Europe / Eurasia / Middle East

Europe / Middle East

Europe (General)



Poissons d'eau Douce
I. Des Lamproies aus Salmonides.  1951, 186 pp.,  black and white text figures, color and black and white plates.
II. Des Silurides aux Cyprinides.  1952, 227 pp., black and white text figures, color and black and white plates.
by Emile Dottrens, illustrated by Anne Dottrens and Robert Hainard.  1951, 1952
Neuchâtel, Delachaux & Niestlé., illus. in color and black and white; cloth covered boards, issued with dust jackets

Here’s compact 2 volume guide to the freshwater fishes of Europe.   In volume 1 is an introduction to ichthyology (ecology, anatomy, classification, etc.).  A key to families is offered.  Species accounts are detailed and illustrated with drawings or drawings or color paintings on plates.  Volume 2 contains species accounts the Siluriformes and Cypriniformes, and more fish biology - reproduction, sensory systems.  There are no maps.

Freshwater fish of Britain and Europe

by Rudolf Hofer.  1987
Harlow, Essex, England: Longman, 74 pp., illus. in color.  Soft cover
ISBN 0-582-89373-9

About 60 species are covered in this little guide.  Each is given a page with a color photograph of an aquarium held specimen.  Text gives the bare basics of distribution, biology, habitat and such.  This guide was originally published in German, although I can’t find that citation.  This shows that a general guide written for a continental audience can easily be translated and retitled to work for the UK (and often vice-versa).  My copy came with a stiff plastic cover.






Poissons d'Eau Douce (2nd edition)
by Juraj Hokcik and Jozef Mihalik, illustrated by Jiri Maly.  1975
Paris, Editions la Frandole, 132 pp., illus. in color.  Cloth covered boards in dust jacket

It’s pretty book, nicely presented.  Over 160 fishes are illustrated in color in full color plates.  Native and non-native fishes are included, and as typical of books such as this, it’s a little heavy on salmonids.  The text covers the basics of diagnosis, basic biology and angling interest.  Like a number of European books I’ve seen, this one appears in multiple languages.  I believe this book was originally published in Czech in 1969.  This is the French version.






Die Süsswasserfische Europas bis zum Ural und Kaspischen Meer:  Ein Bestimmungsbuch für Sport- u. Berufsfischer, Biologen und Naturfreunde.  2nd Edition
by Werner Ladiges, Dieter Vogt.  1979
Hamburg; Parey, 299 pp.,  287 illus., 156 maps, illus. in black and white, cloth covered boards in dust jacket
ISBN 3-490-18818-7

The freshwater fishes of Europe to the Ural and Caspian Sea covers just that.  About 200 native and non-native fishes are included.  The introductory chapters are devoted mostly to fish identification, the bulk of the book being devoted to species accounts.  Each comes with a shaded area range map and a pretty brief species account.  Diagnostic traits are summarized, along with habitat and range, and an abbreviated synonymy.  This fish illustrations are found on plates at the end of the book; these are black and white drawings (somewhat sketchy), with diagnostic traits indicated as appropriate.  There are no keys.  The front and back end papers have a map of the area of coverage with major drainage basins shown.  This is the 2nd edition of this guide; I don’t have a copy of the first edition for comparisons.

Les poissons d'Europe - Guide Vert

by Patrick Louisy and Thierry Maitre-Allain

Solar, 1989 382 pp. Illus. Hardcover, pictorial boards.
ISBN 2-263-01419-5

This guide covers common or notable marine and freshwater fishes of Europe (native and non-native).  Really not an identification guide, as there are not keys or identification aids other than photographs, and a basic description.  Each species account includes a quality, color photograph of the species (many appear to have been shot in captivity), and basic details as to its biology.  A set of symbols (common in European works) indicate habitat type, human use, range, etc.  I found this book in a little discount bookshop in Brussels one Summer.  I can associate many of my books with the day I found them, or the person who gave them to me.






Poissons d'eau douce
by Karel Pecl, illustrated by Květoslov Hísek and Jiří Maly  1991
Paris: Gründ, 223 pp., illus. in color, Soft cover
ISBN 2-7000-1826-5

This book was originally published in Czech; here’s a version in French with some revisions (by Michel Cuisin). One hundred or so species found in European waters are presented.  Most are freshwater fishes, but a few coastal marine fishes (such as the hagfish) are included.  Each species is illustrated with one or more attractive paintings by Jiří Maly.  The text includes basics of the biology, ecology or human interest of the species.  Most are natives, but a few non-natives such as the ever present carp, mosquito fish and various centrachids, are also included.










The Hamlyn guide to freshwater fishes of Britain and Europe
by Peter Salisbury Maitland.  1977
London, Hamlyn..  256 pp. : illus. in color, maps.
ISBN 0-600-339-866 (soft cover); ISBN 0-600-336-247 (hard cover)

Les Poissons des lacs et des rivières d'Europe en couleurs
by Peter Salisbury Maitland.  1977
Bruxelles, Elsevier Séquoia. 255 pp. illus. in color, maps
ISBN 2-04-012662-7 (hard cover in dust jacket)

Here’s a handy guide to the freshwater fishes of Europe with Europe defined as eastward to the Urals.  The introduction includes sections on general fish biology and anatomy, conservation, exploitation and ecology.  The diversity section is equipped with identification keys.  Over 200 species are included (native and non-native).  Each is illustrated with a portrait like painting (in color), and a shaded area range map.  The species accounts present the basic details in telegraphic format.  There’s an illustrated glossary, index and a bibliography.  The copy illustrated is the soft cover edition.

The French language edition appears to be a pretty direct translation.  Spot checking here and there, I found some of the text has been abridged a bit.  This edition also has a couple added pages at the end of fishery and angling information regarding France.









Fish of Britain & Europe (Collins Pocket Guide)
by Peter James Miller and Micahel J. Loates.  1997
Harper Collins. 288 pp., illus. in color. Soft bound
ISBN 0-00-219945-9

This work falls into the category of colorfully illustrated field guide for the amateur naturalist or angler.  Some 753 marine and freshwater, native and non-native species are covered.  Introductory section lay out the basics of fish biology and identification.  The identification section is illustrated with color paintings, some are portrait type illustrations, most portray fishes in groups or in their habitat (as living entities).  The text for each species is to-the-point – basics of diagnosis, habitat and biology.  Each species comes with a small shaded area range map.  Books directed at general readers often use the incorrect "fish" in the title instead of "fishes."  Perhaps publishers feel the word "fishes" is confusing.








