The Butterflies of Australia by Albert Orr

A complete guide to Australian butterflies, beautifully illustrated in typical habitats as we see them in everyday life, accompanied by their earlier life stages.

This is a masterly text, beautifully written and presented. It begins with an absorbing account of butterfly biology, then subsequent chapters introduce us to the Australian faunal history and provide a vivid account of butterfly behaviour and ecology (including much information which, to the best of my knowledge, has never been published in any other book on Australian butterflies), before going into the excellent species treatments, family by family. The up-to-date checklist and larval host plant database are very well organised. The lead author, Albert Orr, writes with great clarity and precision, making the entire text a joy to read. He is also a gifted painter, and his delightful, informative illustrations, liberally spread throughout the book, make this easily the most aesthetically pleasing butterfly reference work I have ever seen. Both authors are respected scientists, giving TBOA genuine 'heavyweight' status in the field of butterfly natural history reference works. The only Australian reference work with which it can properly be compared is Charles McCubbin's 1971 classic "Australian butterflies" - the difference is that was an intimate study of natural history written and illustrated by a professional artist, while in TBOA the illustrations are executed by a professional scientist, and the text written by two authorities in the field. The authors describe it as a 'field guide' as well as reference text, but, leaving aside its hefty size and weight, few butterfly lovers would want to risk unduly damaging their copy of this gorgeous book by bringing it along on field excursions. Highly recommended.