Product Description
"Of all the literature I use while preparing field guides for the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, Nelson's Fishes of the World is, by far, the one I refer to most often. [This] book is a standard reference . . . I continue to use it extensively in the ichthyology courses I teach, particularly in laboratory sessions." -Kent E. Carpenter Old Dominion University "Fishes of the World is a unique and essential resource for anyone seriously interested in the diversity and evolution of fishes. The family accounts provide quick summaries of current knowledge on all groups of living fishes and many key fossil taxa. It is a required work for every student in my laboratory." -William E. Bemis Kingsbury Director of Shoals Marine Laboratory, Cornell University "Only classics are known by the single name of their author, and certainly [Nelson's book] has for four editions been such a book for all those who seek an accessible, up-to-date, readable reference on fish classification. Once again, Nelson presents a balanced view of the sometimes tumultuous, but ever-exciting, study of the phylogenetic relationships and classification of fishes. In doing so, Nelson makes an excellent case for organismal biology, highlighting the many and varied morphological characters we use to diagnose fish taxa and differentiate among the 515 families of living species." -Lynne R. Parenti Curator of Fishes and Research Scientist, National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution Fishes of the World, Fourth Edition is the updated edition of a true classic in the field. A unique presentation of a modern, cladistically based classification of all the major living and fossil fish groups, this indispensable reference helps scientists and others identify and classify specimens, make familial connections, understand the evolution of fishes, and springboard into further research. The taxonomy of fishes presented includes the anatomical characteristics, distribution, common and scientific names, and phylogenetic relationships for all 515 families of living fishes. Packed with representative species drawings and information on phylogentic relationships, this informative Fourth Edition features: * Both fossil and extant species * More than 500 illustrations * Fully vetted scientific and common names * An extensive bibliography

CUSTOMER REVIEWS (Average Customer Rating: 3.5 based on 7 reviews)

Very Good Book by Juliana L. Andrade (Rio de Janeiro, Brazil)

5 Stars
October 03, 2007
Very good book. It came very fast too... I was really after it for my work.... It is considered reference for all ichthyologists. My favorite!

Definitive resource in fish systematics by gthorgaard (Pullman, WA USA)

5 Stars
September 08, 2007
I just received and looked over the Fourth Edition of Nelson's book. It is the most widely-accepted resource for fish classification. Specific points in the classification, as Nelson acknowledges, are subjects of debate and research. Nelson himself seems to take the classical approach of emphasizing morphological (as opposed to molecular) traits in his classification. However, the collection and organization of up-to-date references on the various fish groups in this book is without parallel and this makes the book hugely valuable. Two reasons in addition to cost for the use of drawing as opposed to photos to picture the fishes in this book are economy of space, and ability to convey fossil fishes in a similar manner to existing species. I'm glad that I bought it!

THE world reference for a classification of fishes by Nicolas Bailly (FishBase Team) (Philipines)

5 Stars
April 20, 2006
This is the fourth, long awaited, edition of Fishes of the World. Since the 2nd edition, it is THE reference for a STABLE PRACTICAL classification of all fishes of the world. The work done by J. Nelson in the background is enormous, because for each node of the hierarchy are discussed and referenced the concurrent alternatives recently published, and is explained the choice made between them (so that one can appreciate the diversity of opinions, and the work remaining to be done). Apart from the price that we can always find too expensive (and I am quite sure that he does not pay the author's efforts), the reviews of the previous edition missed 3 points: - The book does not claim to give an overview of the biology and ecology of fishes, nor to give thorough illustrations of the diversity of fishes. The outlines are extremely useful to memorise the global shape of families and subfamilies. Ok, the 4th edition could have been complete in this area ... - The book provides a management classification that is close enough of the last validated advances of research. Saying that it is not uptodate is a clear misunderstanding of what this book is useful for. In particular, it does not endorse the last published phylogeny (and by the way, a phylogeny is not a classification) if work clearly still needs to be done to establish and disseminate a new view: it tries to point out the most evidenced status of the classification, but presenting the alternatives: the people in need of one reliable classification can use it as such, the people closer to the edge of research can go further and use the information from the references given. - I don't know any book in mammals, birds, snakes, lezards, turtles, amphibians that synthesizes the same amount of REFERENCED information, where there are altogether less species involved than in fishes! But sure, many of them have beautiful images ... Thanks Joe.

worst drawings ever by Paul Vecsei (Yellowknife, NWT)

2 Stars
January 21, 2003
For a book in this price range, we all want more. I have been doing fish illustrations in Environmental Biology of Fishes and some other journals. Dr. Nelson, you should contact me, we need to talk!!

Great book, shame about the price. by Greg Walter (New Zealand)

4 Stars
April 24, 2002
Comprehensive coverage makes this a great first reference. Most listings cite further in depth references. Published in 1994 it is probably due to be updated. The worst aspect of this book is the price. Get your library to buy it.

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