Book Review: A Guide of the Deer of the World by Charles Smith-Jones

The first 80 pages are made up of chapters that cover the origins of deer, deer biology, deer lifestyle, the relationship between deer and man and a description of each of the deer species. 

As well as 55 true deer species, there are 7 species of musk deer and 10 chevrotain deer species. Each deer gets on average four pages including an interesting description, a small map of the species’ range, some stunning photography and a fact box.

From roe deer, to whitetail, caribou to Javan chevrotain (check these out; they look like a mouse x deer) it shows the huge variety of shapes, sizes and appearances that deer can have. 

I took it on one of my group trips and it found itself in the hands of everyone in the room at various times, often leading to a ‘did you know’ or ‘can you believe that’ type discussion, a true quizmasters dream.

The photography in the book is quite remarkable and it must have taken a huge amount of time and effort to collate it. I believe anyone who is interested in deer or wildlife would cherish this encyclopedia.

Is it worth the money?

Some people may think that a £55 price tag on a book is too much, however this is no ordinary book. 

It is the type of book that should live on a coffee table in a living room or lodge, as it will continually stimulate conversation on various species and facts about them and it is a book that should be passed down the generations.               

Total score: 9/10

Price: £55

Page-turner score: 6/10 (this is a dip in dip out book rather than a read from start to finish)

Photos: 10/10    

You can order your copy now at Quiller Publishing and get 20% off using ScribeHound20 at checkout.