Among the most ancient and powerful of insects, dragonflies fascinate scientists and nonspecialists-in part because they are large enough for the behavior of individual insects to be observed and interpreted. Indeed, so much useful information exists about dragonflies that they serve as valuable models for interpreting the behavior and ecology of other taxa. Philip S. Corbet has devoted a lifetime to their study. His book A Biology of Dragonflies has been a standard text for more than thirty-five years. This latest book establishes a new benchmark for the Odonata, providing a comprehensive, critical review of past and current knowledge-both published and unpublished-about species from all biogeographical regions in both functional and evolutionary contexts. The volume emphasizes the diversity found in dragonfly behavior as well as unifying patterns. It describes the behavioral strategies that influence the fitness of individuals in physical and biotic environments and in all stages of the life cycle, and identifies the biological principles reflected in those strategies. The book also examines behavior associated with processes such as habitat selection, foraging, seasonal regulation, migration, territoriality, mating, and sperm competition, emphasizing the interdependence of all developmental stages as well as relationships among dragonflies and other animals, including humans. Dragonflies represents a remarkably thorough and searching appraisal of a single taxon, featuring 252 drawings and black-and-white photographs, 96 color plates, nearly 100 appendix tables, and more than 4,000 bibliographic citations to original sources. The wealth of information and its integrated treatment will indisputably make the book the definitive source on dragonflies for years to come.
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Editorial Reviews
Review
"This will become the standard work on dragonfly behaviour and ecology, not only for experts but for those like the reveiwer, whose interest is not matched by profound knowledge of these remarkable insects, but to whom a copious source of information to which they can turn at need will be very welcome. This book is beautifully produced and the contents do justice to its appearance."-Professor Geoffrey Fryer, The Naturalist
"Philip Corbet is a world authority on odonates. His book is a tour de force of perspectives and prospectuses on basic and applied research of these insects. . . . This book represents a lifetime of detailed and insightful work. . . . In short, the book is indispensable for anyone considering work on odonates on virtually any aspect, and it is an extremely useful reference for comparative work on other insects and invertebrates."-Mark R. Forbes, SILnews
"This is an amazing book-all 829 pages of it. I truly believe Corbet analysed and documented in one volume everything that was known about the behaviour and ecology of odonata. . . . The book may accurately be described as 'monumental'."-Ruth Day, London Naturalist
"Recommended for speciality collections is Philip Corbet's Dragonflies a scholarly study of the bahavior and ecology of the dragonfly. Plenty of technical information on the dragonfly is covered in the chapters that gather all the research and findings under one cover."-The Bookwatch
"For any odonatological theme, on which one would seek an overview or critical suggestions, or wish to raise questions, one would in future refer first to this work. . . . As a biological text this is a milestone. . . . Among the literature on dragonflies it has no equal and it is unlikely that it will be surpassed soon. For any single insect order it provides such comprehensive treatment, so many productive new ideas, such clarity of expression, such worldwide treatment, and is so rich and reliable in content that it deserves a secure place as a model for other animal groups in the library of every biologist or entomologist."-Dr. Andreas Martens, Lauterbornia
"A fat reference for serious students who want to learn about the behavior and ecology of a group of large predatory invertebrates and for people in any profession with affection and respect for dragonflies themselves."-SciTech Book News
"The culmination of Corbet's life's work to date, this book provides a balanced view about the development, larval habits, foraging, reproduction, and conservation of the insects. This book will become the standard reference work for dragonflies."-Choice
"This book is a must for anyone with any interest in odonata. . . Everyone who reads it will find something new and thought-provoking. It is a superb testimony to Philip Corbet's extraordinary ability to absorb, collate and present a huge amount of information in such an authoritative and readable account on these fascinating insects."-British Wildlife
"For many years odonatologists have found his Biology of Dragonflies , published in 1962, extremely useful, and when we learnt that he was preparing a greatly extended new edition of his book we were delighted. After a gestation period of nearly 20 years it has appeared. It has been well worth waiting for! Dragonflies: Behaviour and Ecology of Odonata is a truly splendid contribution to odonatology and to entomology in general. . . . I am convinced that Philip Corbet's Dragonflies is and will remain one of the truly great entomological books. Above all, it will provide a huge stimulus for future research on these ancient, beautiful and fascinating insects."-Norman Moore, Biological Conservation
"The publication of A Biology of Dragonflies in 1962 established Philip S. Corbet as a world authority of the odonata. His sequel . . . is an incredible tour de force-Corbet's magnum opus. Its scholarship is impeccable. The attention to detail in cross-referencing, citations, and organization make this enclopedic volume accessible and useful. It is hard to imagine that a single author ever again will have such a thorough command of the Odonata to achieve such a broad synthesis."-Harold B. White, III, Entomological News
