lamdha books -
Catalogue of books on Australian animals

Click on the small images at right to see a larger picture

92489 Archer, Michael (ed.) Possums & Opossums - Two Volumes Studies in Evolution Surrey Beatty & Sons with the Royal Zoological Society of NSW, Chipping Norton NSW, 1987. Two quarto hardcover volumes; green boards with gilt upper board and spine titling, green decorated endpapers; 788pp., colour plates, monochrome illustrations, charts and diagrams. Minor wear; one or two spots on upper edges of prelims and upper text block edges; some spotting to side edges of volume 2; dustwrapper spines slightly faded. Very good to near fine otherwise and wrappers now professionally protected by superior non-adhesive polypropylene film. More than 50 contributions by 38 American and Australian authors describe all of the Australian diprotodont marsupials as well as a major focus on the fossil record of these and the early Cainozoic American marsupials. The book is extensively illustrated with many hundreds of photographic images including 11 full page colour reconstructions of prehistoric marsupials. The introductory chapter summarises, integrates and develops all of the contributions in the volumes as an overview. There is also a complete taxonomic index. Click here to order $120

59879 Archer, Michael, Suzanne J. Hand & Henk Godthelp Riversleigh The Story of Animals in Ancient Rainforests of Inland Australia Reed Books, Balgowlah NSW, 1991. First edition: quarto; hardcover; 264pp., colour and monochrome illustrations. Mild wear; slightly rolled; board corners frayed. Mild wear to dustwrapper edges; now professionally protected by superior non-adhesive polypropylene film. Very good. Riversleigh is a palaeontologist's dream come true. As part of Lawn Hill National Park, 200 kilometres north-west of Mount Isa, Queensland, it is one of the most significant fossil deposits in the world. It is certainly the richest and most curious find ever discovered in Australia. Remains of the many thousands of weird and wonderful prehistoric animals from the last 25 million years have been superbly preserved in the limestone outcrops. Michael Archer, Suzanne Hand and Henk Godthelp, the principal scientists on this remarkable excavation, have now written the definitive book on Riversleigh. Above all the light and easy style of writing, the many colour photographs and beautifully executed artwork by Dorothy Dunphy, bring to life the whole teeming world that once populated these now arid wastes. With a foreword by David Attenborough. Click here to order $40

216083 Braby, Michael F., with Murray Upton Butterflies of Australia: two volumes Their Identification, Biology and Distribution CSIRO Publishing, Collingwood, 2000. Two large quarto volumes; illustrated black boards with map endpapers; 976pp., 70 colour plates at the rear of Vol.1., and many monochrome illustrations, maps and diagrams and tables 6 appendices (Vol.2). Minor wear only; mild rubbing to boards and one or two faint spots on text block edges. No dustwrappers as issued. Near fine. This outstanding work is the ultimate guide for the identification of Australia's butterflies. Nearly 400 species - all those currently recognised from Australia, plus those from surrounding islands - are represented, with all adults and some immature stages displayed in stunning colour sections. Introductory chapters cover the history of publications, classification, morphology, distribution, conservation and collection, together with a checklist of the butterfly fauna. The body of the text is arranged systematically, providing a wealth of information including description, variation, similar behaviour, distribution and habitat, and major literature references, giving a comprehensive summary of the present state of knowledge of these insects. Appendices provide details of those species recorded from Australian islands outside the Australian faunal sub-region, those protected by legislation, the larval food plants, and the attendant ants. Extensive references, a glossary and an index of scientific and common names complete the work. Joint Winner of the 2001 Whitley Medal. Finalist Scholarly Reference section - The Australian Awards for Excellence in Educational Publishing 2001. Click here to order $600

35771 Clode, Danielle Continent of Curiosities A Journey Through Australian Natural History Cambridge University Press, Melbourne Vic., 2006 Quarto; hardcover, with gilt spine titles; 212pp., with many monochrome illustrations. Mild wear. Dustwrapper slightly edgeworn; now professionally protected by non-adhesive polypropylene film. An eclectic path through the history of biological science from an Australian perspective, with insights into the people and places that influence the way we see and understand the natural world around us. Click here to order $25

77417 Common, L.E.B., & D.E. Waterhouse Butterflies of Australia - revised edition Australian Natural Science Library Angus & Robertson Publishers, Sydney, NSW, Australia, 1981. Octavo; hardcover, with silver-gilt spine-title, turquoise endpapers; 682pp., with 47pp. of full-colour and half-tone plates, and many more line drawings and diagrams. Owner's name. Text block edges toned and spotted. Dustwrapper is very mildly edgeworn and slightly faded towards the lower edge (now professionally protected by superior non-adhesive polypropylene film). Very good. Click here to order $40

