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Factual Books on PenguinsOn this page you will find a list of some of the best books about penguins. Some are academic textbooks, others have been written for the general reader. We have provided a brief review of each of the books listed on the page - just click on the title to see the review.
Some brief notes on the booksThe Penguins, Tony D Williams, OUP, (1995)This is the best text book we have found on penguins. All aspects of behaviour are covered in good detail. The book is in two sections, in the first section the general aspects of penguins and their behaviour are covered. There are chapters on evolution, breeding, population dynamics, behaviour and foraging ecology. The second section provides very detailed accounts of each of the 17 species, with up to date population statistics, detailed measurements, habitat as well as a wealth of other information. The book is written as an academic textbook, but is quite readable by anybody. Only occasionally does the zoological and biological jargon get in the way. The illustrations are very good - mostly hand drawn - and informative. Every serious penguin lover needs to buy this book. Penguins, John Sparks & Tony Soper, Facts on File Pubs. (1987)We own both this, the second edition and the earlier first edition. The full size plates in the first edition are nicer to look at but otherwise the books are identical. The book begins with a general introduction and description of a penguin, the next two chapters take us through the life cycle of the penguins, while three more chapters deal with evolution, discovery and exploitation of penguins. Finally there are some brief species notes. The book is well written with a general audience in mind. In some places you find yourself wishing for more information and there are some mistakes, especially concerning the breeding locations of the crested penguins. This is a very good book for people with a serious interest who don't want all the detail of Tony William's excellent tome. Penguins, John A Love, Whittet Books (1994)John has produced a lovely short book written at a particularly accessible level. The text is written in a style that allows John's dry humour to shine through. The text is broken with many amusing anecdotes in separate boxes. These stories, together with John's own line drawings which bring out the character of the penguins make this one of the most readable of penguin books. Highly recommended. This is the best first penguin book for those with some interest who don't want to invest in either of the above two more expensive and drier works. Penguins of the World, Pauline Reilly, OUP, Australia (1994)Pauline Reilly's book is based on a series of chapters describing the essential features of each of the 6 genera of penguins. The book falls between an academic text and a popular book for a general audience. It contains all the essential information, and a few good pictures, but the writing style is a little dry, and the book lacks the nice little anecdotes that can be found in both John Love's and John Sparks & Tony Soper's books. Nevertheless it is not expensive and well worth reading. Peter the PenguinIf you only buy one penguin book make sure it is this one - you can buy online here Phil Whittington is a penguin biologist, originally from the UK but who has spent the last 6 years or so researching the African penguins in South Africa. In this book Phil describes life from the viewpoint of "Peter" the penguin hero of the story. What makes this book so good is that it is so completely accurate in every detail. The reader really feels they get to understand life from a Penguin's perspective. Phil wrote the original few chapters just for fun for a newsletter published by the Avian Demography Unit - where he was studying for his doctorate. This made Peter famous with all penguin biologists. So when the Treasure oil spill happened, a penguin that was trans-located from Robben Island to Port Elizabeth (see here for facts about this) was equipped with a special transmitter so that its progress home could be monitored. When it was finally released, members of the press asked "What is the penguin called?" and the reply from Leshia (another penguin biologist) was an instant "Peter". Thus Peter became an overnight celebrity as his travels home were followed on the internet by millions around the world. Phil then decided (or was persuaded - depending on your viewpoint) to write more chapters and bring Peter the Penguin to life in a proper book. One example of Phil's insistence on accuracy is that the Peter in the stories has a different flipper band number from the Peter who was released - this is because in the story Peter is fitted with his flipper band well before the Treasure spill happened and the number on the band of the real Peter penguin was only issued at the time of the spill - there are probably only about 10 penguin biologists around the world who could spot the difference, but Phil is one of them! The Total Penguin, James Gorman, Prentice Hall (1990)This is a lavishly illustrated book, lots of really good colour photographs. The text is less informative than any of the above books, but the pictures make up for that. This is clearly intended as a 'coffee table book'. The SeaWorld Book of Penguins, Frank S Todd, Harcourt Brace Jovanovich (1984)Frank Todd's little book is remarkable for packing so much information into so few pages. Well worth reading. Buy one if you can get hold of a copy. The Hoiho, Adele Vernon, Hodder and Stoughton (1991)This is a really good book devoted to the Yellow-eyed Penguin, the Maori name for YEP's is Hoiho. Very informative and well illustrated this book is a must if you are into YEPs (and anyone who has seen them will be). A Book of King Penguins, T H Gillespie, Herbert Jenkins Ltd. (1932)This book is an account of the King Penguins at Edinburgh Zoo, written by a past director. Probably it will be very difficult to find, it throws interesting light on penguin keeping a few decades ago. Penguins, SeaWorld, SeaWorld Inc. (1991)This is a 14 page booklet available from SeaWorld that gives all the essential information about penguins in a clear graphic format. It is intended as a guide for teachers, etc.
