Lost Land of the Dodo Anthony Cheke and Julian Hume

Uninhabited by humans, the Mascarene Islands of the Indian Ocean were once home to an extraordinary range of birds and reptiles: giant tortoises, parrots, skinks, geckos, burrowing boas, flightless rails and herons, and, most famously, dodos. But the discovery of the three isolated islands in the 1500s, and their colonisation in the 1600s, led to dramatic ecological changes. The dodo became extinct on its home island of Mauritius within several decades, and over the next 150 years most native vertebrates suffered the same fate. This fascinating book provides the first full ecological history of the Mascarene Islands as well as the specific story of each extinct vertebrate, accompanied by Julian Hume’s superb colour illustrations.

Each copy will be signed by the author, Julian Hume, and also contain an original stippled ink dodo drawing by the author on the title page, so each copy is unique.

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Extinct Birds Julian P Hume and Michael Walters

This is the first comprehensive review of the hundreds of bird species and subspecies that have become extinct over the last 1,000 years of habitat degradation, over-hunting and rat introduction. Covering both familiar icons of extinction as well as more obscure birds, some known from just one specimen or from traveller’s tales, the book also looks at hundreds of species from the subfossil record – birds that disappeared without ever being recorded. Julian Hume and Michael Walters recreate these lost birds in stunning detail, bringing together an up to date review of the literature for every species. From Great Auks, Carolina Parakeets and Dodos to the amazing yet completely vanished bird radiations of Hawaii and New Zealand, via rafts of extinctions in the Pacific and elsewhere, this book is both a sumptuous reference and an amazing testament to humanity’s impact on birds. A direct replacement for Greenway’s seminal 1958 title Extinct and Vanishing Birds, this book will be the standard reference on the subject for generations to come.

Each copy will be signed by the author, Julian Hume, and also contain an original stippled ink extinct bird drawing by the author on the title page, so each copy is unique.

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One Response

1. Chris Thomas says:

   August 28, 2014 at 7:36 pm

   Hello! This is a message for Julian Hume. I am doing a news story about the 100th anniversary of the passenger pigeon’s extinction. I’d like to use a photo of one of your passenger pigeon illustrations showing a flock of passenger pigeons. (I found it on Tumblr.) I would be happy to credit you as the illustrator. Please let me know if that’s possible. Thanks very much for your time! I can be reached in the U.S. at 208-343-4367. Best, Ms. Chris Thomas

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