Chester, S. 2008. A W ildlife G uide to C hile , C ontinental C hile , C hilean A ntarctica , E aster I sland , J uan F ernández A rchipelago . Princeton University Press, Princeton, New Jersey, and Oxford, United Kingdom, viii + 392 pp. ISBN 978-0-691-12976-1, price (paper), $19.95

S. Chester 2008. A Wildlife Guide to Chile, Continental Chile, Chilean Antarctica, Easter Island, Juan Fernandez Archipelago. Princeton University Press, Princeton, New Jersey, and Oxford, United Kingdom, viii + 392 pp. ISBN 978-0-691-12976-1, price (paper), $19.95. For 13 years, Sharon Chester served as a natural history lecturer on expedition cruise ships to Chile and the Antarctic. These experiences, and the questions posed by cruise passengers, prompted her to develop a “field guide” that would provide the educated layperson (and dare I say many academics as well) with a treatment of the avian and mammal fauna of Chile. This was quickly broadened to include Chilean geography and plants, and subsequently butterflies and herpetiles as well. The result of her efforts is the only volume available that covers such an array of material for this country. Spanning almost 40° latitude plus a wedge of Antarctica, and ranging from sea level to nearly 7,000 m elevation, Chile boasts a diverse array of environments and habitats, with concomitant diversity in its flora and fauna. In spite of a wealth of material to include in a compact and handy field guide, Chester has produced a delightful guide for ecotourists and field biologists alike. This book includes 9 core chapters that address Chile and Her Sovereignties (20 pp.), Marine Resources (11 pp.), Floristic Zones (41 pp.), Botanical Descriptions (17 pp.), Butterflies and Moths (16 pp.), Reptiles and Amphibians (20 pp.), Birds (165 pp.), Mammals (58 pp.), and Where to See Wildlife (26 pp.). These core chapters are followed by a brief glossary, a 1-page Spanish–English dictionary, bibliography, separate indices to scientific and common names, and a “quick index” to color illustrations and maps. The chapter on marine resources will provide the landlubber with perhaps his or her 1st view of typical Chilean seafood, but also a brief guide to denizens of Chile's extensive intertidal regions. Coverage of vegetation and plant species is appropriately superficial but this is neither a detriment nor is it unexpected; this book is intended as a …