Re: Westies (was Nanochromis nudiceps)

[Mike & Diane Wise <apistowise@bewellnet.com>]

David,

This is my cynical opinion. 1. - Germans tend to
be more 'into' their fish. They
travel more (6 weeks per year mandatory
vacation!), collect more, write more &
they READ A LOT!! 2. - I find that too many
hobbyists in the USA are more
interested in Almighty $$ than providing
information. 3. - Because English
reading hobbyists don't read as much, German
publishers have learned that
publishing English versions of their books are a
'break even' proposition at
best.

Why don't English writers publish? Just think of
all of the well known American
& British hobbyists  who write magazine articles &
give programs at conventions.
How many have actually written a specialist book?
Not many! I think, in part,
that it's the hassles it takes to get published.
Sure, I could write a wonderful
book on dwarf cichlids, but I would just be
repeating what Germans & Japanese
writers have published. Besides, I don't have
access to many of the rare species
for photography, study, breeding, etc.  This means
that it takes a lot of money
to write such a book. Many of the German authors
get around this by getting free
specimens from importers. Finally, why do it if
hardly anyone will buy it?

This might sound a bit flippant, but you could do
like I did - learn German.

Mike Wise

"David A. Youngker" wrote:

> > From: Mike Wise
> > Sent: Monday, February 17, 2003 12:01 PM
> > Subject: Re: Nanochromis nudiceps
>
> > BTW there is a rumor that Mag. Dr. Anton Lamboj will be
> > publishing a book on West & Central African cichlids later
> > this year. Sorry, but for now it will only be in German.
>
> Do *all* ichthyologists and taxonomists only publish in German?
>
> Does a country that's only the size of the state of Oregon have a world-wide
> lock on _any_ useful information ever published?
>
> Or is it simply that Germany's the only country with enough "gumph" to
> produce qualified experts in the field?...
>
> ;-)
>
> -Y-
>
> David A. Youngker
> jaafaman@mindspring.com
>
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