Reviews

The publisher calls this a pocket guide to cetaceans, and that's a fair description. Arranged by families, then alphabetically by species, the book compresses much information onto each page. In addition to identification tips such as fin placement, coloring, a size scale, and the like, behavior notes and range maps are provided. Brief introductory materials include a cetacean overview, anatomy, behavior, conservation, and whale-watching advice. While this book contains good facts, its practical use as a field guide may be limited. The identification key illustrations for the smaller whales and dolphins are so small that they are not very useful. Comparisons of animals likely to be seen together would have been helpful. Those academic or public libraries wanting a compact encyclopedia with good concise information should consider purchase. Those needing a field guide may find this tool limited.‘Nancy Moeckel, Miami Univ. Libs., Oxford, Ohio