When a person picks a new hobby, they are often overwhelmed by the amount of information available on the subject. How do they sift through the myriad of possibilities and choose what is right for them? This is how I felt when I first started looking for a fish identification book.
I chose Reef Fishes, Coral and Invertebrates of the
This is a photographic guide to marine life. I find photographic guides problematic because for so many species it is difficult to get good, clear photographs and second because juvenile or variant colourings are rarely included. So it is with this book. For exam
I find that identification books with good plates of the animals are the best way to go. The problem is that often the plates are hit and miss. Sibley’s Field Guide to the Birds of North America is a work of art just in how great the plates are. I haven’t found a fish identification book that matches it's quality.
The pictures in this book are good: sharp and clear. The book is also ordered quite logically with an introduction to reefs and their unique ecosystem, then how to classify fish into families based on their silhouettes or bone structure. Next comes the sections showing kinds of coral, invertebrates and then the fish.
There is nothing wrong with this book but if you are looking for an exhaustive encyclopedia of most of the critters you will see while diving, you will be disappointed. If you want a brief introduction to the world of the coral reef for an affordable price, then this is the book for you.
