Birds in action by Phil Hockey

Birds in action (Inscribed Copy of Hockey's Bird Behaviour Photobook)

A Large-Format Photographic Study of African Bird Behaviour by Ornithologist Phil Hockey

Bibliographic Specifications

• Title: Birds in action
• Author: Phil Hockey
• Editor: Helena Reid
• Publisher: Central News Agency (Pty) Ltd (CNA); designed and produced by Struik Publishers, Johannesburg
• Publication Date: 1996
• ISBN-13: 9781874951124
• ISBN-10: 1874951128
• Binding: Publisher's pictorial laminated hardcover boards, printed directly onto the board, with a yellow and black spine bearing the CNA logo.
• Physical Format: Large-format hardcover, approximately 280 x 220 mm. Heavily illustrated with colour photographs.
• Language: English

Official Condition Report

• The Book: Very Good Plus (VG+)
• Exterior / Boards: The printed laminated boards are green to the front and black and cream to the back. The spine is clean and straight. There is light gloss wear along the edge of the back board, with no tears or major damage visible.
• Interior: The pages are clean and bright, and the colour plates are sharp. The endpapers are clean and the binding appears tight. A handwritten gift inscription in blue ink appears on a front page, together with a partial pencil note at the upper edge.
• Provenance: Handwritten Afrikaans gift inscription in blue ink on a front page, signed with a first name and partly legible: "...liewe, liefste Erè Meis Elf deel so graag met julle iets wat vir my so baie beteken en inspireer en laat onthou hoe baie mooi dinge daar nog is! Baie, baie liefde, Meis è Bunno." A partial pencil note also appears at the upper right edge of the same page.
• The Dust Jacket: Not Applicable (As Issued)

Synopsis & Historical Value

Birds in Action is a large-format photographic book on the behaviour of birds, using African species as its examples. Its colour photographs illustrate migration, communication, flight, feeding, breeding and display, accompanied by informative text from Phil Hockey.

The book was published in Johannesburg by Central News Agency in 1996. It pairs striking imagery with an ornithologist's explanatory commentary, and suits readers who want to understand what the birds are doing as well as how they look.

Author Profile: Phil Hockey

Philip Anthony Richard Hockey (1956-2013) was a South African ornithologist, born in England, who moved to South Africa in 1979 to pursue doctoral work on African Black Oystercatchers. He went on to direct the Percy FitzPatrick Institute of African Ornithology at the University of Cape Town.

A UCT tribute credits him with more than 120 scientific papers, over 150 semi-popular articles and 12 books and book chapters. His works include Waders of Southern Africa and Beautiful Birds of Southern Africa, and he co-authored Sasol Birds of Southern Africa and co-edited Roberts' Birds of Southern Africa. He received the Stevenson-Hamilton Medal in 2008.

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