Reviews of the first edition of Insects : [starred review] "This book is simply bigger, prettier, and more comprehensive than any previous publication on insects." --Library Journal "An incredibly important, masterfully written and profusely illustrated work that belongs in the library of every field biologist, educator, student and naturalist . . . a book that is destined to become a natural history classic". --Arthur V Evans, Research Collaborator, Dept. of Entomology, Smithsonian Institution Called "a milestone in insect photography" and "simply bigger, prettier and more comprehensive than any previous publication on insects," Professor Stephen Marshall's Insects is now in a new edition, with more than 500 changes to reflect the latest scientific findings since it was first published in 2006. It is a comprehensive reference on insects featuring an easy identification guide using 28 picture keys, 4000 color photographs taken in the field (not pinned specimens), expert advice on observing insects, and more. Insects enables readers and starting entomologists to identify most insects quickly and accurately. More than 50 pages of picture keys lead to appropriate chapters and specific photos, to confirm identification. The keys are surprisingly comprehensive and easy for non-specialists to use. Features include: This book has been widely and thoroughly praised. It is now ready for a new generation of new, and lifetime students of entomology.
If you like insects, I would be surprised if you don't love this book. My favourite insect book. Start/finish dates are fictitious as I can't really remember when I bought it and I use it more for reference but may well have read all the text albeit in random order. Thousands of gorgeous photographs and excellent narratives of natural history of so many insect taxa (and other arthropods, though less detail). It is always out on my desk; I've never seen the need to put back on the shelf.
The best resource anyone looking to identify North American insects could possibly invest in. I ADORE this book. It has helped me identify insects to the species level numerous times for many important things (ex. alerting a scientific reserve about gypsy moths, figuring out what was eating our experimental plants and subsequently doing a project on the herbivory, etc.)
If you're interested in biodiversity and the grand scale of how different and beautiful life can be, this is a great way to begin looking at the insect world. Detailed pictures and descriptions and a taxonomic key.
This book is not only far more comprehensive than field guides for insects in this area, but also contains delightful text describing characteristics of the families, many genera and species of insects.
This volume is a powerful is a “must-have” identification tool for anyone eager to identify or learn about insects in North America. For the enthusiast this book will be one of the most frequently used in their personal library.
An amazing book, filled to the brim with information for the insect enthusiast. I'm an amateur naturalist in Southern Ontario and have found the identification (even just by photos, not with the keys) pages extremely helpful to narrow down to family or subfamily if not to genus or species. The book is a course in Entomology, and has solidified in my brain the Orders of Insects, and in many cases notable Families and Subfamilies as well. Great to find out what sort of creatures live all around us.