Dragonflies of the World [Hardcover]

Jill Silsby (Author), Michael J. Parr (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 1, 2001

In Dragonflies of the World Jill Silsby provides a comprehensive worldwide guide to the order Odonata, describing the unique attributes of dragonflies in general and the distinctive features of individual families and subfamilies. The book contains full-color photographs of more than three hundred species, all of which are identified by both their scientific and common names.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

In this handsomely illustrated volume, entomologist Jill Silsby and a team of colleagues introduce readers to the little-explored world of dragonflies and their damselfly cousins, the order Odonata.

The odonates, Silsby writes, are among the oldest of the earth's living creatures, ancient even by the age of the dinosaurs. That they have survived while so many other species of the time did not hinges on several adaptations, including the development of large compound eyes, wings that move independently of one another, and a highly streamlined body shape, all of which have made odonates "superb hunting machines." Strictly carnivorous, dragonflies are also wide-ranging--some species have been known to travel across oceans--and are found in most parts of the world; one family, the Synlestidae, or sylphs, are distributed throughout southern Africa, Australia, China, and the Caribbean island of Hispaniola, but, strangely, nowhere in between. (For all its ubiquity, though, the dragonfly figures little in the world's art, literature, and mythology.) But all 6,000 species of dragonflies depend on one habitat in particular that is becoming ever more rare: clean, usually slow-moving bodies of water. The volume closes with a consideration of conservation measures that are needed if the odonates are to survive beyond the present age, including the establishment of protected areas worldwide.

A pleasure to read and constantly informative, this compendium makes a welcome addition to any nature buff's collection. --Gregory McNamee

From Booklist

Dragonflies are magnificent insects--large, predatory bugs that anyone can recognize. Their somewhat fearsome appearance and inquisitive nature makes them obvious to even the most oblivious to nature. Dragonflies and their smaller relatives, damselflies, are also among the most ancient of living animals, having arisen some 300 million years ago. Silsby addresses both interested amateurs and experienced zoologists. Introductory chapters reveal the evolution of dragonflies, their life cycle, structure, and behavior. The bulk of the book is a look at the damselflies and dragonflies of the world. The approximately 6,000 species are divided into 29 families, and each family is discussed separately, with general facts about ecology, behavior, and appearance. Superb color photographs illustrate the text; in fact, this is the first book to illustrate at least one species from every family and subfamily of these insects. A glossary of the somewhat exotic terms used to describe dragonflies, along with a list of dragonfly societies, completes a book that, despite its steep price, belongs in every library. Nancy Bent
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Product Details

• Hardcover: 200 pages
• Publisher: Smithsonian; 1 edition (October 1, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1560989599
• ISBN-13: 978-1560989592
• Product Dimensions: 10.4 x 9.2 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #686,748 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An Open Window on Remarkable Insects, September 10, 2003

By 

David B Richman (Mesilla Park, NM USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Dragonflies of the World (Hardcover)

Dragonflies have always been among my favorite insects and I was somewhat aware of their variety and beauty, especially in North America. However, Jill Silsby has produced a book that amazed me with the complexity of dragonflies and the closely related damselflies worldwide. These amazing creatures are now starting to get the appreciation they deserve and this book amply demonstrates why they should be appreciated for their ephemeral beauty, their astonishing variety, their remarkable life histories and their interesting behavior. From spider-catching Forest Giants (damselflies) to the primitive Petaltails (dragonflies) they are all here in this book. I wish that such an introduction had been available to me when I was beginning in entomology!

The excellent photographs should also be mentioned. These are just wonderful and I cannot express my full admiration for the selection! Every insect and arachnid order should have a similarly well-illustrated tome written about it in the same format.

If you have even a remote interest in these fantastic insects, get this book!

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Welcome to Planet Dragonfly, August 27, 2010

By 

Ashtar Command "Seeker" (Stockholm, Sweden) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Dragonflies of the World (Hardcover)

The main author of this book, Jill Sillsby, is the honorary secretary of the Worldwide Dragonfly Association and a former ditto of the British Dragonfly Society. As behoves such a prominent student of dragonflies, her book is interesting, readable and illustrated with a large amount of stunning colour photos. Indeed, this is one of the best books on dragonflies I've seen.

"Dragonflies of the world" covers all odonates: true dragonflies, damselflies and anisozygopterans. The book is divided into two main sections. The first deals with the life cycle and behaviour of these fascinating insects. The second is an encyclopaedic section, covering all extant families of the order Odonata. Apart from the usual Hawkers, Emperors and Chasers, there are some groups I haven't heard of previously. The Primitives are dragonflies with curiously shaped wings, Dwarves are the smallest dragonflies (one species is only 15 mm), and the largest ones are called Forest Giants (strictly, they are damselflies). Finally, there are the anisozygopterans, which I personally think looks like a cross between dragonflies and wasps!

The two main sections are followed by three shorter chapters on evolutionary riddles, dragonfly breeding and conservation issues.

All things considered, "Dragonflies of the world" might be the only book about dragonflies you are likely to need.

Welcome to Planet Dragonfly!

5.0 out of 5 stars Great book on odonata!, December 15, 2011

By 

Laura E. Lindler "the knitting bookworm" (Irmo, South Carolina) - See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Dragonflies of the World (Hardcover)

I love this book! I rec'd it yesterday and immediately looked at every photo. The photography is very good and this book contains a lot of information about the life cycles of odonata, much more than the field guides. It also has a section on raising odonata in tanks. The book is from the NY Public Library and has some wear - bumped corners, loose hinges and a few pages with sticky spots, but nothing that can't be repaired easily. There are no torn pages and no markings except for some library labels. Overall, a wonderful book full of information interesting to anyone who likes watching dragonflies.