Butterflies of Britain and Europe - (Aarnio, H) May 2011

[Michaeljf]

Whilst searching on the Book Depository website - I've just seen this new book on Butterflies of Britain and Europe. I'm an easy target for such books so I've ordered one .

Has anyone seen an advance copy? I'll give my impressions as soon as I get my copy, hopefully next week (Publishing date is 30th May 2011).

http://www.bookdepository.co.uk/Butterf ... 1408104743



Michael

[Padfield]

By coincidence, I got an e-mail today kindly promising me a complimentary copy of this book. I welcome every new book on European butterflies and look forward to receiving it. I don't think you can have too many books on butterflies! All of them add something and the more pictures you have of each species - particularly photographs - the better you come to know it.

I'll add my comments to yours, Michael, when the book comes.

Guy

[Paul Wetton]

Thanks for posting this Michael.

I've just ordered a copy as well. Hope it arrives before I hit the road in a few weeks time. It should do, so may help me with the ID problems I know I'm going to have in Switzerland although I'm doing some revision and trying to learn as much as I can mainly from your excellent photos and descriptions off your website Guy.

[Michaeljf]

Hi Paul / Guy,

If you've ordered it from the Book Depository they are fairly fast and I'd bet on you recieving your copy by Thursday/Friday. I now have 3 good general European Butterfly books (two by Tom Tolman - Collins Field guide / Oxford Natural History, one Collins book by Michael Chinery) plus one of the pocket nature books by Sterry/Mackay (Dorling Kindersley) which covers fewer species but is a nice small size. They're all good, but some I take on a trip depending on what weight restrictions are on my luggage. And whether I want to take a small book on birds and wildflowers in the same trip!

With the use more and more of digital photography, some of the ID books are impressive regarding photography every year. The 'British Moths & Butterflies - a photographic guide by Chris Manley, published by AC&Black) is a good example. A wonderful book covering a lot in a short space, but probably too big for a book to take on your proper travels. I'm only surprised that Guy and Roger haven't got one out on the market! But I know that writing a book - even a modest one - can be hard work.

Looking forward to the Aarnio book though. It's also published by AC & Black (like the Chris Manley one) so if the photography is to the same standard it will be a beautiful addition!

Michael

[Padfield]

My copy was waiting for me on return from school today. I haven't had time to study it in detail yet, but first impressions are very positive indeed! Excellent pictures, packed with concisely presented information, and thoroughly comprehensive. It even includes sections on the butterflies of bordering regions, like Mediterranean Turkey and European Russia.

I'll report back in more detail later, after I've enjoyed browsing it more fully!

Guy

[millerd]

Mine has arrived, and I'm well into it. The pictures are indeed excellent, and there is a wealth of info, particularly about some of the fine distinctions between very similar species.

However, I was surprised to see that in the discussions on the two Wood Whites (sinapis and reali) the fact that they both exist in Ireland, and in non-overlapping areas, was not mentioned at all. In fact, to read it (and to look at the distribution maps), you would assume the Irish population was all sinapis, and that reali did not feature. This seems a remarkable oversight in an otherwise splendid little book.

I do hope those more learned in the ways of continental European species do not uncover other similar lapses.

Dave

[Steve Babbs]

Has anyone any thoughts on how this book compares to the Butterflies of Europe by Tristan Lafranchis?

[Padfield]

It's a rather different book from Lafranchis, with more information and greater geographic coverage. Either book alone should enable you to identify 95% (I have no data to support that figure!) of the butterflies you see in Europe with some confidence; together, I'm sure that hit-rate would go up.

That said, despite its being over twenty years out of date, Tolman remains the essential guide, or better still, Tolman plus Higgins and Riley. These are the only two books I ever refer to for identification purposes. The many other butterfly books that have come out in recent years are fantastic complements, filling out the picture of each species with photographs and adding the occasional extra insight, but I have never actually used one to resolve an identification issue. I've owned every edition of Tolman/H & R since the first edition of each and all have had to be replaced because they've worn out - and my latest Tolman is pretty seriously trashed from overuse. None of my other books even has a crease down the spine.

If the question is whether to ask for one or the other book for Christmas, my answer would be to ask one person for one and another for the other. I can't see any excuse for a European butterfly enthusiast not to own both. If I had to choose, though, I'd go for Aarnio et al. It is more complete, more up-to-date and more of an all-round book.

For the real European butterfly enthusiast, I'd add Tshikolovets, Butterflies of Europe and the Mediterranean area, to the Christmas list. I've only owned this a few weeks but I must admit its spine is already damaged from enthusiastic browsing. It's not for beginners, it should be said - it covers over 700 species (and it's a lumper, not a splitter, so the same 700 would count for rather more in a different book) and uses exclusively Latin names, with no English names mentioned.

Guy

[Steve Babbs]

Thanks for the advice. I think I'll go for the Aarinao book then. (As butterflies come after birds, mammals, herp.s and about equal with dragonflies for me, and I'm an impoverished public sector worker, I probably do have an excuse for not owning both ). I do have the latest Tolman guide as well, but I do find European butterfly identification rather tricky. Probably because I'm used to the impoverished UK butterfly fauna (I'm afraid I don't really try on my trips to the tropics) and because I'm primarily used to identifying birds and mammals. Also I only rarely use a net.

[David M]

Has anyone any thoughts on how this book compares to the Butterflies of Europe by Tristan Lafranchis?

I used the Lafranchis guide whilst in France earlier this year, but I have to say that my Tolman and Lewington was always the main source of reference.

I like the photographs in the Lafranchis book, but occasionally they do not represent the definitive image of the butterfly. I also carried Lafranchis's "Les Papillons de Jour de France, Belgique et Luxembourg et leurs chenilles" as this tome concentrated solely on France, but in truth the aids to identification via depiction were somewhat less reliable than the same author's guide to butterflies in Europe which was inferior still to Tolman.

I still found myself relying on Guy Padfield in spite of everything (what does that tell you about the man?)

[Steve Babbs]

Perhaps I'll just photograph everything and post on here, asking for help.

I do expect to retain Tolman as my main guide.

[David M]

Well, if you go with Aarinao, Lafranchis & Tolman and supplement those with Padfield, Gibbons et al from this website then you'll be a very unfortunate soul indeed if you're still left wondering "what WAS that butterfly I saw".

[Padfield]

Nothing can replace experience, and between the regular contributors to this site there must be many hundreds of years of experience with the continental butterflies. On the other hand, as I'm always telling my students, what you work out for yourself remains fresh in your mind far longer than anything you learn from a teacher. I doubt any of them remember my saying it...

Guy