Freshwater fish of Britain and Europe
by Bent J. Muus and Preben Dahlstrom.  1971 (1978)

London, Collins, 1971. 222 p. illus. (chiefly col.), col. maps. 21 cm. Hardcover, pictorial boards
ISBN 0-00-219270-5

This volume was initially written in Danish (as Europas Ferskvandefisk, 1967); this version translated into English was edited by Alwyne Wheeler.  It has the feel of a Golden Guide, with lots of color, somewhat stylized illustrations of the fishes, with illustrations of food items and habitat as well. Lots of good information for the general reader.  No keys, so not as functional as some books as an identification guide. I don’t know if it came with a dust jacket. 

Collins handguide to the fishes of Britain and Northern Europe
by James Nicholls and Peter Miller.  1980
London: Collins, 96 pp. illus. in color.
ISBN 0-00-219751-0 (soft cover edition); 0-00-219756-1 (hard cover edition)

This is a pretty straight forward picture guide to 166 of the marine and freshwater fishes of Britain (which makes widely applicable to the rest of northern Europe).  Paintings by Nicholls, text by Miller.  The paintings of fishes are presented in groups against appropriate habitat, a common presentation for this type of popular guide.  The information provided is pretty brief for most taxa.  Issued in soft cover and with pictorial boards (the soft cover edition is shown).






The fresh-water fishes of Europe A history of their genera, species, structure, habits, and distribution
by H. G. Seeley.  1886
London, Cassell & company, limited, 1886. x + 444 pp., illus. in black and white, 211 text figs., 1 plate as fronticepiece.  Decorated cloth covered boards.

In his introduction, the authors claims this is the first complete accounting of the fishes of European waters.  That could be – and well over 100 years later, European ichthyologists are still working to produce and complete guide and revision of this fauna.  This guide opens with a short introduction to fish anatomy, leading into the taxonomic section (the majority of the book).  Curiously (to me), this book, as with several others of its vintage, runs in roughly reverse order of what is today considered standard – the accounts start with the Acanthopterygii and end with the cyclostomes.  The are no maps and no identification keys.  Most species accounts are illustrated with an engraved drawing; those of well-known and wide-spread species are detailed and long.  Others are fairly short.  Descriptive information is provided and then the account is fairly encyclopedic, clearly drawing this bit if detail or that from the various sources available to the author.  Information in breeding or coloration or edibility may be included..








Les Poissons d'eau douce (guide vert poche)
by Fritz Terofal
Solar, 288 p., illus. Hardcover, pictorial boards
ISBN 2-263-01175-7

The freshwater fishes of Europe (native, with some non-natives, e.g., centrarchids included). This is the type of guide that one would use by thumbing through it and searching the illustrations for something that matched your fish (no keys, etc.). Each species illustrated with a color painting and a shaded area range map. Basic natural history, distribution and identification data included. Some fish biology and angling chapters in the back. This book was originally published in German.

Freshwater Fishes - A Concise Guide in Colour
by Jirí Vostradovský; ilustrated by J. Majý.  1973
London, Hamlyn, 252 pp., illus. in color, glossy pictorial boards, also dust jacket.

ISBN 0-600-33476-7

This book appears to have been translated from Czech, although it doesn’t not explicitly state this.  The author is Czech, and widely published on angling and fishery topics.  This is a basic, popular reference on European freshwater fishes, with an emphasis on angling.  Front matter introduces the reader to basic fish biology, freshwater ecology and angling practices.  The main body is devoted to species accounts.  Each species covers (100+) is given a full-size color painting.  Text discusses where you might find the species in question, basics of its biology and angling interest.  It’s a European book, so there is more attention devoted to carp than ones finds in North American angling or fishery literature — and the author notes that the carp is “not a very popular fish” in America.  The color illustrations by J. Majý are portrait-like and nicely done.  They appear in a number of European popular fish guides.







Key to the fishes of northern Europe : a guide to the identification of more than 350 species
by Alwyne C. Wheeler. 1978.
London: F. Warne, 1978. xix, 380 p. : illus, col. maps ; 20 cm.4" x 7.5". Hardcover
ISBN0-7232-2097-2

A concise, bare-bones identification guide to the marine and freshwater fishes of northern Europe.  Wheeler was long time ichthyology collection manager at the British Museum of Natural History, and author of several large works on European fishes.   Outline drawings and text guide the user to diagnostic traits.  Shaded area maps are presented for many species.  Brief species accounts outline identification, range and natural history of species covered.  This is not my area so I’ve never had call to put this book to use, but I will note that the asking price on line and in book catalogs for this small volume is rather high.  This indicated to me that there is a demand for this book presumably because of its utility.  My copy has no dust jacket; I don’t know if it was issued with one.

Freshwater Fishes of Britain and Europe
by Alwyne C. Wheeler, illustrated by Norman Weever, Denys Ovenden and Alan Male.  1983
London. Kingfisher Books, 124 pp., illus in color.  Hard cover in pictorial boards; I don’t know if a dust jacket was issued.
ISBN 0-8672-036-2

For many years, Alwyne Wheeler was collection manager for the Department of Ichthyology at the Natural History Museum of London and is the author of a number of popular and more scholarly guides or keys to European and British Fishes.  The work falls well into the category of ‘popular,’ and if fairly typical of many European fish freshwater fish guides.  Introductory sections cover basic fish biology and freshwater ecology.  Species accounts follow in taxonomic order.  Each species covered is illustrated by a life-like painting; shaded range maps are given for some taxa.  The text covers the basics, identification, distribution and natural history.  There are no keys, so it would probably be a bit of a challenge to identify many of the 100 or so species covered here.  BUT it goes a nice overview of the fauna.









