From amongst the vast array of specialist textbooks, casebooks and monographs which have been written within the general area of international law, certain examples stand out as having made a seminal contribution. In some cases, their excellence lies in the sheer clarity, precision and thoroughness of their exposition of relevant principles, whereas in others their distinction lies in the fact that they have explored previously uncharted waters, or offered a wholly new perspective on more familiar territory. Yet surely few have combined these attributes to such impressive effect as Simon Lyster's International Wildlife Law, published in 1985.

Although academic interest in international environmental law was beginning to burgeon at that time, the bulk of the attention which had been devoted to it focused upon pollution issues, with the importance of conservation of species and ecosystems scarcely recognised in the literature. As a result, there was very little prior scholarship to draw upon when preparing a monograph on international wildlife law. In these circumstances, to produce a text of such breadth, depth and lucidity that it would for so long serve the purposes of expert practitioners, students and lay readers alike represented an extraordinary achievement for which Simon Lyster has attracted well-earned acclaim.