THE GOLDEN CONCISE ENCYCLOPEDIA OF MAMMALS

Outstanding color illustrations on every page make this oversized volume a browsers delight and a bargain at the price. Lambert discusses how mammals are characterized, how they evolved and adapted, and major branches of their family tree. For each group, he provides a brief introduction and full-page plates showing six or more species, with a paragraph about each—e.g., for ``Monotremes and marsupials,'' there are two plates with 15 related species; five plates are devoted to primates, nine to carnivores. More useful for browsing than for reference, since information on size and location is given inconsistently and animals are introduced only by common (not scientific) names. Endangered and threatened species are indicated. Exceptionally attractive. Index. (Nonfiction. 5+)