Hey guys, so I was wondering if this book might be useful for me. I am seriously considering getting it but I want to know what your opinions of it is first. Thanks in advance! Here's a link to Amazon. [ame="http://www.amazon.com/Princeton-Encyclopedia-Mammals-David-Macdonald/dp/0691140693/ref=cm_cr_pr_product_top?ie=UTF8"]The Princeton Encyclopedia of Mammals: David W. Macdonald: 9780691140698: Amazon.com: Books[/ame]
David MacDonald's Encyclopedia of Mammals has long been an important part of my library. I highly recommend it.
I would also highly recommend it. I've got the 2006 version and it is not quite as long as the 976-page, 2009 version that you provided the link for but it is still around 940 pages. In terms of bang for your buck there aren't many nature-themed books out there that are comparable in terms of quality for the price you pay.
When I worked in a library, the David McDonald book was the only mammal book I recommended to be purchased. It is good value for money with lots of illustrations. I hope that future editions will be a bit more balanced, though. The first edition comprised 2 volumes: the first had primates, whales and carnivores, while the second contained all the other mammals.
Thank you guys very much for your replies! I already own Animal by Roger Priddy but it is a bit outdated!
I recommend that anyone interested in mammals should have a copy of Walker's Mammals of the World, which tried to get at least one picture of each genus of mammals. Later editions also listed individual species. There are cheap copies at www.alibris.co.uk/Walkers-Mammals-of-the-World-Dr...M.../7109883.
I have the original two volume hardback version of “Encyclopaedia of Mammals” (David MacDonald;1984). How time flies, it is hard to believe I have had it for over thirty years. This is a very attractive publication, well illustrated with lots of coloured pictures. Although I am not familiar with the more recent edition, I concur with the other posters; this is an excellent work, that is thoroughly recommended. However, good as this book is, I prefer “Walker’s Mammals of the World” so I also agree with “Dassie rat” that anybody interested in mammals should get a copy of “Walker” too. These two publications were my favourite mammal reference books for many years; although both are excellent, I guess both will be superseded by the “Handbook of the Mammals of the World”.
I ordered The Princeton Encyclopedia of Mammals a few weeks ago thanks to recommendations here and it arrived today. Although I haven't had enough time to look into it very thoroughly yet, I have had a cursory look and it seems very good!