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Post by mldov1959 on Mar 20, 2014 20:05:51 GMT -8
I have been considering buying this book by Bernard D'Abrera. I have noted that there is a 1975 edition that is half the price of the 2003 edition. Does anyone know the difference between the two and whether is is worth the extra money for the newer edition. My purpose is to try to distinguish between the various SUBspecies, so I don't know whether this is even the publication that is appropriate.
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Post by nomad on Mar 20, 2014 21:37:18 GMT -8
Hi - this book is based on the collections at the British Museum of Natural History. The 2003 edition has far superior colour plates and is far better than the first edition. The plates of the Birdwings are magnificent, but their are quite a few omissions such as the male of O. meridionalis tarunggarensis and of other subspecies because their are no historical specimens in the B.M. It is interesting that Bernard d' Abrera treats O. paradisea arfakensis as a separate species. One of the pluses of this work, is that it shows many of the subspecies life size. When the 1975 copy came out, there were a number of errors that were rightly pointed out by Haugum and Low in their monograph. Sadly Abrera does not take criticism lightly and his scathing attacks on those authors for daring to do so, take up a large part of the text in the 2003 edition. He also spends quite a lot of the time trying to convince the reader that those that believe in evolution are idiots and his views of the creator are correct in every way. Saying this, the book is probably worth the money for the colour figures alone. Although it costs quite a bit more, the Natural History of the Birdwing Butterflies by Hirotaka Matsuka [ 2001] is in my opinion a far superior work . All the subspecies are represented in colour with distribution maps . Or, why not wait for the new Birdwing book that will be published this year. see below. Peter.  |
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Post by mldov1959 on Mar 21, 2014 3:30:27 GMT -8
Thank you, Peter, for your detailed insight into this book.
Michael
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Post by marcingajewski on Mar 21, 2014 6:31:35 GMT -8
Hi - this book is based on the collections at the British Museum of Natural History. The 2003 edition has far superior colour plates and is far better than the first edition. The plates of the Birdwings are magnificent, but their are quite a few omissions such as the male of O. meridionalis tarunggarensis and of other subspecies because their are no historical specimens in the B.M. It is interesting that Bernard d' Abrera treats O. paradisea arfakensis as a separate species. One of the pluses of this work, is that it shows many of the subspecies life size. When the 1975 copy came out, their were a number of errors that were right pointed out by Haugum and Low in their monograph. Sadly Abrera does not criticism lightly and his scathing attacks on those authors for daring to do so, take up a large part of the text in the 2003 edition. He also spends quite a lot of the time trying to convince the reader that those that believe in evolution are idiots and his views of the creator are correct in every way. Saying this, the book is probably worth the money for the colour figures alone. Although it costs quite a bit more, the Natural History of the Birdwing Butterflies by Hirotaka Matsuka [ 2001] is in my opinion a far superior work . All the subspecies are represented in colour with distribution maps . Or why not wait for the new Birdwing book that will be published this year. see below. Peter. Agree whith Peter, Matsuka (amazing maps , pictores of eggs ,larvas ,food plants etc.)but for my Nr1 in A Monograph of The Birdwing Butterfies J.Haugum & A.M.Low .Vol1 tree parts about ornithopteras Vol2 Tree parts about Troides , Trogonopthera & Ripponia . Marcin |
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