Country by Country


Albania


Iktiofauna e Shqiperise
by Ndoc Rakaj.  1995
Tirane, Albania, Shtepia Botuese "Libri Iniversitar” 700 pp., illus. in black and white.  Soft cover

Here’s another book in a language I don’t read – but the basic structure of most fishes books makes it accessible, if not entirely comprehendible.  There is scant front matter to this volume as it launches almost directly into the diversity of freshwater and marine Albanian fishes.  A key to families is offered, with further keys to species scattered through the family accounts.  Three hundred and eleven species are included.  Each species account includes a black and white drawing (drawn from multiple sources), and the standard basics of distribution and biology summarized in several paragraphs.  I imagine this book is scarcely seen outside of southern Europe; I acquired my copy directly from the author in a chance meeting at an international scientific meeting.  The rarity of this book and the association it has with my encounter with the author give it special meaning to me.





Belgium


Les Poissons d'eau douce de France et de Belgique
by P. Bourreau.  1961
Bruxelles: Editions Ch. de Wyngaert,. 46 pp. (unnumbered),  illus. in black and white.  Soft cover.

Just over 50 species are included in this small guide, which is pretty much a set of illustrated key to the native and introduced fishes of the region.  There’s no key to families, you find your family by thumbing through the volume...and then you find a graphical key to species.  Sketchy black and white drawings illustrated each species.  An appendix of sorts gives the very basic facts for each species – distribution, size and weight.  Since this guide was published in Belgium, I think I’ll list it under that country.










De Vissen van onze Vlaamse Beken en Rivieren - Hun Ecologie, Verspreiding and Bescherming
by B. Bruylants, A Vandelannoote and R. F. Verheyen.  1989
Antwerp - V.W.Z. Wel. 272 pp., illus. in color.  Soft cover

The Fishes of our Flemish Streams and Rivers - their ecology, distribution and protection is a guide to the Flemish half of Belgium.  Just over 40 species of native and non-native species are covered.  Each species account is illustrated with a color photograph of an aquarium held specimen or fresh specimen.  A full page map shows the distribution in Flanders.  The text discusses identification, ecology and distribution and conservation.  There are no identification keys.  A scan of the species lists shows that nearly all the native fishes of Flanders were described by Linnaeus (1758), but a few described by Bloch (1782).






La Peche Fluviale en Belgique
by Societe Centralepour la Protection de la Peche Fluviale.  1915
Bruxelles, Imprimerie Scientifique Charles Bulens, 409 pp., illus. in black and white.  Soft cover.

This is a fishing guide focusing on the native and introduced fishes of Belgium.  It opens with a biodiversity section (presented in reverse taxonomic order – i.e,  lampreys last) authored by E. Rosseau, with a key to species and detailed species accounts (illustrated with drawings of the fishes).  A section on the biology fishes follows, and then one on angling techinques.

Britain



The Observer's Book of Freshwater Fishes
by T. B. Bagenal.  1970
London, Frederick Warne and Co. Ltd., 140 pp., illus. in black and white and color.  Cloth covered boards in dust jacket
ISBN 0-7232-0089-0

Here’s the revised edition of Wells’ original The Observer's book of freshwater fishes of the British Isles (1941) )(see review below).  This volume uses the same plates, but covers about 30 fewer forms (many of the salmonid subspecies listed by Wells are omitted here).  This is a nice, compact review to introduce the fauna to the general reader.  The copy illustrated is from the 1978 printing.  The plates are presented in a single gallery, rather than scattered throughout the volume.







A Familiar History of British Fishes
by Francis T. Buckland (uncredited).  1859
Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge, London, iv + 317 pp., illus. in black and white, hard cover

Here’s a fun little piece.  Authorship is not stated, but is credited to Buckland by various sources (including Dean’s A Bibliography of Fishes, which also gives publication date as 1859, something also not listed in the book).  This is not a scientific treatise by any means, but rather an introduction to ichthyology and British fishes for the lay reader.  Introductory sections describe fishes structure and biology.  This includes defining “fish” so as to exclude whales and dolphins, which are said to “resemble the Mammalia in their structure.”  The species accounts are organized along the lines suggested by Baron Cuvier.  They contain information of natural history and various anecdotes drawn from various sources.  Bible verses are also tossed in as appropriate.  Fishes are illustrated with small engravings.  And sturgeon are included with the sharks.












British Freshwater Fishes:  the story of their evolution
by Len Cacutt.  1979
London: Croom Helm, 202 pp., text figures and black and white plates.  Cloth covered boards in dust jacket
ISBN 0-85664-320-3

Cacutt gives us a popular account of the fishes of Britain from a unique perspective – unique at least among books geared for the general rather than scientific audience.  This is not a guide to the fauna, but rather a voyage through the distant past with the British fish fauna as the thread holding the voyage together.  An interesting approach that combines geology (glaciation, tectonics, hydrography) with biology (diversity and evolution).  The book ends with a discussion of the most recent bit of British fish history – and that is the purposeful and accidental introduction of exotic species.  It’s illustrated with maps and drawings and 8 pages of black and white plates (mostly pictures of fishes).  The front dust jacket photograph shows a carp – not native to Britain.






British and Irish Salmonidae
by Francis Day.  1887
London: Williams and Norgate, viii + 298, 50 text figs., 12 pls., some color.  Hardcover

This is a very detail book.  Salmonid fishes are important commercially and hold high esteem among anglers.  General chapters cover biology and natural history of these fishes, and also their culture, management and exploitation in Britain and Ireland.  Species accounts discuss the specifics of each form.
The plates are printed on heavy stock paper; a couple show anatomy and development (in black and white).  The color plates portray whole fish - in the style of the day the fish are laid out on the ground like they had just been caught.







Freshwater Fish of the British Isles - a guide for anglers and naturalists
by Nick Giles.  1994
Shrewsbury Swan-Hill Press. 192 pp., illus. in color.  Cloth covered boards in dust jacket
ISBN 1-85310-317-9

Dr. Giles, a fishery conservation biologist, in this volume offers an overview of the ichthyofauna of Britain from an ecological - management - conservation perspective.  Leading chapters guide the reader through the basics of fishery management and conservation, fish biology and limnology.  The native and introduced fishes of Britain are discussed in turn from these perspectives.  Compared to North American, British workers are dealing with habitats suffering more extensive human alterations and alterations that have occurred over much longer spans of time.  It seems to me, a great challenge here is to find places where some semblance of the natural cycles can operate.  As is often the case with a European study, carp are treated with more interest and respect than most North American fishery workers, ichthyologists and anglers can manage to dredge up for them.  In my experience in the field, carp were always something to be eliminated (preferably humanly) as aggressively as possible (and I have to say, when nobody was looking, the same went for brown trout, which are feral everywhere I have worked).  A gallery of color plates portray habitats, aquatic invertebrates and the fishes.  Some of the latter as, dead specimens laid out on grass next to fishing poles - not my favorite way to view fishes.
All-in-all, this is the type of book that I would hope has a wide readership among its intended readership - anglers and amateur naturalists and conservation-minded citizens.






