Smith, A. T., and Y. Xie (eds.). 2008. A Guide to theMammals of China. Contributing authors R. S. Hoffmann, D. Lunde, J. R. MacKinnon, D. E. Wilson, and W. C. Wozencraft; illustrator F. Gemma; honorary editor S. Wang. Princeton University Press, Princeton, New Jersey, 544 pp. ISBN 978-0-691-09984-2, price (hardbound), $60.00.

Abstract

A. T. Smith, Y. Xie (eds.). 2008. A Guide to The mammals of China. Contributing authors R. S. Hoffmann, D. Lunde, J. R. MacKinnon, D. E. Wilson, W.C. Wozencraft, illustrator F. Gemma honorary editor S. Wang. Princeton University Press, Princeton, New Jersey, 544 pp. ISBN 978-0-691-09984-2, price (hardbound), $60.00. Quick, off the top of your head: what country ranks 3rd in mammal richness, after only tropical hot spots Brazil and Indonesia (or possibly even higher, depending on taxonomic and geographic definitions)? In what country can one find wild elephants and wolverines, moose and mouse deer, zokors and jerboas, beavers and fruit bats? If you answered any country other than China, your consciousness of the faunal richness and diversity of this country—so much better known for its human population and economic growth—can stand some improvement. And if you were correct in your answer, now is an appropriate time to celebrate, because the long-awaited and much-needed A Guide to the Mammals of China has finally appeared. Years in the making, this handsome volume represents the combined work of a team of authors, led by Andrew Smith of Arizona State University, and Yan Xie of the Wildlife Conservation Society. Much of the original material was collected by Wang Sung, one of China's most knowledgeable and influential mammalogists, and supplemented by databases managed by the Chinese Academy of Science's Institute of Zoology in Beijing. But the contribution of Western-based mammalogists shows in the introductory material describing the diversity of China's wildlife habitats, on its emphasis on detail, and in the generally high quality of production. Although compilations of China's mammals, which include some English texts, have been published in China (Sheng et al. 1998; Wang 2003), the Smith and Xie volume far exceeds them in accuracy, detail, …