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The Hamlyn Photographic Guide to Birds of the World General Editor:
Dr Andrew Gosler, Hamlyn, pp 384, £20

Beware of sequels: I mean, Jaws was great but – be honest – Jaws Two
was about as scary as a sardine. In a more ornithological context, Alfred
Hitchcock had the good taste to resist attempting ‘The Return of the Birds’.
Would that Hamlyn had shown such restraint.

The thing is, a couple of years ago there appeared a warmly welcomed
publication entitled The Hamlyn Photographic Guide to Birds of Britain and
Europe. Just about every species that has ever appeared in the designated
area was shown in most plumages (male, female, juvenile and so on); most
of the photos were excellent; and there was authoritative text on identification,
habits and so on. I doubt if there are any serious birders in Britain who
haven’t got a copy. It was a very good book.

Now we have the follow-up: Birds of the World. It is not a very good
book. ‘But, but’ – I hear the publishers cry – ‘the photos are generally
just as sharp and pretty, so what’s the problem?’ Well, there’s a little
clue on the respective dust covers. The British version boasts: ‘Over 1300
photographs’. The world version also includes: ‘Over 1300 photographs’.
So the flaw is, that’s right, there are actually at least 10 times the number
of species in the world as there are in Europe; so, unless the latest volume
could offer more than 13 000 photographs, chances are it will be pretty
useless as an identification guide. Inevitably, it is pretty useless. The
fact that so many species are missing means that the text is, in many cases,
at best meaningless and at worst confusing. There is not much point in trying
to compare one species with others when we have no idea what the others
look like. Moreover, nearly every bird shown is a nice garish easily identified
male, not the confusing, difficult, and less photogenic females or juveniles.

Of course, if the book were titled: ‘Random Selection of Excellent Photographs
of a Cross Section of Birds from Various Parts of the World’, I wouldn’t
be grumbling. Nor would I be waxing so churlish if the dust cover did not
make so many grandiose claims: ‘A landmark in Natural History publishing!’
Oh come on, says who? Mr Hamlyn maybe. I mean, let’s just ask the leading
question: what use is this book? Is it a compre-hensive identification guide
to the world or any part of it? Answer: no. Does the text include anything
that you wouldn’t find in the respective guide to any particular country
or region? Answer: no. Is the check list of all world species appended at
the back unavailable elsewhere? Answer: no.

The truth is, as I am sure any naturalist would agree, that one book
simply cannot cover ground that requires (and already has) several volumes.

So, is it no use at all? Answer, again: no. Undeniably, the photos are
generally splendid. Browsing through them, you cannot but be struck by the
sheer variety – and beauty – of the world’s avifauna. Secondly, if you have
just returned from a trip to, say, Kenya, the ‘Afrotropical’ selection will
bring back many happy memories (and probably make you dissatisfied with
your own slides). Finally – and I’m not being entirely facetious in suggesting
this – I dare say many a travelling birder will have a lot of fun trying
to identify all the birds without looking at the answers on the opposite
pages (well, I did).

Mind you, talking of the opposite pages does remind me of the one way
I think this collection could have been instantly improved. No disrespect
to the author(s), but Hamlyn could have left out the text altogether and
made room for another 1300 photographs. It still would not be enough to
make the book really useful, but it would have been twice as enjoyable to
look at.

So if you have a spare £20 note in your pocket then I can think
of worst ways of squandering it than purchasing a book full of nice bird
photos. On the other hand, if you haven’t got the Hamlyn Photographic Guide
to Britain and Europe then buy that immediately. You will still have a few
quid left over to pick up The World when it’s remaindered in next year’s
sales.

Bill Oddie is a birdwatcher.