The Fishes of the British Isles, both fresh water and salt

by J. Travis Jenkins. 1936 (2nd edition)

London, F. Warne & co. ltd. [1925] (2nd edition 1936) vii, 376 p. col. front., plates (part col.) diagrs. 16 cm.

A natural history guide to the marine and freshwater fishes of Britain. The author gathers basic natural history information for the numerous fishes to be found in British waters. There are no keys or pictorial identification guides, so this wouldn’t work well as a field guide. The fishes are presented in roughly reverse taxonomic order (lampreys last). There are numerous black and white and colored plates, seemingly derived from various sources. My copy is the 2nd edition (from 1936) of which there are at least 5 reprintings (mine being the 5th from 1958). My copy/edition/printing has a dust jacket.




British fresh-water fishes

Herbert Maxwell, Sir.  1904.

London, Hutchinson, 1904. viii, 316 p. illus, 12 col. plates. 26 cm.

Here’s another smallish guide to British fishes, this one restricted to freshwater fishes. Not really an identification guide, this book covers common species giving account of appearance, biology and angling details. Generally, books even for the general reader, have the fishes arranged in standard taxonomic order. The fishes in this book seem randomly ordered, at least from a taxonomic perspective. The target audience was likely the interested angler or arm chair naturalist. There are 12 color plates each illustrating a single species – these are tinted photographs, and one plate showing the perch skeleton. My copy does not have a dust jacket; I don’t know if the book was issued with one.

The Complete Freshwater Fishes of the British Isles
by Jonathan Newdick

A & C Black (Publishers) Ltd. 1979. 127 pp., illus. Cloth boards in DJ.

ISBN 0 7136 1937 6

This book is centered on the illustrations; the author is described as a natural history illustrator. These are quite nice...perhaps a little stylized. These usually include a little bit of habitat with the mug shot fo the fish – a plant, aquatic insect or other associate.

Each species is illustrated in color, with black and white drawings as appropriate to show variation or some diagnostic trait. Shaded range areas maps are provided with a typical summary of the species’s biology (range, habitat, diet, etc.). 55 species are included (native and non-native), with several hybrids also discussed.

Aimed at the angler, amateur naturalist audience. More books like this for the world’s faunas would be a good thing, to educate and acquaint the general publish with their local ichthyofauna.

My copy has a small price tag in pence.





Fishes of Britain's Rivers and Lakes
by J. R. Norman, illustrated by Edward Donovan.  1943
London; Penguin Books, 32 pp., 16 color plates.  Hard cover, pictorial boards.

This is a quaint little introduction to British fishes.  Norman gives an introduction fish biology in general and the biology and history of British fishes in specific.  The core of the book is a number of color plates painted by Edward Donovan (1768 - 1837).  The fishes in the plates are a little stiff and stylized, but better than many of the era.  About 30 fishes are illustrated, each is given a paragraph of basic details.  My copy does not have a dust jacket; I don’t know if it was issued with one.







The natural and economical history of the fishes of the river district of the Frith of Forth
by Richard Parnell.  1839
Edinburgh : A. & C. Black, 1839. pages 161 - 520, pls. 18 - 44 (some folding)

Dr. Parnell (M.D.) has given us an accounting of the fishes of estuary (firth) of the Forth River in Scotland.  This fish volume was extracted from a larger 7 volume series, hence the odd pagination and plate number run seen here.  Following a brief introduction, the author launches into a species-by-species account of the fishes of the estuary.  He draws details from contemporary authors, along side observations on the fishery and abundance of the different species.  Emphasis is on the fishery aspect of the diversity. The volume closes with a series of plates (drawn by Parnell). They are a little sketchy – but nice (and then its easy to be a critic...and they are far better than my fish drawings).  Pages 461 - 510 of this volume comprise and Appendix on the history of The Wernerian Natural History Society, which sponsored the publication of this book.  It’s worth noting that Dr. Parnell was awarded for this essay by the Wernerian Society a gold metal, “worth Ten Sovereigns.”

Books, especially old ones, come with history.  My copy of this book appears to have survived a fire at some point.  It has a period binding of cloth covered boards and leather - with the leather on the spine showing signs of the fire.






The Freshwater Fishes of the British Isles
by C. Tate Regan. 1911.
London, Methuen & Co. Ltd. xxv + 287, text figures., 37 plates. 20 cm. Hardcover

Charles Tate Regan (1878-1943) was Keeper of Zoology at the British Museum of Natural History. He is widely recognized for his work on fish classification and diversity in the first few decades of the 20th Century. In this guide to British Freshwater Fishes, Regan works to provide a good breadth of technical information on classification and anatomy, while including details on life history, angling and human interactions, sometimes quoting from classic natural history works of the English countryside.

The book is illustrated with good quality black and white plates which I don’t recognize from other sources, and text figures. The title on the cover and spine reads British Freshwater Fishes, on the title page it reads as above. My copy does not have a dust jacket; don’t know if the book was issued with one.

The Fisherman’s Library - British Freshwater Fishes - Factors Affecting their Distribution

by Margaret E. Varley (M.E. Brown)

Fishing News (Books) Limited, London. 1967. 148 pp., 25 text figs., 22 plates (black and white photographs). Cloth covered boards with DJ.

Written by English ichthyologist Margaret Varley (born Margaret Brown) (1918-2009), this book covers a number of topics regarding the biology and ecology of British freshwater fishes. The aim is to give anglers an appreciation of fish biology. A nicely and compact little volume full of information.

Dr. Varley is better known for her 2 volume Physiology of Fishes (published as Margaret Brown, 1957).




