I have been writing book reviews for more than three decades, and I have never reported on a book that I would recommend more enthusiastically than All the Birds of the World (ABW). If you are involved with birds, either professionally or otherwise, you will benefit from this book. From the spectacular cover photo of a Philippine Eagle, to the illuminating discussions of the most popular avian taxonomies, to the comprehensive species accounts, you will be impressed.
This volume is the final piece of what its creator, Josep del Hoyo, calls his “triple project.” Beginning with its genesis in 1980 as a goal of producing a book that encompassed all of the world’s birds, the first stage was the Handbook of Birds of the World, a 17-volume masterpiece that was published from 1992 to 2013. Shortly thereafter, del Hoyo, with Nigel Collar, produced a 2-volume distillation of...