92475 D'abrera, Bernard Butterflies of the Australian Region Lansdowne Press, Melbourne Vic., 1971. Quarto hardcover, with gilt spine titling; 415pp., with many colour illustrations. Minor wear; board corners slightly worn; one or two spots and marks on text block edges; previous owner's bookplate tipped in. Dustwrapper with slightly faded spine; a small scrape to the spine panel head; now professionally protected by superior non-adhesive polypropylene film. Near fine. In 1971, this was the first major work on the subject of Australasian lepidoptera in over 50 years, covering Australia, Papua and New Guinea, the Moluccas, New Zealand and the islands of the South Pacific. All the major butterfly species within the region are described, and illustrated by over 3,000 natural size colour photographs showing, where necessary, recto and verso views and sexually dimorphic and seasonal forms. The descriptions include locality references, cross-references to previous studies, and notes on larval and pupal stages and food plants. A substantial introductory section covers the anatomy, biology, life cycle and habitat of butterflies, together with an outline of classification, nomenclature and the history of the collection. Click here to order $220

92359 Dixon, Joan M & Linda Huxley (eds.; Donald Thomson, photo.) Donald Thomson's Mammals and Fishes of Northern Australia Thomas Nelson, Melbourne, 1985. Quarto hardcover; brown boards with gilt spine titling; orange endpapers; 210pp., monochrome illustrations. Minor wear; slightly worn lower board edges and corners; foxing to endpapers, prelims, half-title page and upper text block edges. Slightly rubbed illustrated dustwrapper with some scattered spotting to rear panel and mildly faded spine panel. Very good with wrapper now professionally protected by superior non-adhesive polypropylene film. This collection of Donald Thomson's original black and white plates, taken in the harsh conditions of northern Australia, shows a remarkable diversity of Australian fauna and their habitats, as well as images of the native inhabitants of the north. The text includes notes from diaries and records which Thomson kept on his travels as well as details of individual animals in his collection meticulously edited and annotated by Joan Dixon and Linda Huxley. Each species covered includes original notes by Thomson, locality map, comments by the authors and where possible, an identification photo and measurement table. Click here to order $30

92490 Grigg, Gordon & Peter Jarman & Ian Hume (eds.) Kangaroos, Wallabies and Rat-Kangaroos - two volumes Surrey Beatty & Sons, Chipping Norton, 1989. Two quarto hardcover volumes; brown boards with gilt upper board and spine titling, yellow endpapers; 835pp., colour and monochrome illustrations. Minor wear; a few spots on endpapers and prelims; spotting to upper text block edges. Very good to near fine otherwise in like dustwrappers now professionally protected by superior non-adhesive polypropylene film. "Some fifty thousand years after the discovery of kangaroos by the first human inhabitants of Australia, three hundred and sixty years after the first written observations on their mode of generation and thirty years after the formation of the Australian Mammal Society, by a group of hopefuls on a field excursion to Portee Station, it is appropriate to hold a meeting to find what is known about kangaroos and their allies." This is the opening address of the meeting to which G.B. Sharman alludes, and the book is the result of that meeting. There are about fifty Australian species of kangaroos, wallabies and rat-kangaroos collectively grouped in the family Macropodoidea. The two day symposium in 1988 assembled a wide range of interest from conservationists, researchers, teachers, zoologists, animal behaviourists and biologists. Many have contributed papers on all aspects of Macropodoidea life. Click here to order $120

215582 Heatwole, Harold Sea Snakes NSW University Press, Sydney, 1987. Octavo paperback; 85pp., b&w illustrations, diagrams and maps. Foxing to cover verso and early pages; spotting to text block edges; rubbed covers with wear to edges. Distributor's stamp on front endpaper. Good to very good. Click here to order $30

57208 McCubbin, Charles Australian Butterflies Thomas Nelson, Melbourne Vic., 1971. Folio; hardcover, with gilt spine titling; 206pp., many colour and monochrome illustrations. Minor wear; upper board edges with tiny perforations and tiny missing segment; faint spotting to text block edges. A few scattered spots on white illustrated dustwrapper; now professionally protected by a Mylar wrapper. Very good to near fine. A superb production that despite being published forty years ago is as beautiful and relevant as ever. The central jewel of this large format book is its many colour paintings. With the artist being a grandson of the great Fred McCubbin, it is hardly surprising. Beautifully designed with the colour plates filling nearly all pages, it is accompanied by a thorough text that deals with the taxonomy, classification and life-histories of the butterflies. But the exquisite detail with which the paintings are executed give to the 357 species of butterflies chosen a luminous appeal. Each painting is a cameo in natural history evoking a mood and a region, picturing a habitat and illustrating a food-plant. Click here to order $50

91870 Menkhorst, Peter & Frank Knight A Field Guide to the Mammals of Australia - signed copy Oxford University Press, 2001. Octavo softcover; illustrated vinyl covers, map endpapers; 269pp., colour and monochrome illustrations and diagrams. A few faint spots on upper text block edges; slight wear to upper edges of dustwrapper. Near fine otherwise. Signed in ink by both authors. Click here to order $35

