Mammal Species of the World. A taxonomic and geographic reference. 2nd edition. (Smithsonian Series in Comparative Evolutionary Biology)

The first edition was published in 1982; production of the second included initiation of an electronic database which will be maintained and revised with the efficiencies afforded by computer technology. An important difference in the second edition is that dissenting opinions are not published alongside the consensus taxonomic arrangement; alternative viewpoints are relegated to the literature, where they can be substantiated by data and debated. Each section of the new edition carries authorship, and taxonomic decisions were the authors' (incorporating review and suggestions from other mammalogists). Serving as a starting point for the inevitable third edition, the second provides details on 4,629 species (up from 4,170), and identifies gaps in knowledge and controversies. Annotation copyright Book News, Inc. Portland, Or.