Birds of the Transvaal by W.R. Tarboton & M.I. Kemp & A.C. Kemp

Birds of the Transvaal (Collectible 1987 Transvaal Bird Reference)

A Species-by-Species Reference to the Birds of the Transvaal, with Distribution Maps and Afrikaans Names

Bibliographic Specifications

• Title: Birds of the Transvaal
• Authors: W.R. Tarboton & M.I. Kemp & A.C. Kemp
• Publisher: Transvaal Museum, Pretoria
• Publication Date: 1987
• ISBN-10: 0620100060
• Edition Details: First published 1987. Softcover release.
• Binding: Publisher's illustrated pale blue card wrappers with an ibis design, perfect bound, printed title to spine.
• Physical Format: Large softcover (trade paperback), approximately 235 x 165 mm. With distribution maps and line drawings of birds throughout.
• Language: English

Official Condition Report

• The Book: Good (G)
• Exterior / Wraps: The pale blue illustrated wrappers show honest wear. The spine has scuffing, chipping and loss of colour along the edges, and the black title lettering is worn in places. The back cover carries a Zeiss advertisement, with rubbing, soiling and creasing at the edges. The corners are bumped and worn, and the fore-edge and the head and tail of the text block are toned.
• Interior: The text block is solid and intact. The pages are toned, with a few small brown spots to the title and copyright pages. The text pages examined are clean and free of markings.
• The Dust Jacket: Not Applicable (As Issued)

Synopsis & Historical Value

Published by the Transvaal Museum in Pretoria in 1987, Birds of the Transvaal is a regional reference work on the birds of the Transvaal. It was written by Warwick Tarboton with Michael and Alan Kemp.

The book is arranged as species accounts covering habitat, range, status and breeding. Each account is supported by a distribution map, and line drawings of the birds appear throughout. Afrikaans bird names are given alongside the English ones, which makes it useful to readers in both languages.

As a museum publication from the late 1980s, it is a useful regional title for birders, Africana natural history collectors and anyone interested in the avifauna of the old Transvaal province.

Author Profile: Warwick Tarboton, Alan Kemp & Meg Kemp

Warwick Tarboton is a well-known South African bird expert and writer of several well-received books. A past president of BirdLife South Africa, he has been awarded the Gill Memorial Medal and the Stevenson-Hamilton award for services to ornithology and zoology. His other titles include Southern African Birds of Prey, Waterbirds and the Sasol Birds of Southern Africa.

Alan Kemp was head curator of the Bird Department at the Transvaal Museum, now the Ditsong Museum of Natural History. He is the author of The Hornbills in the Oxford University Press Bird Families of the World series, and of work on the distribution and status of the birds of the Kruger National Park.

Birds of the Transvaal Tarboton · Transvaal Museum bird book · Southern African ornithology reference · Warwick Tarboton 1987 · Africana bird book with distribution maps · Kemp and Tarboton birds