Abstract
I've been reading reviews and listening to comments on Silva's A Monograph of Endangered Parrots for many months now. Perhaps this AFA raffle of that volume is a good reason for me to update the comments I made in the Watchbird Dec/ Jan '89 preview.
That preview was made upon reading the manuscript and examining slides of the paintings. The preview ended upon an affirmative note saying, "Silva's Monograph of Endangered Parrots is an extraordinary volume that combines the efforts of a very important world class authority on parrots with a bright new star in the avian art world and packaged in a masterpiece of the bookmaker's art."
Now that I own a copy of the subscriber's edition (an excellent bargain at S 140) I can reaffirm what I wrote in the preview cited above. The AFA is, of course, raffling the collector's edition (a $1,000 value) which is bound half in goatskin and half in marbled paper, has a hand tooled spine inlaid with 23 carat gold and is signed by the author and artist. I have been informed that the Huntington Library, San Marino, California, examined the remarque edition and found it to be well within the standards of quality for fine hand-bound books. I presume the same workmanship and materials apply to the collector's edition also.
The text is identical in all three editions and the text, of course, is the most important part of any book and, in this case, it is very good. It is well organized, very interesting and informative and rather personal. One gets the feeling that Silva has just returned from a jungle expedition and is tugging your coat sleeve while he tells every detail.
To my mind, it is this very personal sense of urgency that raises this book above the level of the ordinary, dry, research-library study we so often try to read. Silva is concerned about the plight of endangered parrots; he has been there, has seen the deforestation, the trapping, the mishandling of captive specimens.
This is not always easy reading.
Silva's writing style is complex rather than simple but the message comes through loud and clear. I noted several typos in the text (just as I find in nearly every book I read) but they are insignificant and in no way obscure the facts and philosophy inherent in the volume.
The facts surrounding the decline of many parrot species are detailed and well laid out. The philosophy of conservation that can be applied to boost the birds' chances of survival is well thought out, hopeful yet realistic.
The AFA is to be commended for its continuing efforts to raise money for bird conservation. Silva's Monograph of Endangered Parrots is the perfect vehicle for more fund raising. Publisher Mattacchione deserves our gratitude for his generous gift. I should hope this raffle will raise SS0,000 or more; after all, that requires only a portion of our membership to put in $20 apiece.
If you fail to win this volume in the raffle, I heartily recommend that you go out and purchase a copy. One way or another, every parrot lover should have and study A Monograph of Endangered Parrots. •