The Penguins, Ecology and Management eds. Peter Dann, Ian Norman and Pauline Reilly, Surrey, Beatty and Sons, NSW, Australia (1995)This book contains the proceedings of the 2nd International Penguin Conference held on Phillip Island in August, 1992. There are contributions by many important Penguin Biologists from throughout the world. This is a book for those with a truly serious interest in penguins. We find it a very useful reference text. Penguins Bernard Stonehouse, Arthur Baker, London (1968)A very good book by Bernard Stonehouse which covers all aspects of penguin behaviour, etc. The text is well written and Bernard's excellent sense of humour shines through. For example when he notes the differences between Kings and Emperors; "....Kings have the lines of a magnum of champagne, Emperors a firkin of beer..." Sharing our Future with Human Beings, (in Japanese) ISBN 4-87243-040-9What can we say? This is a lovely book given to us by the Japanese Penguin Fund who publish it. Unfortunately we can't read much of it. The illustrations look very good and the list of penguin colonies at the back (which is about the only part we can read) is very useful. Presumably a must for all Japanese Penguin Lovers. The Nature of Penguins, J Chester, Greystone Books (1996)A 'coffee table' book with lots of beautiful photographs of all species of penguins together with a useful text describing behaviour and history of penguins. Antarctic Penguins G Murray Levick, Heinmann, London (1914)One of the earlist studies of penguins to be found anywhere with several historic black and white photographs. The details of some of the scientific studies - weights, and sizes of birds, etc. are still useful today. The style is a little anthropomorphic by modern standards but remains completely factual. The Biology of Penguins, B Stonehouse (ed), Macmillan (1975)We finally managed to obtain our own copy of this important book last year. It is very difficult to obtain and very expensive, but well worth the investment. Bernard's book is taken by most as the bible of penguin facts. Perhaps Tony William's new book will become as important, but only time will tell. Penguins: Past and Present, Here and There, George Gaylord Simpson, Yale University Press (1976)In this book the enthusiasm of the author for penguins is quite obvious. The text has been very well researched and is clearly written. The section on penguin fossils and evolution is particularly interesting and the subject is covered in greater detail than in any of the other books we have read. Breeding Ecology of the Adelie Penguin, David Ainley, Robert LeResche and William Sladen, University of California Press (1983)This book is one for real penguin enthusiasts (such as us) or researchers. The book contains detailed statistical information on the breeding of the Adelie penguins as well as reporting on the very detailed observations of the behaviour of these birds over many years (from 1946 to 1980) by the authors, particularly at the Cape Crozier colonies.
Emperor Penguins, Jean Rivolier, Robert Speller & Sons, NY (1958)Jean Rivolier was a doctor who worked on one of the French Antarctic bases in the 1950s. He became fascinated with Emperor penguins and wrote this book to bring his interest to the general public. The book is written as a diary of his time in Antarctica, but concentrates on his, and others, observations of the Emperors. The book is a very good read. Sexual Behaviour of Penguins, L E Richdale, University of Kansas Press (1951)This was the first detailed study of penguin behaviour, and has become a classic in it's own right. In this book Richdale reports on his detailed observations of the Yellow-eyed and other penguins on the Otago Peninsula over a 12 year period. Richdale was able to interpret the different displays and calls of the penguins in great detail as well as noting the complete life cycle of the penguins. This is a classic for all penguin lovers as it provides real insights into penguin behaviour. A Population Study of Penguins, L E Richdale, OUP (1957)Lance Richdale's book was the first long term study of any bird population. The techniques he developed have become the paradigm for all bird population studies since. In this landmark book, Richdale provides not only a very coherent and detailed description of his study of the Yellow-eyed penguins from 1936 to 1954, he also compares his data with the much sketchier data from other sources. Perhaps the most remarkable feature of this work is that Richdale was not a trained researcher, he was just an amateur - a schoolmaster from Otago in New Zealand, who because of his enormous interest in the Yellow-eyed penguins became recognised as one of the foremost biologists of his time. Penguins, Roger Tory Peterson, Houghton Mifflin, Boston (1979)Roger Tory Peterson wrote what was probably one of the best popular books on penguins of its time. The book has plenty of excellent photographs as well as some remarkable sketches that bring out the character of the penguins and other wildlife discussed. While it was probably intended as a "coffee table" book and is intended for a general readership, the book still contains plenty of useful information about the penguins. |