The Observer's book of freshwater fishes of the British Isles
by Albert Laurence Wells.
London: Warne, 153 pp. illus. in black and white and color.  Cloth covered boards in dust jacket

There are multiple editions of this small book, starting in 1941.  My copy is not dated and I don’t know which printing or edition it is.  All that aside – what we have is one volume in a large series of Observer’s books.  About 80 forms are covered in this volume, 76 are illustrated, many in color.  Common or well known species have detailed species accounts, others are little more than listed.  It seems to me, a great many subspecies of various salmonids are included.  I’m not up on British salmonids, but I expect many of these represent local variants rather than distinct taxa.  The plates are spread throughout the text rather than gathered in a gallery.  The former condition suggests to me an earlier printer rather than later.







Bulgaria


[Fishes of Bulgaria] (in Bulgarian)
by M Karapetkova.  1995
Sofia. 247 pp., illus. in black and white and color, soft cover
ISBN 954-8232-21-9

I don’t read Bulgarian, but you never know, I may someday need to identify some fishes from the country.  This appears to be a fairly standard fauna guide, but not a detailed revision.  Freshwater fishes and marine fishes from the Black Sea are covered.  The introductory chapters introduce ichthyology and fish ecology.  There’s an identification key.  Species accounts present the basics in telegraphed form, and are illustrated with color paintings of the species.  There are no maps and no literature cited.




Caspian Sea

Biodiversity: Amazing Caspian Fishes

by F. S. Askerov, Y. Y. Zaytsev, R. Y. Kasimov and Z. Kuliyev

Bashar XXI Publish House, Baku, Azerbiajan. 2003, 164 pp., pictorial boards, no DJ (at least that I’ve seen), illustrated in color

An interesting piece, sponsored by British Petroleum (BP) (their logo is on the back cover), I would guess, to attempt to bolster their ‘green’ image in an area where they are exploiting natural resources (perhaps we’ll soon see a book called Amazing Gulf of Mexico Fishes).

All that aside, this 2003 edition is published with parallel Azeri and English. A 2001 edition also exists, it would seem in parallel Russian and English. I haven’t seen this one.

The book is shiny and nicely presented. It opens with a detailed introduction to the biology of fishes (ecology, evolution, anatomy). The species accounts are fairly standard with information on breeding, exploitation and such. The fishes are illustrated in color, watercolors (it appears) from some older source.
A good find. I like finding books from distant (to me) parts of the world, produced in situ.



Czech and Slovak Republics

The Fauna of the Czech and Slovak Republics: Petromyzontes, a ryby – Osteichthyes, Vol. 28, part 2
by Vlastimil Barus et al. 1995.
Praha: Academia, Nakladatelstvi ved Ceske Republiky. 1995 623 p., [8] p. of plates : ill. (some col.). Cloth covered boards in dust jacket.
ISBN 80-200-0218-9

This is the second volume in a two volume set on the freshwater fishes of the Czech and Slovack Republics.  I seem to be missing the first volume – something that is sometimes an issue with sets from overseas – sometimes you get what you can find.  In any case, this volume starts rather abruptly with the Cyprinidae – all lower taxa (I assume), along with the table of contents, introductory front matter, etc. are to be found in Volume 1 (which I will now try to locate).  There are identification keys and detailed species accounts, illustrated with a drawing of the species in question.  No maps.  A section of color plates shows living individuals – which is always nice.  There is a lengthy bibliography, and the volume closes with a species-by-species Summary in English.  A solid, nicely produced volume.  I need to find a copy of its mate.  Stay tuned.

Denmark

Danmarks Fauna:
Volume 11: Fisk I. Pigfinnefisk (1912).
G.E.C. GAds Forlag (1912), wrappers, 198 pp., illlus., map
Volume 15: Fisk II. Blødfinnefisk (1914).

G.E.C. GAds Forlag (1914), wrappers. 351 pp., illus., map

by C.V. Otterstrøm.

This is two volumes on Denmak’s bony fish fauna - freshwater and marine fishes. Vol I. is spiny rayed fishes; Vol. II soft rayed fishes.  The book has front matter on fish anatomy and identification.  There are identification keys and detailed species accounts.  The accounts are illustrated with black and white engravings which appear to have been drawn of various sources.  Each volume has a foldout map of Denmark and surrounding waters.  The volumes of my set haven’t aged well.  The stiff paper wrappers in particular are brittle, the paper also brittle and age toned.

France



Petit atlas des poissons Poissons des eaux douces - Fascicule III: espèces françaises (Nouvelle édition)
by Fernand Angel.  1948
Paris: N. Boubée, 137 pp, text figures, black and white and color plates.  Soft cover

Petit atlas des poissons Poissons des eaux douces - Fascicule IV: espèces exotiques et d'ornement
by Fernand Angel.  1946
Paris: N. Boubée, 129 pp., text figures, color plates.  Soft cover

Atlas des poissons Poissons des eaux douces Fascicule IV: espèces exotiques et d'ornement Aquariophile
by Fernand Angel.  1949
Paris, N. Boubée (impr. de G. Lang),. 179 pp : text figures and color plates.  Soft cover

These books are from a series of 4 volumes called the “Petit Atlaas” or later “Atlas des Vertebrates,” all by Fernand Angel, and illustrated by him.  Shown here is what I think is the 2nd edition of the freshwater fishes of France volume.  The two aquarium fish volumes are discussed and illustrated in the aquarium book section.  The other two volumes (which I don’t) have cover marine fishes.  These are written for the general reader.  They are well-illustrated with black and write drawings, and color plates, which portray a group of species in sem-natural poses.  The color plates on the covers are tipped in.









Les poissons d'eau douce des rivières de France identification, inventaire et répartition des 83 espèces.
by Roland Billard.  1997.
Lausanne, Delachaux et Niestlé.  192 pp., illus. in color and black and white.  Glossy pictorial boards.  No dust jacket (at least with my copy)
ISBN 2-603-01046-8

This is an elaborately produced volume aimed at the amateur-naturalist / angler market.  I see it as a popular guide rather than a revision or systematic treatment of the fauna.   Eighty-three native and non-native species are covered. Front matter is extensive with sections on fish identification, ecology, culture and exploitation.  A flow-chart type key is provided.  Each species is given a full page.  A somewhat stylized portrait is given (artwork by S. Maigret-Mondry) with a map of France showing the distribution (provinces where a particular species occurs are shaded on the map).   Basic details of biology and distribution are given in outline form.   Missing, it seems to me, is a much discussion of the hydrology of France and the surrounding region.





