold ups when significant 'slips' occur, artwork, text?

You'd think the bulk of the book would be in place for a 2nd ed, requiring a relatively small expansion of the original volume to accomodate new species?

There can't be that many new species hence / plates / texts to produce unless the artwork and or text are being re-done in their entirity?
 
andyadcock said:
I wonder, what can be the hold ups when significant 'slips' occur, artwork, text?

You'd think the bulk of the book would be in place for a 2nd ed, requiring a relatively small expansion of the original volume to accomodate new species?

There can't be that many new species hence / plates / texts to produce unless the artwork and or text are being re-done in their entirity?
Click to expand...

The second edition is now about to get published, it seems. Thus another year has passed again. Yet, looking at the sample pages at NHBS, it would seem that illustrations have pretty much been retained. Some little reshuffling at most. The text pages look different, but except for the distribution maps, I have not been able to check for changes.

At any rate, it will be interesting to read more about what makes it worthwhile to buy this book if one already owns the first edition.
 
Swissboy said:
The second edition is now about to get published, it seems. Thus another year has passed again. Yet, looking at the sample pages at NHBS, it would seem that illustrations have pretty much been retained. Some little reshuffling at most. The text pages look different, but except for the distribution maps, I have not been able to check for changes.

At any rate, it will be interesting to read more about what makes it worthwhile to buy this book if one already owns the first edition.
Click to expand...

Available in HB and SB, it has the same number of pages as the 1st ed.

The info does not mention any taxonomic changes but there should be a few at least or it's not worth buying it?
 
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Based on the Princeton website it has 2 more plates than the first edition (289) and covers 1448 species (compared to >1300 for the first edition). The plates seem more crowded than the first edition, but that is probably necessary to get so many species in a portable book....
 
T.O. said:
Based on the Princeton website it has 2 more plates than the first edition (289) and covers 1448 species (compared to >1300 for the first edition). The plates seem more crowded than the first edition, but that is probably necessary to get so many species in a portable book....
Click to expand...

So, two more plates, same number of pages = very minimal text?

I wonder how up to date it is, Kandt's Waxbill, Boubous, Olive and Tullberg's Woodpeckers, lump of Ruwenzori Nightjar? Must be plenty I'm not aware of too but I guess we'll know soon.
 
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138 more species than the first edition is definately a big deal. I wouldn't doubt that it's not taxonomically up-to-date either... that should be a given with field guides from this publisher. It's like.. would you expect the authors to just not bother, or the editor not to insist.

Someone mentioned that some sample plates or texts are available online... anyone have a link ?

Anxious to see this book.
 
Neomorphus said:
138 more species than the first edition is definately a big deal. I wouldn't doubt that it's not taxonomically up-to-date either... that should be a given with field guides from this publisher. It's like.. would you expect the authors to just not bother, or the editor not to insist.

Someone mentioned that some sample plates or texts are available online... anyone have a link ?

Anxious to see this book.
Click to expand...

Here it is: https://www.nhbs.com/en/title?slug=birds-of-east-africa-book

But as I mentioned, it does not show new species plates, unless I missed them.
 
CaliSteve said:
Pretty obvious that the plate samples on NHBS is from the first edition of the book. There is plenty of new plates in the second edition https://www.galleryofbirds.co.uk/illustrations/east-african-flycatchers
Click to expand...

Thanks a lot for that CaliSteve.... the plates look truly great! I am always wary though until I use it in the field... I have always had a problem with cisticolas as they look different in every book. I guess that worn and fresh plumaged cisticolas look different as well, and I tend not to risk lion death at getting out of a vehicle with cisticolas, something I hate about birding in many parts of Africa. I hope these cisticola illustrations are more accurate. Compared to pretty much everything, they will be the main test for me. More and more cisticola illustrations can fry your brain though.
 
CaliSteve said:
Pretty obvious that the plate samples on NHBS is from the first edition of the book. There is plenty of new plates in the second edition https://www.galleryofbirds.co.uk/illustrations/east-african-flycatchers
Click to expand...

nice link.

However, the plates on NHBS are unquestionably from the new edition, the mapping is completely different, the text is revised and the flycatcher illustrations are new also,

re: taxonomy i contributed to a thread on the changes since the first edition here:-

https://www.birdforum.net/showthread.php?t=385435

there are many changes scattered across the various checklists - looking at the plates on NHBS, the Red-headed Weaver and Red-billed Hornbill splits are not adopted by the authors but are covered in the text and there is a new illustration for Tanzanian Red-billed Hornbill

cheers,
James
 
James Lowther said:
nice link.

However, the plates on NHBS are unquestionably from the new edition, the mapping is completely different, the text is revised and the flycatcher illustrations are new also,


cheers,
James
Click to expand...

It must be seriously revised if there are 138 new species, covered in the same amount of pages as the first edition?

It's going to be interesting, to see how they've covered all the new species both with plates and text, without increasing the amount of pages. Either the plates are cramped with smaller images or the text is seriously minimised.

I suppose another way, would be to not illustrate but simply describe, new species where plumage differences are minimal or there is a simple, geographic explanation?
 
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Don't suppose they're updating the app at the same time? Our group of 3 quickly gave up on the paper last time we were in Africa...
 
My regular supplier just wrote to me....

'Stock arrived late this afternoon (Fri) so order will be dispatched early next week'.
 
Paul Higson said:
Anyone ready to give a quick review ???
Click to expand...

I gave away my old copy last year to some local rangers, so I have to compare based on memory.

For the most part a lot seems to have stayed the same, with relatively few new illustrations. The biggest plus is the new maps that show highlands and have been updated completely (and show multiple colours for breeding visitors, winter visitors etc., instead of only red). Some of the plates are clearly more crowded and a few really feel too full of drawings.

With regards to taxonomy, they say they use mostly HBW, but many of those splits, are not shown as such in the book, but as distinct subspecies. They have made it much clearer though when subspecies might actually be a separate species alltogether.

All things considered it is a clear upgrade from the 1st edition, but I was expecting/hoping for a bit more updates (such as redrawing many birds of prey....).
 
T.O. said:
I gave away my old copy last year to some local rangers, so I have to compare based on memory.

For the most part a lot seems to have stayed the same, with relatively few new illustrations. The biggest plus is the new maps that show highlands and have been updated completely (and show multiple colours for breeding visitors, winter visitors etc., instead of only red). Some of the plates are clearly more crowded and a few really feel too full of drawings.

With regards to taxonomy, they say they use mostly HBW, but many of those splits, are not shown as such in the book, but as distinct subspecies. They have made it much clearer though when subspecies might actually be a separate species alltogether.

All things considered it is a clear upgrade from the 1st edition, but I was expecting/hoping for a bit more updates (such as redrawing many birds of prey....).
Click to expand...

Numerous plates have been reorganised to accomodate extra images. The plate containing Bateleur now holds the same images from the previous edition but rearranged slightly, to accomodate three images of Congo Serpent Eagle which wasn't illustrated at all in the first ed.

Some of the redrawn images, have been done in such a way as to change the posture or angle of the bird so as to take up less space, allowing for additional images.

Would it have been so costly or technically challenging to add ten pages to the book?
 
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