- Hardcover: 384 pages
- Publisher: Collins; New edition edition (6 May 2008)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 0007242344
- ISBN-13: 978-0007242344
- Product Dimensions: 19.6 x 14 x 3.4 cm
- Average Customer Review: 3.2 out of 5 stars See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
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119,659 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #47 in Books > Science & Nature > Biological Sciences > Animal Sciences > Insects & Spiders
- #64 in Books > Science & Nature > Nature > Wild Animals > Insects & Spiders
- #68 in Books > Science & Nature > Biological Sciences > Animal Sciences > Invertebrates > Arachnids
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Review
'Richard Lewington's illustrations are magnificent!Tom Tolman's text is excellent' New Scientist 'The identification plates are without equal in any modern field guide to butterflies' Centre for Biodiversity Studies, Milwaukee Public Museum
Review
'Richard Lewington's illustrations are magnificent…Tom Tolman's text is excellent’
New Scientist
'The identification plates are without equal in any modern field guide to butterflies'
Centre for Biodiversity Studies, Milwaukee Public Museum
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
71 of 72 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
Having had the first edition of this book since it was hot off the press, I was eagerly waiting this latest installment; however, I am very disappointed by this edition.
It was heralded as the 'most complete guide' by the publishers; but, it is no more complete than it was in its first incarnation.
Tolman had a golden opportunity to update and improve on the best field guide to the European butterflies ever written. But he has chosen not to. The only changes are to the text/plate layout. There is no mention of the new species discovered in the past 11 years or of any distributional changes. A classic example being Real's Wood White which was found in Ireland in 2001: a species he had 8 years in which to update the text and distribution map!!!
I feel that the rendition of the plates is poorer and the figures appear slightly grainy in comparison to the original. Further why were the missing species not illustrated for the first time? At least in the original edition they were clearly marked 'not illustrated', in this book the reader has to find this out for themselves by frustratingly looking at the figures. As for errors, I have been so unimpressed by the book overall, that I have not exhaustively read it - the text appears identical to the original anyway! However, I did find it odd that the False Apollo was inserted in the Parnassius, out of any logical taxonomic order, and to compound this it is designated the 'False Festoon' on its map!
Overall, a nice book if one does not have the original, but to buy it to update your knowledge from the first edition - forget it. I would encourage anybody to search out a second hand copy of the 1997 edition, it is a better book.
I will be giving mine away, such is my disappointment.
It was heralded as the 'most complete guide' by the publishers; but, it is no more complete than it was in its first incarnation.
Tolman had a golden opportunity to update and improve on the best field guide to the European butterflies ever written. But he has chosen not to. The only changes are to the text/plate layout. There is no mention of the new species discovered in the past 11 years or of any distributional changes. A classic example being Real's Wood White which was found in Ireland in 2001: a species he had 8 years in which to update the text and distribution map!!!
I feel that the rendition of the plates is poorer and the figures appear slightly grainy in comparison to the original. Further why were the missing species not illustrated for the first time? At least in the original edition they were clearly marked 'not illustrated', in this book the reader has to find this out for themselves by frustratingly looking at the figures. As for errors, I have been so unimpressed by the book overall, that I have not exhaustively read it - the text appears identical to the original anyway! However, I did find it odd that the False Apollo was inserted in the Parnassius, out of any logical taxonomic order, and to compound this it is designated the 'False Festoon' on its map!
Overall, a nice book if one does not have the original, but to buy it to update your knowledge from the first edition - forget it. I would encourage anybody to search out a second hand copy of the 1997 edition, it is a better book.
I will be giving mine away, such is my disappointment.
34 of 35 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
In common with the first review of the book, no sooner had I opened it than I was finding distribution maps with the incorrect species caption (the Apollo's and Festoon's are all over the place - hence the Spanish Festoon does not appear to be found in Spain according to it's map!). However I can see nothing wrong (yet) with the illustrations which seem fine. I was also glad to see that descriptions are invariably opposite the illustration of the species they refer to which I believe was not the case in a previous edition of the book. However I still find it hard to take that a book of this standing can have such glaring mistakes (with more to be found?)
33 of 34 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
I couldn't agree more with the reviews so far. I've written to Collins about the errors but received no reply. With an interest in all forms of wildlife/photography I try to buy the best ID books available for the knowledge they contain. I was looking forward to this new edition for my bookshelf but quickly returned it asking for a refund. Surely a book of this calibre should have been proof-read more carefully. One of the white butterfly plates was also bitmapped. A pity that such editorial errors has let down Lewington's articulate artwork.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
Obvious errors corrected in the paperback
Having read the reviews posted here I was nearly dissuaded from buying this book but went ahead and bought the paperback as my previous field guide was very out of date. Read more
Published 19 months ago by A. J. Pemberton
Collins Butterfly Guide
The Book is a very informative and gives you more than enough Scope on English and European species.
A very good buy from Amazon for about £13.00 cheers.
A very good buy from Amazon for about £13.00 cheers.
Published on 9 Aug 2009 by Mr. D. WALTERS
Good guide
As a Biologist / Entomologist moving from a different continent I found this guide very useful. I have identified all the butterflies encountered here in Scandinavia. Read more
Published on 1 Aug 2009 by Byron
A bit technical
This book seems to be comprehensive and well-illustrated, but as a "butterfly novice" I found it a bit technical. Read more
Published on 9 July 2009 by Anonymous
Disappointing, but still useful
Coming at this book as someone who knew very little about butterflies, I thought I'd choose this title as I'm a huge fan of the Collins Bird Guide in the same series. Read more
Published on 26 Nov 2008 by P. Mella
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