Newman’s Birds of Southern Africa, first published 27 years ago, has been given a thorough and loving overhaul by Vanessa Newman, who has inherited her father’s passion for nature and birding.
Vanessa studied nature conservation at the University of Pretoria and has, like her father Ken, developed a natural talent for illustration.
“It’s been two long years of working nights, weekends and holidays, but it’s been worth it; this is a dedication to my father and all that he stood for.” Vanessa said, while there was nothing wrong with the original illustrations, she had been keen to add her own touch and had paid to attention to the detail in some of the images.
Newman’s fans will be interested to know that Vanessa has revised the text and notes, updated the names of many of the birds, reworked about 150 illustrations and revised the maps, including a two-tone scheme indicating where the birds are found, and where they are very common.
Publisher Random House/Struik said that Newman’s (published eight times during Ken Newman’s life) reflected the man’s passion for the natural world and birds. It said that the fact that there was still demand for the book 27 years after its first publication reflected the quality of its fine illustrations, easy-to-use classification system and the loving detail input by Ken and now Vanessa.
The latest version of Newman’s Birds was launched to the Durban public at a function at Exclusive Books, the Pavilion on Wednesday, October 27.