Biology of the Reptilia, Volume 22. Comprehensive Literature of the Reptilia

摘要

In 1969, as a final year undergraduate student, I was excited to see (and buy) the first volume in a new series, the Biology of the Reptilia. This series was to be devoted to chapters written by experts in their fields on all aspects of reptilian biology. Little did I (or, I suspect, the editors) realize at the time the magnitude of the enterprise that was being entered into, and that it would be 39 years before the final chapter-based volume (Volume 21) appeared. Two years later we have the final volume in the series, a contribution that pulls together the literature resources and subject heading areas that underpin the entire synthetic overview of animals commonly known as reptiles. Over the 41 years of publication, 19 editors and compilers have overseen the efforts of 169 authors from 21 countries who have collectively contributed to 142 chapters.