A Field Guide to Insects

Rating:
Summary: Extremely interesting book.
Review: The only reason I didn't give it 5 stars was because of the lack of color photos or plates. I honestly read half the book when I first recieved it. I got it because I was worried that this creature I had found was a mutant or something (turned out it was a velvet ant). It does have quite a bit of information on the different animals that make up the order of insects. It does not though give detail into any peticualar family though. There are after all WAY to many insects out there to fit into just one book. Check out the other field guides for butterflies, moths, or whatever you are into. It can be a little technical for the layman (i.e. me) but will help get you started on your adventures in collecting and learning about insects.

Rating:
Summary: This book is valuable for both scientists and lay-people.
Review: There are few books that can carry the responsibility of identifying insects easily. This is one of them. More illustrations would be helpful as would more information, but the limits of a field guide size limit this. It's a sufficiently detailed book that field researchers can use it but not so scientific (read opaque) that naturalists can't use it. It would be a useful book for anyone who's identifying insects and has little formal training in entomology. It'd be nice if the authors covered arachnids, too.

Rating:
Summary: Excellent guide for one starting an interest in insects.
Review: This book has some really great pictures that can help the amateur identify insects down to the family and occasionally down to class.

Rating:
Summary: great book
Review: This book is the most comprehensive general field guide to insects available. It has both good pictures and text that can help the amateur identify insects down to the family and occasionally down to genus and species.

Rating:
Summary: The wrong sexes?
Review: This is a good book, however, there are 3 entries that provide incorrect sexes. In particular, the fall cankerworm. This insect is identified in the picture as a female moth, when in truth, it is the male. Females are wingless, this is why banding trees is helpful in control, since she must climb the tree to lay her eggs. The other two entries are also moths, something the author should have been aware of. The book would also benefit from better pictures, rather than illustrations. But for the most part it is a helpful guide and would recommend it next to the audoban societies guide to north american insects.