In January 1997 something unusual happened to me. I had dropped by to visit the local bird park on the Indonesian island of Bali, and while I was waiting at the parking lot for a friend to pick me up, Eric Oey, the CEO of Periplus Editions, unexpectedly appeared, I have known Eric For almost ten years, having supplied his company with a few photographs and occasional texts on Southeast Asian wildlife.
Eric had decided to produce a new book on Southeast Asian birds, to be included in his Periplus Nature Guides series. Within 10 minutes, while standing there in the parking lot, the two of us had agreed on the concept for what later became Tropical Birds of Southeast Asia, Periplus Editions (1998).
As it turned out, Eric's ambitions went further than this small introductory volume. He planned to publish a complete (as possible) photographic coverage of the birds found in Southeast Asia and Indonesia. This would be produced in a guide book format that birdwatchers and nature enthusiasts in the region could use for identification purposes and to further their knowledge of the birds' locations and habits.
It is self-evident that in a photographic guide the photographs are of utmost importance. Since my reasonably comprehensive
