birding-aus

Re: New edition of "Pizzey and Knight"

To: <>
Subject: Re: New edition of "Pizzey and Knight"
From: "Robert Inglis" <>
Date: Tue, 23 Dec 2003 15:18:17 +1000
Hi all,
I note with interest the comments about the colours of the illustrations in the 
latest version of
"The Graham Pizzey and Frank Knight Field Guide to the Birds of Australia".
I, too, was struck by the difference between this edition and the 'original'.
The colours in the original edition seemed quite good to my ageing and fading 
eyesight but the new
ones seem to be a bit on the 'intense' side to me.

This does seem to be a vexing problem with printing field guides.
Some of you may remember the first edition of "A Field Guide to the Birds of 
Australia" by Graham
Pizzey and Roy Doyle.
The colours used in some of the illustrations in that volume were, to say the 
least, woeful!
The second printing was a slight (!) improvement.
In the first printing of "The Slater Field Guide to Australian Birds" (Slater, 
Slater, Slater), some
of the plates of birds in flight had background colours which made it difficult 
to see the bird.
And, of course, there was an intense 'discussion' re the merits of the colours 
used in Michael
Morecombe's "Field Guide to Australian Birds" when it was first released.

I am always interested in the latest versions of any field guide to Australian 
birds so I was keen
to have a look at the new "Pizzey and Knight" from that angle.
There was once a time when I would have simply bought each new edition as soon 
as they appeared on
the book shelves.
But now I cringe at prices such as the $45 tag on this publication at the local 
Book World.
If it is a significant 'upgrade' then I might consider purchasing it but a 
cursory glance did not
reveal much that was obviously new.

Has there been much changed, added or corrected?

A question to Jennifer Spry:
Is it a close friend who is receiving the Christmas present of your reject 
"Pizzey and Knight"? ;-)

And, David McDonald, I don't think this is the seventh edition. You may be 
thinking of the Simpson
and Day field guide.

Cheers
Bob Inglis
Woody Point
Queensland
Australia


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