Rating: 
Summary: It came from the Carboniferous
Review: I should have been clued in by this book's title, but I was still disappointed when I realized that damselflies were not included in the guide. Since one of my entomological challenges is distinguishing damselflies from their generally larger and faster-flying odonate cousins, it would have been nice to have both in one book.Whining aside, "Dragonflies through Binoculars" contains a good, well-organized collection of photographs and descriptions of living dragonflies, with 47 plates in full color, plus information on all 307 species found in North America. These ancient insects are enameled in heraldic designs of stripes, checks, and diagonals as though they were about to fly off to an aerial jousting match---which is probably just what they will do as soon as you have your binoculars trained on them. I even saw one dragonfly with a miniature death's-head emblazoned on its thorax. If you think I'm the only romantic concerning these fascinating Paleozoic-era hunters, tell me why they have been christened with such outlandish names as 'Ebony Boghaunter' or 'Stygian Shadowdragon.' This book is more concerned with the current ecology of the dragonfly, rather than its 300-million year history. The author also gives advice such as what kind of binoculars to purchase, which clubs or societies to join, and how to photograph these elusive darters in their natural surroundings---there are no hints of kill bottles in this book! Buy a copy of this book and see if dragonfly watching doesn't become your newest, most enjoyable hobby.
Rating:
Summary: It came from the Carboniferous
Review: I should have been clued in by this book's title, but I was still disappointed when I realized that damselflies were not included in the guide. Since one of my entomological challenges is distinguishing damselflies from their generally larger and faster-flying odonate cousins, it would have been nice to have both in one book. Whining aside, "Dragonflies through Binoculars" contains a good, well-organized collection of photographs and descriptions of living dragonflies, with 47 plates in full color, plus information on all 307 species found in North America. These ancient insects are enameled in heraldic designs of stripes, checks, and diagonals as though they were about to fly off to an aerial jousting match---which is probably just what they will do as soon as you have your binoculars trained on them. I even saw one dragonfly with a miniature death's-head emblazoned on its thorax. If you think I'm the only romantic concerning these fascinating Paleozoic-era hunters, tell me why they have been christened with such outlandish names as 'Ebony Boghaunter' or 'Stygian Shadowdragon.' This book is more concerned with the current ecology of the dragonfly, rather than its 300-million year history. The author also gives advice such as what kind of binoculars to purchase, which clubs or societies to join, and how to photograph these elusive darters in their natural surroundings---there are no hints of kill bottles in this book! Buy a copy of this book and see if dragonfly watching doesn't become your newest, most enjoyable hobby.
Rating: 
Summary: How could I *not* love this book???
Review: I've considered dragonflies to be magical, mystical, beautiful, ethereal creatures since I was a small child. They're poetry in motion and so curious-looking with their huge orb-eyes and strong gossamer wings that don't seem capable of holding them up, much less guiding them on their acrobatic aerial exploits. This book is a dragonfly lovers delight and chock full of interesting information on these awesome insects.
Rating:
Summary: How could I *not* love this book???
Review: I've considered dragonflies to be magical, mystical, beautiful, ethereal creatures since I was a small child. They're poetry in motion and so curious-looking with their huge orb-eyes and strong gossamer wings that don't seem capable of holding them up, much less guiding them on their acrobatic aerial exploits. This book is a dragonfly lovers delight and chock full of interesting information on these awesome insects.
Rating:
Summary: Good start, but room for improvement
Review: I, like several other reviewers, come to dragonflies by way of my interest in birds. Therefore, in the realm of field guides, I am spoiled by the variety of choices available. Alas, for dragonflies, this is pretty well it at present.
Pluses-- Hey, we have a North American field guide to dragonflies now!
Well written
Reasonable size
Minuses-- Pictures instead of illustrations. (You loose detail and invariably some field marks with pictures. My primary birding field guide uses illustrations.)
No damselflies!
I hope that this is a good start and that the book enjoys popular success to inspire Oxford to either improve it or Peterson or some other publisher to put out something to compete with it.
Bottom line, if you are into dragonflies, this is pretty much the only show in town, and it's not a bad show, it just could be better.
Rating: 
Summary: cheerfully awaiting
Review: much needed esp. to butterfly collectors who encounter specimens in the field
Rating:
Summary: The Dragonfly-Lovers "Bible"-A MUST for Naturalists!
Review: Superb photographs with direct and accurate descriptions makes this book an absolute must for everyone! Sidney W.Dunkle does an excellent job of guiding the first time enthusiast into the new sport of dragonfly watching. The more experienced "odonatist" will truly enjoy the best-ever collection of clear photos of living dragonflies. The author explains everything: what binoculars to use, where to look, how to photograph them, clubs and organizations to join, and how to identify these magnificent creatures without capturing them. The book has details on mating rituals, life cycles and easy to use maps. I've needed a book like this for years and can't wait for the excitement of dragonfly watching to explode with popularity.
Rating:
Summary: Wonderful book
Review: This book contains numerous small (about 1.5" x 1.5") color, fairly high-quality photos of North American dragonflies. It also includes range maps which are color coded based upon the time of year you could expect to see the various dragonflies in different areas. The book contains accounts for the various species, genera and families of dragonflies. The accounts are well-written and touch on some of the dragonflies' natural history as well as summarizing identifying characteristics. The range maps and photos have brief species accounts on the page facing them, with more detailed accounts available in a seperate section of the book. The book does not cover damselflies. It also does not contain any type of key. Either of these would have been nice, but then I guess the book would have been too large to be a field guide... This book is the best field guide to North American dragonflies of which I am aware. It is very refreshing to see such a high-quality, useful field guide written about insects other than butterflies .
Rating:
Summary: Wonderful book
Review: This book contains numerous small (about 1.5" x 1.5") color, fairly high-quality photos of North American dragonflies. It also includes range maps which are color coded based upon the time of year you could expect to see the various dragonflies in different areas. The book contains accounts for the various species, genera and families of dragonflies. The accounts are well-written and touch on some of the dragonflies' natural history as well as summarizing identifying characteristics. The range maps and photos have brief species accounts on the page facing them, with more detailed accounts available in a seperate section of the book. The book does not cover damselflies. It also does not contain any type of key. Either of these would have been nice, but then I guess the book would have been too large to be a field guide... This book is the best field guide to North American dragonflies of which I am aware. It is very refreshing to see such a high-quality, useful field guide written about insects other than butterflies <g>.
Rating:
Summary: A great field guide
Review: This book is cool. The illistrations are beautiful and the text is well written. I enjoy using it and find it to be essential to identifying dragonflies. Highly recommended if you enjoy watching dragonflies or insects in general. Together with a pair of good quality binoculars, Dragonflies Through Binoculars, makes the identification fun. The only problem is that some of the illistrations are a little too small. Another bumber is the fact that damselflies are not covered in the guide. This is a shame, because many of the damselflies are as beautiful and interesting as dragonflies. Other than that, the guide is great. Hopefully, the series will continue with other families of insects that are gaining the interest of nature watching enthusiasts. A guide to damselflies would be great, as would guides to sphinx moths (a.k.a. hawk moths), tiger beetles, and aquatic insects.
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