Les Poissons des Eaux Douces de la France
by Émile Blanchard.  1880
Paris, J. B. Baillière et fils,  xvi + 656 pp. illus. in black and white, 115 text figs and, 32 plates.  Red tooled
faux leather boards, text block with gilded edges

The introductory chapters to the volume are an introduction to ichthyology and the biology of fishes, including a history of ichthyology (the science) in France.  The taxonomic section starts with the acanthopterygians and moves (backwards, I suppose) to the lampreys.  Species discussions include an engraved illustration of the species (for most), and sometimes of certain details such as scales.  The text discusses the general anatomy and appearance and offers details of habits and habitat.  There are no keys and no maps, this volume is more for the angler or arm chair naturalist, than the ichthyologist exploring or studying the fauna.  The 32 plates are nice, but not really fish illustrations, rather they are mostly pastoral scenes of angling or fishing.





Les poissons:  synonymie – description – mœurs – frai – pêche – iconographie, des espèces composant plus particulièrement la fauna français.  Tome Premier:  Les Poissons d’Eau Douce.
by H. Gervais and R. Boulart.  1876
Paris, J. Rothschild, 332 pp., illus. with 60 hand colored plates and 56 text figures.  Wrappers.

This is a very attractive volume, one of three devoted to the fish fauna of France.  Volume I (the only one I have) is devoted to freshwater fishes, with the other two covering marine fishes.  My copy retains its original publisher’s stiff board wrappers.  I imagine most individuals (and libraries) would afford this set when it was issued had a book binder place the volumes into something more attractive and durable (and most sets or volumes offered on-line are hard bound).
The front matter introduces some basic fish biology and anatomy.  The diversity section covers the fish fauna (starting with acanthopterygians and ending with cyclostomes).  Species accounts are mostly descriptive, with limited reference to distribution or biology.  The plates are hand colored, very nicely done, and printed on heavier stock than the text pages.  I would guess many of copies of these volumes have been broken and their plates offered for sale in those green book and souvenir kiosks that line the banks of the River Seine in Paris.
My copy bears Jim and Genie Bölhke’s name and an accession number for their once marvelously expansive private library on ichthyology.  In the 1980s Genie began dispersing the collection.







Poissons de Haute-Marne
by Marc Mennetrier.  1996
Langres: D. Guéniot,. 127 pp., illus. in black and white and color.  Soft cover.
ISBN 2-87825-131-8

Haute-Marne is a department in north eastern France.  The fish fauna of the region is presented in this small book.  Each species (native or non-native) is illustrated with a color photograph of a aquarium held specimen.  The text offers the basics of biology and identification.  There are not maps.  The organization is a little quirky....the book leads with salmonids, and lampreys and eels are in the middle (??).  Native and introduced crustaceans are also covered.





Les poissons des eaux douces de la France
by Louis Roule, illustrated by Fernand Angel. 1925
Paris: Les Presses universitaires de France,  xvi + 228 pp : illus. in black and white with text figures and 37 plates.  Wrappers.

Roule has given us a descriptive manual to the freshwater fishes of France (native and non).  There is limited front matter, leading to key to higher groups.  The species accounts are pretty standard, with descriptive information along with outlines of the species distribution and biology.  Text figures illustrate key features such as pharyngeal teeth in cyprinids.  A gallery of black and white plates provide black and white drawings of the species.  My copy is printed on thin, semi-glossy paper that hasn’t aged all that well.





Faune de France No. 65 - Poissons d'eau douce
by Charles Jacques Spillmann.  1961
Paris Lechevalier. 303 pp., illus. in black and white with text figures and plates.  Cloth covered boards (I’ve
never seen a dust jacket for this volume)

This is a compact and pretty standard faunal guide.  The introductory chapters are brief and to the point, with the majority of the volume being the taxonomic coverage.  There are identification keys to families and species.  Species accounts are illustrated with drawings and some on plates, a few are illustrated distribution maps.  The text for each includes a synonymy and sections on diagnosis, biology and distribution.  The text does contain citations with a lengthy literature cited offered.  There are sections on early life history, parasites and teratology – AND THEN the section on Cyclostomes, closing off the text.  My copy bars the book plate of Donn Eric Rosen.





Je découvre les poissons d'eaux douces et leurs péches
by Denis Terver.  1980
Paris: A. Leson, 143 pp.,  illus. in black and white and color.  Paperback
ISBN 2-239-10057-5

The volume is part of a series of works on the natural history of France.  The author here explores the freshwater fishes of France.  Although as we’ve seen in other works, the ichthyofauna and ecology of one country in northern Europe is quite similar to those adjacent.  An introduction to the biology of fishes starts things off.  An identification guide is presented.  Each species account (presented in taxonomic order) spans facing pages.  Each is illustrated with a black and white sketch and a color photograph.  Distributions are mapped in shaded area range maps for France and north western Europe.  The basics are presented in the text, with comments on fishery interest.  Tucked in the back of my copy (which I acquired in Belgium) are French language newspaper clippings on salmon in Belgium.  Such little leavings in used books are always a nice find.







Germany



Die Süßwasserfische unserer deutschen Heimat : deren Vorkommen, Aussehen, Lebensweise, Fangmindestmaß, Fang, Fleischwert, Schonzeit, Tafelzeit und Zubereitungsart.
by Karl Rühmer, illustrated by Richard Wagner.  1934
Ebenhausen bei München Germanen-Verl. 160 pp., illus. in color and black and white. Cloth covered boards

This is an interesting little picture book of German fishes.  The author, a Nazi party functionary and angling enthusiast, aims to increase the German people’s knowledge and appreciation of the fishes in their homeland.  There’s a brief introduction and then about 80 species accounts.  Each account consists of full page color painting of the fish in question.  Text on the facing page lays out the details of the fish’s biology in telegraphic style.  I can’t quite determine how the species are ordered – they are not ordered taxonomically.  The paintings have the look of tinted photographs, which they may well be.  A few crustaceans are also included.  I don’t now if this edition was issued with a dust jacket.  There are later editions and at least some of them appear to have come with dust jackets.





