Customer Reviews

Insects of the Los Angeles Basin

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

My wife knew I wanted this book as a reference guide to the insects in our house and yard, so she surprised me with it on our anniversary. It made a wonderful gift! When I'd seen it at the bookstore, I hadn't had time to do anything but skim the pages, and so I was pleasantly surprised to find it's actually a readable book. I never thought I'd read a book on insects cover to cover, but this one I finished in a few days (even the chapter on Ticks and Mites).

Most reference books -- you know, the North American Guide to Seashells or whatever -- are dense and hard to use, with keys and indices and all the pictures collected onto the fewest number of pages possible, to save printing costs. But this book has pictures or drawings of every insect listed, right next to its listing. And while it doesn't cover every insect of the LA basin -- no book could -- I've yet to find one that isn't in this book.

But what really sets this book apart is the writing. Charles Hogue was the entomology curator at the LA Natural History Museum until his death in 1992. Surely, he had hundreds or thousands of people bring in pictures or specimens, asking, What is this? And he's written a book for that type of people, those who would never study entomology, but would notice and wonder at some unusual bug.

As you wend your way through the chapters, Hogue anticipates what you might find interesting, what you might ask, and he's right there with some details or answers. He'll mention how Belkin's Chigger played a role in a murder investigation in Ventura County, or recount how Black Witch moth (with a wingspan of 6 to 7 inches) was common around the Coliseum during the 84 Olympics, even though you won't find its caterpillars in the basin.

It's fun reading about dragonflies and whatnot. It's fun learning that the daddy longlegs in your cupboard isn't a daddy longlegs at all, it's a cobweb spider. It's not so much fun reading about earwigs. But telling your friends that earwigs can fly, and that the tubular lawn furniture on their patio might be housing large populations of them? That's great fun.

After reading this book, I knew I had to get on Amazon and give it a five star review. How nice that so many other people beat me to it!

If you want to know more than just the names and habitat of Southern California insects, then this is the book for you. If the insect is non-native, what is its origin and when was it introduced? If it stings or bites, what does it feel like and does the toxin affect the nerves like a black widow or just dissolve the local tissue like a brown recluse? Do they jump or dart? Why is it always showing up in a certain room or part of the yard? "Insects of the Los Angeles Basin" will answer these questions. Read this book and become the lone rational mind in a roomful of hysterical screaming humans recoiling from the sight of one of these magnificent little creatures.

A magnificent book. Hogue details all of the more important insect species, and some the of the lesser known, as well. Did you know that L.A. is home to 3 species of fireflies? There are numerous photos, black and white, and color, along with several line drawings.

There are pictures of every insect (and spider) featured, and this makes it very useful in identifying the critters in the yard.

This is a great book- I use it to answer all the insect questions I get asked.

I don't understand the prices on Amazon.com. This book is still available and in print at the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County at under $30/ copy soft cover, $45 hard cover.

I remember seeing this book for sale at the Los Angeles Natural History Museum long time ago and passing on it because at that time I felt it cost too much. Stupid me. A couple of weeks ago I was talking with an old friend and mentioned how I used to collect insects. He mentioned this book and told me he found a used copy on Amazon, so I followed his lead and found my own used copy. The price I paid was reasonable, little more than the original cost but I find it sad that other people have to try and engage in price gouging.

Regarding the book itself: it is printed on high quality paper and contains numerous photographs, most in color, along with drawings. It also provides descriptions of the insects (and there are brief sections on other crawly things like spiders, centipedes, sowbugs, etc.) so it really is a fantastic reference book for insects of the greater Los Angeles area. I saw so many familiar insects inside, ones I used to catch myself long time ago, so to me this book is fascinating. At 400+ pages it is also a valuable, detailed reference work. It's a shame it is out of print but I guess there isn't that much demand for something like this. It is an excellent book, though, and I highly recommend it to anyone who has an interest in insects from the Los Angeles area.

If you go to the California Natural History Museum at the USC campus. They are there for 30 dollars.

I wont discuss the scientific or academic merits of this book, as they are many and have already been cited by other readers. But I will say that anyone living in the Los Angeles area would find this book fascinating just on a "hey, what IS that?" kind of way. I have found critters in my tub, hanging out on the porch lite and crawling in the grass that defied my imagination, until I looked them up in this wonderfully illustrated and informative book. Helpful, fun and downright interesting.

Great reference, and the only of its kind. Sadly it is out of print though still readily available for an elevated price most of the time. The only "substitute" is Dr. Hogue's other California Insects book for the whole state. If you see either cheap buy it and donate it to your local High School Biology teacher! I knowe this is rather brief. Other reviewers have explained the book well. I just wanted to comment about its status and the fact that HS biology teachers in southern California generally love the book.