Raptors of the World by James Ferguson-Lees & David Christie

Raptors of the World (Illustrated Raptor Field Guide, Inscribed Copy)

The First World Field Guide to Birds of Prey, Illustrated With Colour Plates and Distribution Maps

Bibliographic Specifications

• Title: Raptors of the World: A Field Guide
• Authors: James Ferguson-Lees & David Christie
• Publisher: Christopher Helm (an imprint of A&C Black Publishers Ltd), London
• Publication Date: 2005
• ISBN-13: 9780713669572
• ISBN-10: 0713669578
• Edition Details: 2005 paperback field guide edition, drawing on the plates of the authors' 2001 handbook. Carries a handwritten inscription.
• Binding: Publisher's illustrated card wrappers (paperback), perfect bound. Black pictorial wrappers with a hawk illustration.
• Physical Format: Large softcover (trade paperback), 320 pages. Colour plates with facing text and distribution maps.
• Language: English

Official Condition Report

• The Book: Very Good Plus (VG+)
• Exterior / Wraps: The black pictorial wrappers are clean and bright, with a hawk illustration to the front. The spine and covers show no tears or creasing. Corners and edges are sound, and the fore-edge and page block have an even cream tone.
• Interior: The text and colour plates are clean and bright, with no markings to the pages. The binding is tight. A handwritten ink inscription appears on a front page.
• Provenance: Handwritten ink inscription on a front page, apparently to Ralph from Brian and Robbie.
• The Dust Jacket: Not Applicable (As Issued)

Synopsis & Historical Value

Raptors of the World: A Field Guide is a portable identification guide to the world's diurnal birds of prey, including kites, vultures, harriers, hawks, buzzards, eagles and falcons. It was the first raptor field guide to cover the whole world, and it reuses all the plates from the authors' larger 2001 handbook.

The colour plates show species perched and in flight, with facing text and distribution maps. The text was revised for this edition and covers 340 species, so it serves both the field birder and the shelf-bound student of ornithology.

This copy is a useful working reference for anyone interested in African and global raptors, and it carries a handwritten inscription from a previous owner.

Author Profile: James Ferguson-Lees & David Christie

James Ferguson-Lees (1929-2017) was a British ornithologist who edited British Birds, served as President of the British Trust for Ornithology, and was Committee Chairman and Deputy Director of the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds. His other works include The Shell Guide to the Birds of Britain and Ireland and Endangered Birds.

David A. Christie is an ornithologist, editor and translator. He is co-author of a number of books, including Raptors of the World and the award-winning Woodpeckers.

Raptors of the World field guide · Ferguson-Lees and Christie · birds of prey field guide · African raptors identification book · inscribed ornithology book · Helm field guide 2005