As with other works in this publisher's series, this is must-have reference, especially considering the favorable price. Of course, it is most valuable when used as an adjunct to its companion text volume. Tackling an avifauna of this size, representing a sizable chunk of the world's birds, is by no means an easy or straightforward task and the authors should be commended for their gargantuan effort. I see a few comments about taxonomic changes but these occur annually and will effect any bird book for any country. Overall, the quality of the artwork is very good. The maps are small but with a little practice, quite usable. As noted, this isn't something to slip into your coat pocket, but in a country such as French Guiana, could prove invaluable in the field. I wish I'd had it in Colombia. For Guyana, the new Venezuela guide serves nicely and won't have you scrambling through a bunch of Andean species. That said, I always appreciate seeing how a bird fits into the broader context; so seeing congeners from other countries is of value to me, as is the number of paintings of subspecies, ages, and sexes. Both traveling birders and armchair birders will have use for this book. When I think about birding in Ecuador in the 1980s, carrying a stack of books that were non-illustrated, from peripheral countries, and threatened my luggage allowance, this book shines even more brightly.