Even in the brave new world of in-depth family monographs, Brian Wheeler's two volumes tread where few have wandered before. North America has long lacked a guide comparable to Dick Forsman's brilliant The Raptors of Europe and the Middle East, and Wheeler is the first to attempt to remedy this situation. The result is monumental, staggering in its scope, and, quite frankly, a mixed bag. If nothing else, these books break new ground in the world of raptor identification: there are a lot of ideas that go beyond what has been suggested before, many of which need to be tested in the field—some that may become standard in the future, others that will fall by the wayside. In two books with such detail, there is a tremendous amount of material to review. And while there are many errors, omissions, or nit-picky details to quibble over, it must be said that this is a highly commendable, deeply personal, and intensely scholarly effort on Wheeler's part. All North American birders and raptor specialists have much to learn from these books.