Guide to Hawaiian Reef Fishes

When this book is paired with John P. Hoover's Hawaii's Fishes: A Guide for Sorkelers, Divers, and Aquarists, you will be able to identify virtually any fish you see while snorkeling or diving along Hawaii's reefs and shores. A scholarly (but user-friendly) collection of photographs and data, this book provides very close side views of virtually all the fishes one is likely to see and detailed descriptions of each. In order to provide these views, the author uses photos of preserved specimens, all laid on their sides against black or light green backgrounds. This shows the anatomical details of each fish extremely well and will enable the reader to see real differences between many seemingly similar fishes. The disadvantage to this approach, however, one which the Hoover book corrects, is that frequently the preserved specimens have lost some of their color and are not nearly as bright as they are in life. This is an extremely helpful resource book when it is combined with a book which shows these fishes in their natural habitat. Mary Whipple