Average Reviews:
(More customer reviews)The Firefly Encyclopedia series are uniformly excellent. There are several current volumes (Insects & Spiders, Reptiles & Amphibians, and Birds). With luck additional volumes will be added (I'd be especially keen to see one on fishes). The series picks up the tradition started with the David Macdonald's "Encyclopedia of Mammals" by having numerous experts contribute information about the organisms they study. Thus, each species or group of organisms is described by the scientists who know them best. The result is a truly amazing compilation of information about each type of organism.
The Insects and Spiders volume contains information from 23 separate contributors about all types of insects and spider-like creatures. Contents include:
Overview of Arthropods: 6 pages
Millipedes and Centipedes: 6 pages
Insects, general information: 14 pages
Separate sections on (sections without indicated page lengths usually 2-3 pages long): Bristletails, Mayflies, Dragonflies & Damselfies, Cockroaches (4 pages), Termites, Mantids (4 pages), Earwigs, Stoneflies, Crickets & Grasshoppers (12 pages), Leaf & Stick Insects, Booklice and Webspinners, Zorapterans & Thrips, Parasitic Lice, Bugs (16 pages), Snakewings & Alderflies, Lacewings, Beetles (16 pages), Scorpionflies, Fleas, Flies (16 pages), Caddisflies, Butterflies & Moths (24 pages), Wasps & Ants & Bees (24 pages)
Arachnids, general information: 4 pages
Spiders: 14 pages
Mites & Ticks: 6 pages
Scorpions & other Arachnids: 4 pages
The book is lavishly illustrated. There are tons of amazing photographs and lots of beautifully rendered drawings. The text is well written and generally easy to follow. Some sections are fairly technical (I have a Ph.D. in Biology and got lost a few times), but probably 90% or more should be accessible to anyone. I strongly recommend this book for biologists, naturalists, and people interested in wildlife. It would make an excellent gift for a young person (probably junior high +) who likes animals.
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