63506 Moyal, Ann Platypus The Extraordinary Story of How a Curious Creature Baffled the World Allen & Unwin, Crow's Nest NSW, 2001. Octavo; hardcover, with gilt spine titles and endpapers maps; 226pp., with many monochrome illustrations. Minor wear; faint spotting to text block upper edge. Near fine in like dustwrapper. This is the enigmatic story of a biological riddle that confounded scientists for nearly ninety years, challenging theories of creationism, evolution and the classification of species along the way. Secretive, elusive and beguiling, the platypus has continued to captivate public and scientific attention to the present day. Ann Moyal's elegantly concise study dwells on all aspects of this utterly remarkable creature. Click here to order $20

89169 Nikulinsky, Philippa, & Stephen D. Hopper Soul of the Desert Fremantle Arts Centre Press, Fremantle WA, 2005. First edition. Quarto hardcover; dark red boards with gilt lower board and spine titling, dark red endpapers; 183pp., colour illustrations; bibliography and index. Minor wear only; mild rubbing to board corners and dustwrapper very slightly faded along spine. Fine and wrapper now covered in protective film with white paper backing. "The Soul is there in the dust, the red rocks and blue sky, the wind and rain, in the dunes and salt-lakes, in the people, and in the plant and animal life, waiting to be experienced, revealed, revered, by those who would look." Stephen D Hopper. In the tradition of botanical artists Marianne North and Rowan Ellis, Philippa Nikulinsky's exquisite paintings capture the natural wonder and diversity of the Australian desert. The perfect book for anyone interested in botanical art, natural history or fauna and wildflowers. Click here to order $70

92133 Rentz, David Grasshopper Country The Abundant Orthopteroid Insects of Australia UNSW Press, Sydney NSW, 1996. Octavo; hardcover, with endpaper maps; 284pp., with many colour plates and monochrome illustrations. Minor wear; a few tiny chips at corners and mild spotting to text block edges; previous owner's name. Dustwrapper now professionally protected by superior non-adhesive polypropylene film. Very good to near fine. Murray Upton said of Australia in 1978 "Australia is grasshopper country, but there is no way to identify them". Taking these words as a challenge, David Rentz has compiled this guide to identifying all of Australia's orthopteroid insects. This minutely-researched work covers all grasshoppers, katydids, mantids, leaf and stick insects and cockroaches which populate the Bush and our cities. An essential guide for the serious researcher. Click here to order $80

48204 Roughley, T.C. Fish and Fisheries of Australia Angus & Robertson,Sydney, 1961. Revised and enlarged edition. Quarto hardcover; green boards with gilt spine titling and map endpapers; xv + 343pp. with 60 colour plates and 21 plates in black and white. Minor wear; foxing to endpapers, prelims and title page with browning and mild spotting to text block edges. Tears and tape stains to lower rear panel of dustwrapper; tiny missing segments on extremities of spine panel and some tiny chips especially at corners. Good to very good with wrapper now protected in archival film and white paper backing. Click here to order $40

99555 Waite, Edgar R. (Introduction by Michael J. Tyler & Mark Hutchinson) The Reptiles and Amphibians of South Australia Society for the Study of Amphibians and Reptiles, Oxford OH, 1993. Octavo; hardcover; 275pp., with a colour frontispiece and many monochrome illustrations. No dustwrapper as issued. Remainder. New. Facsimile reprint of the first edition, from a limited print run of only 500 copies. This important edition of the classic work by Edgar R. Waite was issued by special arrangement with the Second World Congress of Herpetology and the Society for the Study of Amphibians and Reptiles. Waite's book remains the only complete treatment of the herpetofauna of any Australian state. It was a significant and extremely ambitious publication of international quality that was produced for a limited, local readership; it is a valuable reference book even today. It includes a new introduction by Michael H. Tyler, University of Adelaide, and Mark Hutchinson, South Australian Museum, as well as a listing of Waite's scientific names and the current nomenclature for definition. This work contains 192 text figures, including numerous black and white photographs and a colour plate of Waite's 1893 original watercolour drawing, 'Illustrations of Frogs.' Click here to order $40

33536 Younger, R.M. Kangaroo: Images through the Ages Hutchinson Australia, 1988. Hardcover quarto; pink boards with gilt spine titling, and pink endpapers; 247pp., numerous colour and monochrome illustrations. Minor wear; a few tiny scrapes on board corners and edges and mild spotting to upper text block edges. Very good to near fine in like, slightly rubbed dustwrapper with minimal wear to edges. Wrapper now professionally protected by superior non-adhesive polypropylene film. This book concentrates on the visual record of the kangaroo - from cave wall to political cartoon, from zoological sketch or study to zany commercial motif. The book charts the steady growth of knowledge about the strange creatures that intrigued the public for so long, and traces its unfolding career as a scientific riddle, an exotic curiosity, a national symbol and inevitably an eye-catching focus for advertising and promotion. It deals also with the kangaroo's place in the cosmography of animals and with the Australian projection of the kangaroo in a patriotic context. Moreover, the story is of those who captured or enlisted the aura of the kangaroo image. Cook, Banks, Stubbs, Shaw, Cuvier, Lear, Gould; a plethora of engravers, numerous encyclopaedists, various meticulous recorders, the propagandists and image-moulders of recent times all have a say if they have contributed to the legend or the iconography. Click here to order $30