"Truly authoritative. . . Corbet has written a cleverly cross-referenced and indexed text that provides all the raw material from which ideas can be developed, or key information sought. . . . This well-organized volume is one of the definitive natural history texts of the twentieth century."-Nature
"This extraordinary publication by Philip S. Corbet, a world authority on Odonata, is destined to be the authoratative reference work for both professional and amateur odonatists for years to come. I would recommend that it has a place on your bookshelf."-John F. Brook, Bulletin of the Royal Entomological Society
"The book is a monumental work, a milestone in odonatology of course, but also with a far more general impact, as it marks the revival of the natural history style of books, a kind of biological oeuvre that was considered dead and buried in professional science. . . Dragonflies is a beautiful book, carefully produced with eye for detail and, considering its size, number of pages and of colour plates, relatively reasonably priced. . . . Before 1999, it was difficult to imagine the science of odonatology without Philip Corbet. Now, it is impossible."-Koen Martens, Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society
"This is a 'generation work', without a reference to which no serious odonatological research will be henceforth possible."-Ononatologica
"An outstanding monograph. . . . Information about tropical and temperate species in functional and evolutionary contexts is skilfully integrated and facts and ideas are reviewed in the context of current biological thinking."-British Journal of Entomology and Natural History
"The book is well laid out with numerous illustrations and graphs to illustrate the main text, which also makes browsing a delight-open at any page and the reader is immediately absorbed. . . The book is a must for dragonfly enthusiasts, and for keen entomologists who will enjoy this readable account of dragonfly ecology and behaviour."-Ian Boothroyd, New Zealand Entomologist
"A fine compilation of information. . . In short, an exhaustive and well-organized book that is an essential library book for all aquatic entomologist and ecologists. An impressive effort!"-Northeastern Naturalist
"This is a marvellous book and a must, not just for those studying odonata, but all working on aquatic insects. It should also be present in every entomological library."-Peter Zwick, Aquatic Insects
"The book offers an unusually detailed overview of the information we have of both larval and adult life stages of odonates. . . Moreover, this wealth of information is also on its own very interesting for those who study odonates. . . Besides its textual richness, the book has many drawings and figures."-Dr. Robby Stoks, Gomphus
"This book is undoubtedly the definitive work on the behaviour and ecology of dragonflies; there is no precedent with which to compare it and I doubt that there will be for many years to come. The publication of such a detailed review is a welcome addition to behavioural and ecological entomology. As such, I would wholeheartedly recommend this book not to only odonatologists, but to ecologists in general."-Guy Woodward, Freshwater Biology
"This book will be the standard encyclopaedia of the ecologty and behaviour of dragonflies for a long time."- Dick Groenendijk, Brachytron
"I doubt whether I will see another monograph of this stature in my lifetime. Quite simply, this book is the sum of published knowledge on the behaviour and ecology of this archaic insect order. I do not want to sound like a bar-bore, but this book is testament to the way biology used to be done. . . . high-quality, empiracally-based information. . . makes up most of the text. . . . I was, and still am staggered by the sheer quantity of material that Corbet has synthesized as well as the fact that he clearly understands the material. . . . This work is an example of what a natural history monograph should be, and I believe it will stand as a, if not the, definitive example of the genre. . . . The price tag may seem high, but this book provides organized and contextualized information in a format that will be useful well into the next millenium. It is a must-have for anyone interested in dragonflies, or even insects in general, and should find a home on the shelf in every self-respecting library."-Michael T. Siva-Jothy, U.K. Animal Behaviour
"One must salute the appearance of the most important work on the behaviour and ecology of dragonflies of the day of which the great odonatologist Philip S. Corbet is the brilliant author."-Raymond Hutchinson, Nouv'Ailes: Bulletin de l'Association des entomologistes amateurs du Québec
"A remarkable accomplishment. The book is unique in the literature on dragonflies and has very few parallels among that on other insects. Philip Corbet does not shy away from interesting, well-reasoned (and clearly identified) speculation and is full of explicit or implicit suggestions for further research."-Michael L. May, Rutgers University
"This is an astonishing book, a complete encyclopedia of dragonfly behavior and ecology. Philip Corbet's breadth of analysis and dedication to his topic are extraordinary."-John Alcock, Arizona State University
"Philip Corbet is a world authority on odonates. His book is a tour de force of perspectives and prospectuses on basic and applied research of these insects. . . . This book represents a lifetime of detailed and insightful work. . . . In short, the book is indispensable for anyone considering work on odonates on virtually any aspect, and it is an extremely useful reference for comparative work on other insects and invertebrates."-Mark R. Forbes, SILnews
"This is an amazing book-all 829 pages of it. I truly believe Corbet analysed and documented in one volume everything that was known about the behaviour and ecology of odonata. . . . The book may accurately be described as 'monumental'."-Ruth Day, London Naturalist
