Content area
Full Text
ENCYCLOPEDIA OF MARINE MAMMALS (2ND EDITION). Editors: William F. Perrin, Bernd Würsig, J. G. M. Thewissen. Academic Press, San Diego, California, USA, 2009. ISBN987-0-12-375-553-9, 1,352 pp.
The new, colorful, big (almost 10 pounds, 9 × 11 × 2.5 inches) Encyclopedia of Marine Mammals (2nd ed.), with its Daniel J. McSweeney photograph of a false killer whale with a large mahi mahi crosswise in its mouth, as one of the prominent cover shots, certainly catches the eye of anyone passing by. The whole second edition is enlivened by color photos inside and the handy use of colored alphabetized tabs on the page edges. The second edition is therefore more fun to browse through, and easier to use, than its primarily black and white predecessor.
The overall layout of the book remains particularly useful. Its prominent table of contents, contents by subject area, list of excellent contributors, and easy guide to its use ensures that the reader will have an enjoyable browsing experience. The volume is edited by three prominent marine mammal scientists with contributions from over 250 others. The glossary and index are very helpful, and the summary list of individual biographies is very interesting. The diagrams inside both the front and back covers accompanying the article on "Marine Mammal Evolution" allow easy access to comparative evolutionary paths.
In some places, the Encyclopedia is more than an update of the old contributions found in the first edition. The first apparent update to the new edition is a...