Unsere Süsswasserfische
by Dr. Otto Schindler.  1963.
Stuttgart Franckh’sche. 1963. 236 pp., text illustrations, plates, some in color. Stiff boards in dust jacket.

The title is “Our Freshwater Fishes.”  “Our” being Germany.  More than half of this small book is on fish anatomy and biology.  The systematic section is illustrated with plates (many in color), the information presented rather telegraphed and compressed. An identification key is presented, but no maps.  Note a detailed accounting or revision of the fauna, but rather a nature guide.  My copy has a tipped in errata sheet. My copy is from the library of Phillip W. Smith, author of Fishes of Illinois (it came to me via bookseller Don Hahn of Cottonwood, Arizona) (as have many of my books).

Guide to Freshwater Fishes by Otto Schindler (translated and edited by P. A. Orkin).  1957

London; Thames and Hudson, 1957. 243 p. ill. (text figures, black and white and color plates) ; 21 cm.

This is a translation of the Unsere Süsswasserfische (see above) by the same author.  My German is not great, but as far as I can tell, it appears to be a straightforward translation.  The sections are the same, the opening paragraphs I spot checked appear to read the same.  The figures are the same. SO for an English speaking person, for example in the UK, Unsere Süsswasserfische (or “Our Freshwater Fishes”) may not be the most accurate title as this book would cover northern European continental fishes – which it is fair to say, is quite similar to that of the British Isles.  It’s a handy little guide, well crafted, cloth binding in dj.   A small notation on the front end sheet reminds me that I found this little guide on a two day excursion to the ‘Book Town’ of Hay-on-Wye on the England - Whales Border.  The town boasts 30 or so used bookshops in one small town. It was a great couple days – and we shipped home three full sea bags of fish books.

Ireland


The Fish of Ireland (Appletree Guides)
by Ian Hill.  1992
Belfast, The Appletree Press, Ltd.. 96 pp., illus. in black and white.  Soft cover
ISBN 0-86281-305-0.

This is a book that presents fishes mostly as something to be eaten.  It’s not really a guide to the fishes of Ireland or a natural history of them.  Some 150 species of most marine fishes are presented and illustrated (the black and white illustrations appear to be drawn from various older world).  The species accounts talk about general natural history and fishery aspects.  Then how to catch them and how to cook them.  There are no maps or identification keys.  It's presented in an unusual tall, thin format.  And yes, the title should read "Fishes" not "Fish."



Lithuania

Zvejo Vadovas (Fisherman’s Guide)

by R. Kazlauskas.  1982

Vilnius Mintis. 1982. 248 p., illus., some color.  Hardcover with printed boards.

I don’t have a lot books with significant angling content – in fact I generally avoid them.  This one however, is in Lithuanian (yet another language I don’t read), so it certain is worth a spot on the shelf.  There are sections on angling and commercial or subsistence fishing.  Another section covers the ichthyofauna of the region with water color paintings color plates.  There are many black and white illustrations of fishing gear, traps and such.  My copy does not have a dust jacket; I don’t know if it was issued with one.

Lietuvos Gelavandenes Zuvys
by R. Krotas.  1971
Vilnius, Leidykla "Mintis." 68 pp., 28 color plates, hard cover in pictorial boards.

The title translates to Lithuanian freshwater fish.  About 50 species are covered.  The text launches straight into the species accounts, with essentially no front matter.  The species accounts look to contain the standard fair for a book like this (but I’m not sure as I don’t read Lithuanian).  There are no keys and no maps.  Twenty eight color plates close the volume.  They are a little stylized.







Lietuvos retosios zuvys - Rare fishes of Lithuania
by J. Virbickas.  1992
Vilnius: Academia, 145 pp, illus. in black and white, soft cover

Fifteen species (heavy on the salmonids) are covered in this small book.  Each is illustrated with a drawing.  The text is in Lithuanian, so I can’t comment much on it.  There is a literature cited, and a table of contents in English.







The Netherlands

De visschen van Nederland
by H. C. Redeke. 1941
Leiden, A. W. Sijthoff, 1941. 331 p. 117 text figures, 20 cm. Hardcover

Here is a compact identification and natural history guide to the marine and freshwater fishes of the Netherlands. Front matter includes the basics on fish biology and identification. Keys are provided. Most species are illustrated with black and white text figures (which appear to derive from a variety of sources). There are no maps. The book is printed on paper that has not aged well, a little brittle, yellowed with some foxing (at least my copy), perhaps this is due to wartime shortages of better paper. My copy has no dust jacket.







Ken uw vis
by Rob Vermij.  1991
Amersfoot, NVVS, 34 pp., illus.

“Know your fish - 11 common fishes and the best methods of capture” is the title, and the country is the Netherlands.  Eleven freshwater fishes are presented (in alphabetical order by common Dutch name – aal through zeelt.  Each is illustrated with a rather simple drawing and details of their biology and angling methods discussed.  North Americans will find the detailed discussion – or even the inclusion – of carp to be a little odd.  Carp are more highly regarded in Europe than in the New World.







Poland

Ryby slodkowodne Polski (Freshwater Fish in Poland)
edited by Maria Brylinska.  1991.
Warsaw.  Panstwowe Wydawnictwo Naukowe, 1991. 428 p. : ill. (some col.) ; 26 cm. Cloth covered boards in dust jacket.
ISBN 83-01-03239-1

Another book in a language I don’t read....and with characters that my American word processor is loath to make.  No matter – this is one of several books I have managed to find in Eastern European fishes.  And I love finding these pieces.  The layout of fauna books is fairly standard, whatever the language. I n this one, the front matter is extensive, with a primer on fish biology, ecology and anatomy.  Hydrology of Poland is discussed as well. Illustrated identification keys are provided.  The species accounts are fairly lengthy, laying out (I assume) details on the biology and identification of Polish fishes.  Species are illustrated with nice stippled drawings; ranges are illustrated by shaded area maps of the Eurasian land mass (not just Poland).  The book closes with color plates of mostly freshly dead specimens.  SO if you get buy one book on Polish fishes this year, it may as well be this one.

Books such as this one can be a little hard to come by in the USA -- I found the Natural History Book Service of the UK (http://www.nhbs.com/) is an excellent source for such items.


