Talwar and Jhingran, <Inland fishes of India ...>
Posted: 30 Mar 2003, 05:09
Is this book worth $70?
Dinyar
Dinyar
No recent book of Indian fishes written by Indian ichthyologists is worth the inflated priced they usually sell for, IMO. In fact, I think they're hardly worth the paper they're printed on.
The only books on Indian freshwater fishes that are halfway decent are those written by Francis Day more than a hundred years ago. I am not belittling Indian ichthyologists here, but the last Indian ichthyologist of any worth was Sunder Lal Hora, and even then, he's had more than his fair share of boo-boos.
Most of the recent books on Indian fishes are nothing more than pastiches of previous works, which all trace their lineage back to Day's and Hora's work (most times the copying extended to the figures). Inaccuracies have crept in due to time, the lack of verification and the duplication process.
I might have a spare photocopy of the catfish section of Talwar & Jhingran. You can have it for free, if I can find it. The $70 you save can be put to better use elsewhere.