"Recommended for speciality collections is Philip Corbet's Dragonflies a scholarly study of the bahavior and ecology of the dragonfly. Plenty of technical information on the dragonfly is covered in the chapters that gather all the research and findings under one cover."-The Bookwatch
"For any odonatological theme, on which one would seek an overview or critical suggestions, or wish to raise questions, one would in future refer first to this work. . . . As a biological text this is a milestone. . . . Among the literature on dragonflies it has no equal and it is unlikely that it will be surpassed soon. For any single insect order it provides such comprehensive treatment, so many productive new ideas, such clarity of expression, such worldwide treatment, and is so rich and reliable in content that it deserves a secure place as a model for other animal groups in the library of every biologist or entomologist."-Dr. Andreas Martens, Lauterbornia
"A fat reference for serious students who want to learn about the behavior and ecology of a group of large predatory invertebrates and for people in any profession with affection and respect for dragonflies themselves."-SciTech Book News
"The culmination of Corbet's life's work to date, this book provides a balanced view about the development, larval habits, foraging, reproduction, and conservation of the insects. This book will become the standard reference work for dragonflies."-Choice
"This book is a must for anyone with any interest in odonata. . . Everyone who reads it will find something new and thought-provoking. It is a superb testimony to Philip Corbet's extraordinary ability to absorb, collate and present a huge amount of information in such an authoritative and readable account on these fascinating insects."-British Wildlife
"For many years odonatologists have found his Biology of Dragonflies , published in 1962, extremely useful, and when we learnt that he was preparing a greatly extended new edition of his book we were delighted. After a gestation period of nearly 20 years it has appeared. It has been well worth waiting for! Dragonflies: Behaviour and Ecology of Odonata is a truly splendid contribution to odonatology and to entomology in general. . . . I am convinced that Philip Corbet's Dragonflies is and will remain one of the truly great entomological books. Above all, it will provide a huge stimulus for future research on these ancient, beautiful and fascinating insects."-Norman Moore, Biological Conservation
"The publication of A Biology of Dragonflies in 1962 established Philip S. Corbet as a world authority of the odonata. His sequel . . . is an incredible tour de force-Corbet's magnum opus. Its scholarship is impeccable. The attention to detail in cross-referencing, citations, and organization make this enclopedic volume accessible and useful. It is hard to imagine that a single author ever again will have such a thorough command of the Odonata to achieve such a broad synthesis."-Harold B. White, III, Entomological News
"Truly authoritative. . . Corbet has written a cleverly cross-referenced and indexed text that provides all the raw material from which ideas can be developed, or key information sought. . . . This well-organized volume is one of the definitive natural history texts of the twentieth century."-Nature
"This extraordinary publication by Philip S. Corbet, a world authority on Odonata, is destined to be the authoratative reference work for both professional and amateur odonatists for years to come. I would recommend that it has a place on your bookshelf."-John F. Brook, Bulletin of the Royal Entomological Society
"The book is a monumental work, a milestone in odonatology of course, but also with a far more general impact, as it marks the revival of the natural history style of books, a kind of biological oeuvre that was considered dead and buried in professional science. . . Dragonflies is a beautiful book, carefully produced with eye for detail and, considering its size, number of pages and of colour plates, relatively reasonably priced. . . . Before 1999, it was difficult to imagine the science of odonatology without Philip Corbet. Now, it is impossible."-Koen Martens, Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society
"This is a 'generation work', without a reference to which no serious odonatological research will be henceforth possible."-Ononatologica
"An outstanding monograph. . . . Information about tropical and temperate species in functional and evolutionary contexts is skilfully integrated and facts and ideas are reviewed in the context of current biological thinking."-British Journal of Entomology and Natural History
"The book is well laid out with numerous illustrations and graphs to illustrate the main text, which also makes browsing a delight-open at any page and the reader is immediately absorbed. . . The book is a must for dragonfly enthusiasts, and for keen entomologists who will enjoy this readable account of dragonfly ecology and behaviour."-Ian Boothroyd, New Zealand Entomologist
"A fine compilation of information. . . In short, an exhaustive and well-organized book that is an essential library book for all aquatic entomologist and ecologists. An impressive effort!"-Northeastern Naturalist
"This is a marvellous book and a must, not just for those studying odonata, but all working on aquatic insects. It should also be present in every entomological library."-Peter Zwick, Aquatic Insects
"The book offers an unusually detailed overview of the information we have of both larval and adult life stages of odonates. . . Moreover, this wealth of information is also on its own very interesting for those who study odonates. . . Besides its textual richness, the book has many drawings and figures."-Dr. Robby Stoks, Gomphus