Russia


Fishes of Rivers and Lakes of the USSR (in Russian)
1977
Moscow, Prosveschenie publishing house, 256 pp., 144 text fig., 16 color plates.  Cloth covered boards.

The title here pretty much says it all.  This is an illustrated set of keys to freshwater fishes (and fishes likely to be found in freshwater) of the USSR.  It’s all in Russian; it does have an author, but I haven’t been able to transcribe his/her name into Latin script, so I don’t have it listed.  A pretty standard guide to fish landmarks opens the book.  The keys look pretty straight forward.  There are about 144 species illustrated with black and white drawings (very nicely done) and there are 16 plates of fishes illustrated in color (these are nice but not exceptional).  There are no maps and it there appears to be little information presented on each particular species – beyond what is in the key.  My copy does not have a dust jacket.






The endemic fishes of Lake Baikal
by Valentian G. Sideleva.  2003
Leiden: Backhuys, 2003. xv + 270 p. : ill. (some col.), maps ; 27 cm.  Hardcover, issued without dust jacket ?

I love narrowly specialized books like this.  We see the detailed and complete work of an authority on his or her specialty.  Lake Baikal is the world’s largest single piece of surface freshwater - with a depth of over 1600 m.  It is home to a diverse and partly endemic fish fauna of some 55 native species – including a remarkable radiation of cottid fishes.  This volume covers numerous aspects of the biology of these fishes – focusing on the endemic cottids.  There are chapters on diet, anatomy, otoliths, ecology, phylogenetics and systematics.  Fascinating stuff.  One goal of this volume was to present this fauna to the broader non-Russian speaking/reading community.  It succeeds at this, summarizing the large Russian language literature in English.  The volume is illustrated with maps and drawing and photographs, including some color plates of fishes (some are color plates of preserved specimens – not the always the best use of color publishing, but its easy to be a critic...).

Regarding languages – in the past couple decades, ichthyology literature of international interest has been increasingly published in English – no matter the language of the author.  English has become the international language of ichthyology.  Up into the 1980s, it was not uncommon for literature to appear in German or particularly French (for African studies especially).  That has shifted toward English.  I think this was part in self-defense on the part of non-Anglophone workers.  They got tired of having their work overlooked.  I had a German colleague one remark me, “just because something is published in German [which I read poorly at best], doesn’t mean you can ignore it.”  Sadly, that is often just the case, in practice.  Good, I suppose, for the monolingual Anglophone community; frustrating, I imagine for many of our colleagues.


Switzerland

Die Fische der Schweiz mit Contaxaufnahmen nach dem leben
by Paul Steinmann, photographs by W. Krämer. 1936
Aarau Sauerländer. 1936. 154 pp. Illus. 25 cm. Hardcover in dust jacket.

I like finding guides or revisions from regions unrepresented in my collection.  For some reason, I feel I need a guide to fishes of Switzerland (this volume) .... I suppose never know just when you might be asked a question .... about Swiss fishes.  I’m covered. The introduction includes the basics of the region and fish identification.  The construction of the book is interesting.....for the front matter, the book is ‘normal,’ pages on right and left. Starting with the species accounts, the orientation switches to ‘landscape.’  This must have been to take full advantage of the photographic plates.  They are black and white photographs of living fishes with a pure black background that span across an entire page, with the species account facing.  The species accounts are pretty straight forward – telegraphic in presentation.  There are no maps.

Ukraine


Fishes of the Ukraine
1981.  175 pp., illus. in black and white and color.  Hard cover, pictorial boards

Here’s a guide to fish biology and ichthyology (opening sections), and the freshwater and Black Sea fishes of the Ukraine.  There are no maps, and I don’t see a identification keys.  The species accounts are illustrated in water color paintings portraying the fishes a living creatures in their habitats.  This type of illustration seems more common in European ichthyological works than in North American ones.  All the text is in Cyrillic.

Middle East



Iraq


Fishes of the Tigris-Euphrates basin:  a critical check-list
by Brian W. Coad.  1991
Ottawa, Ontario, Canadian Museum of Nature, Syllogeus No. 68, 49 pp., illus. in black and white, map

The Tigris-Euphrates River lies between African and South Asian drainages – thus is fish fauna is of some interest and importance.  This report is an annotated check-list of native and non-native species known or thought to be present in this watershed.  The native fish fauna listed is 12 families and about 66 species.  There’s a map of the drainage and drawings of 12 species.







Syria

The freshwater fishes of Syria and their general biology and management
by William Curtis Beckman.  1962
Rome: Fisheries Division, Biology Branch, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, 1962. v, 297 p. : ill

“A knowledge of the fish fauna is a prerequisite for carrying out fishery investigations and development of management programs.”  So writes the author of this report, and I could not agree more.  This guide is one of the very few I have of Middle Eastern or North African freshwater fishes.  The fauna is depaperate to be sure, but even accounting for that there seems to be a shortage of faunal guides and revisions.  In any case, in this work, we have a guide, with keys and outline drawings (but no maps) the native and non-native freshwater fishes known from Syrian waters (86 species in all).  The information provided in the species accounts is basic and to the point.  Beyond the taxonomic section are elementary textbooks on limnology, fish biology and fisheries management – an all-in-one guide for the managers of the regions.  The book was contracted and produced by the United Nations Food and Agriculture Administration, so the bias towards utility of the fishery resources is certainly understandable.  The book is typical of many FAO publications – very basic, stiff boards and cheap printing.  My copy is from ex-library of Keith E. Bannister (of UK), and is bound in red library cloth - I would guess it was not issued that way, but the hard cover was added later.  Always fun to find such and obscure volume.



Turkey


Türkiye tatlisu baliklari:  ders kitabi
by Remzi Geldiay and Suleyman Balik.  1996
Bornova, Izmir: Ege Üniversitesi Basimevi, 1996. xviii + 532 pp., illus. in black and white, maps (1 folded).  Soft cover

Freshwater Fishes of Turkey (textbook) presents a detailed guide to the freshwater fishes of Turkey – native and at least some non-natives, and a textbook on ichthyology.  The textbook part of the volume (about a third of it) covers the basics of fish biology, anatomy and management.  The taxonomic section covers about 130 species.  An identification key is offered.  The species accounts include a drawing of the species and a shaded area range map of its Turkish distribution.  The text appears to cover the basics.