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Herpetological Review, 2008, 39(2), 251–252.© 2008 by Society for the Study of Amphibians and ReptilesTurtles of the World, by Franck Bonin, Bernard Devaux, andAlain Dupré (translated by Peter C.H. Pritchard). 2006. JohnHopkins University Press, Baltimore Maryland(www.press.jhu.edu). 416 pp. Hardcover. US $50.00. ISBN 0-8018-8496-9.WILLIAM H. ESPENSHADE IIIDepartment of Biology, Villanova UniversityPO Box 26018, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19128, USAe-mail: william.espenshadeiii@gmail.comThis book is the English translationof the third edition of theoriginal French language work.It is difficult to know what thethree authors set out to accomplishwith this book, as there isneither a foreword nor a preface.Peter Pritchard, however, in his“translator’s notes,” suggeststhat their intent is to distinguishthe book from other works witha chelonian world view by beingtaxonomically up-to-dateand by including discussions ofsurvival status.This book is divided into twomajor sections, General Biology(9 pp.), and Identification (401 pp.), followed by a short list ofreferences and index of scientific names. The volume is illustratedby 403 photos, two diagrams, and numerous maps. The bindingand paper are of high quality, and there are handy colored pagemargins organized by family or section description throughout.General Biology begins with a description of the placement ofchelonians among living things. Proganochelys, considered by theauthors the ancestor [sic] of all turtles, is the basis for further taxonomicdiscussion. The unique chelonian skeleton and other organsystems are treated in about one page, as are senses, sexual dimorphism,metabolism, ethology, and threats and protection. Caveatsabout taxonomy being a dynamic science always find their wayinto turtle books; there is a single highlighted paragraph at the endof the General Biology section which states that the nomenclaturalconcepts in the book incorporate many recent changes byRoger Bour, and that only minor disagreements are to be expectedfrom turtle systematists around the world.The Identification section is organized alphabetically by family,genus and species, first within Pleurodira, then withinCryptodira. There are 311 species accounts, 280 of which have atleast one accompanying photo (of those lacking photos, over halfhave been described since 1950). Each species account begins withthe scientific name, author, and year of description. Common namesare also provided, but appear in the page margin adjacent to thereference maps (see below). Most accounts are divided into thesubsections Distribution, Description, Natural History, and Protection,each of which may be followed by just one sentence orseveral detailed paragraphs for the chelonian of interest. A fewaccounts also include extra sections, such as ‘Ethnozoology’ forCarettochelys insculpta and Centrochelys (Geochelone) sulcata.Some short sections of text were inadvertently left untranslatedand appear in the original French, as in the introduction to thePlatysternidae (p. 116).All accounts have a shaded range map indicating the approximatedistribution of each species. In the page margin of each accountis a continental scale reference map with a square box indicatingthe location of the more detailed distribution map featuredin the main part of the account. Several of the range descriptionsfrom the text are not in agreement with the distribution maps. Associatedspecimen photos are placed at various places within theirrespective accounts, but most figure legends do not mention thespecies name. As a consequence, the identity of photos immediatelyfollowing the text for one species and preceding that for thenext may be unclear to readers. Most of the photos are acceptable,but several have severe shadows, show animals posed in people’shands, or have poor depth-of-field. Interestingly, there is a shortbiographical appreciation of John Cann on page 30, lauding hisskills as a photographer. Indeed, Cann’s photos are as near perfectas they can be—no shadows, excellent focus, and alert subjectslooking at the camera, always in a natural setting and pose. It isunfortunate that only six of his photos were included in the book!The Distribution subsection uses both geographic features (riversor mountains) and political boundaries for a general idea ofthe range. While usually straight forward, there are some confusingmix ups in this section, e.g., in the range description forManouria impressa, it seems there was an intended comparisonwith M. emys, but the text reads as if to compare M. impressa withitself. ‘Description’ includes a general color and size scheme forthe species as well as any other noteworthy shell, skin, or colorationfeature. The Natural History subsection lists habitat type withinthe occupied range; some diet and reproductive information maybe included too. The Protection text includes an incomplete listingof national and international laws or treaties that offer somelevel of legal protection. Appendix III listings under CITES arenot included, and some species covered under Appendices I or IIare not listed as such. Status, as listed by the IUCN and/ot theTurtle Conservation Fund, is sporadically noted and localizedthreats or conservation practices known to the authors are alsomentioned. Protective status is always in flux, but the simple consistentreference to CITES, IUCN, and Turtle Conservation Fundstatus for each species would have increased the utility of the book.Most references included in species accounts cannot be foundin the book’s reference section. For example, the account for thePantanal swamp turtle, Acanthochelys macrocephala, cites“Buskirk (1988)” for documentation of Paraguay within the rangeof the species. Neither this paper, published in HerpetologicalReview, or any other senior authored works by Buskirk appear inthe reference list. This systematic oversight severely hampers theuse of the book by anyone wishing to obtain further information.Additionally there are errors for the works that are listed. Turtleand Tortoise Newsletter (TTN) is listed under “Kalb, J.H. 1992.”Heather Kalb was one of two editors for the premier issue of thisnewsletter that was first published in January 2000, with a publicationcity and state of Lunenburg, Massachusetts, not Evansville,Indiana as the citation reads. The parent publication for TTN, isthe peer reviewed journal Chelonian Conservation and BiologyHerpetological Review 39(2), 2008 251