"This book is undoubtedly the definitive work on the behaviour and ecology of dragonflies; there is no precedent with which to compare it and I doubt that there will be for many years to come. The publication of such a detailed review is a welcome addition to behavioural and ecological entomology. As such, I would wholeheartedly recommend this book not to only odonatologists, but to ecologists in general."-Guy Woodward, Freshwater Biology
"This book will be the standard encyclopaedia of the ecologty and behaviour of dragonflies for a long time."- Dick Groenendijk, Brachytron
"I doubt whether I will see another monograph of this stature in my lifetime. Quite simply, this book is the sum of published knowledge on the behaviour and ecology of this archaic insect order. I do not want to sound like a bar-bore, but this book is testament to the way biology used to be done. . . . high-quality, empiracally-based information. . . makes up most of the text. . . . I was, and still am staggered by the sheer quantity of material that Corbet has synthesized as well as the fact that he clearly understands the material. . . . This work is an example of what a natural history monograph should be, and I believe it will stand as a, if not the, definitive example of the genre. . . . The price tag may seem high, but this book provides organized and contextualized information in a format that will be useful well into the next millenium. It is a must-have for anyone interested in dragonflies, or even insects in general, and should find a home on the shelf in every self-respecting library."-Michael T. Siva-Jothy, U.K. Animal Behaviour
"One must salute the appearance of the most important work on the behaviour and ecology of dragonflies of the day of which the great odonatologist Philip S. Corbet is the brilliant author."-Raymond Hutchinson, Nouv'Ailes: Bulletin de l'Association des entomologistes amateurs du Québec
"A remarkable accomplishment. The book is unique in the literature on dragonflies and has very few parallels among that on other insects. Philip Corbet does not shy away from interesting, well-reasoned (and clearly identified) speculation and is full of explicit or implicit suggestions for further research."-Michael L. May, Rutgers University
"This is an astonishing book, a complete encyclopedia of dragonfly behavior and ecology. Philip Corbet's breadth of analysis and dedication to his topic are extraordinary."-John Alcock, Arizona State University
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
20 of 21 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A New Standard in Odonatological Literature,
This review is from: Dragonflies: Behavior and Ecology of Odonata (Comstock Book) (Hardcover)
I am a fourth-year biology undergrad at the University of Toronto. My program has consisted largely of ecology, evolution, and behavior, and throughout it I have attempted to incorporate my lifelong fascination with dragonflies into many of my research projects, essays, etc. Recently, while drafting a paper on the conservation of rare/significant dragonflies for a Conservation Biology class, I came across (and relied heavily upon) P.S. Corbet's book, Dragonflies: Behavior and Ecology of Odonata. I was beyond impressed. Having sifted through as much primary and secondary literature as I could get my hands on, his book quickly found the top of the pile, being by far the most current, comprehensive, and well-written study of dragonfly ecology and life history. In fact, my enthusiasm for his work must have been quite apparent, as my girlfriend thoughtfully gave me a copy for Christmas, so I could avoid any further library fines for a book I simply couldn't give back! I consider this book a must-have for any aspiring odonatologist, and highly recommend it to anyone who is awed (as I am) by these wonderful insects. Dragonflies: Behavior and Ecology of Odonata affords not only an educational, but a truly pleasurable read--a combination that only someone with personal enthusiasm and lifetime experience in a subject could produce. Anyone with a copy of Walker on the shelves should be sure to place Prof. Corbet's work next to it, as it truly represents a new standard in Odonatological literature.Cory Robertson University of Toronto Hon. B.Sc. Biology
7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Amazing reference for odonate enthusiasts and scientists,
By speak04 (Tucson, AZ USA) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Dragonflies: Behavior and Ecology of Odonata (Comstock Book) (Hardcover)
I bought this book as soon as it was published as a reference for my undergraduate senior thesis and it has since become one of my most invaluable sources of odonate information. As an entomologist with a passion for odonates, this book has always been a favorite of mine and for good reason. Corbet is one of the foremost odonate scientists in the world and after reading this phenomenal book, you will understand why. It is clear that the author knows an extraordinary amount of information about the ecology and behavior of these insects. He loves his subject and clearly wishes to share his knowledge and enthusiasm for the subject with others. In Dragonflies, Corbet presents a huge amount of information in an informative, yet straightforward manner, making excellent use of tables and illustrations where needed. This book is an awesome collection of a hundred years' worth of odonate research condensed into one concise, staggeringly complete volume. This is the sort of work all scientists should dream of writing. If there is anything you want to know about odonate behaviors known to science, you will find it in this book. Don't be put off by the price or the length - if you're seriously interested in dragonflies, it doesn't get any better than this.
4 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Excellent,
By Willow Wolf "Willow Wolf" (Star Mountain, USA) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Dragonflies: Behavior and Ecology of Odonata (Comstock Book) (Hardcover)
It is a masterpiece, bound to remain indispensable to biologists for years to come.
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