Customer Reviews

Insects: Their Natural History and Diversity: With a Photographic Guide to Insects of Eastern North America

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At last we receive a well-written, comprehensive, and gorgeously illustrated guide to insects of eastern North America, a book that has been badly needed for many, many years. Stephen Marshall did a splendid job of combining in a single volume information on biology and identification of most families of insects found in this region, and did it in a way that is both pleasing to the eye, and truly educational. Lavishly illustrated with literally thousands of color photos, this book is an encyclopedia of North American insects, and a fantastic invitation to the exploration of our insect fauna. It includes overviews of all orders of insects found in N. America, and provides user-friendly flowchart keys to their identification (down to the family level) that are short on technical jargon but rich in illustrations. The book also has chapters on collecting and photographing insects and other small critters. I am sure that this volume will influence many budding naturalists, and quickly become the resource of choice for entomology teachers and students. An absolute must in the library of anybody with an interest in natural history as well as a useful reference for gardeners. I simply cannot recommend it enough.

I can only echo Piotr Naskrecki's review. When this book arrived my first thought was "Wow! This is the insect book I've been waiting for!" The illustrated flowchart keys to insect orders and families are outstanding and will be more easily used than the conventional keys in standard texts. I've been interested in insects most of my life (over 50 years) and this is the most incredible introduction to the subject I've seen. The only quibble I have is that the butterflies and moths don't have an illustrated flow chart key to their families. But don't let that keep you from getting this wonderful book.

This book came out just as we were considering a move to the east coast. Clearly it was one of our best purchases for the trip. While it is not the book you will take with you in the field, it is definitely the source you will turn to in the car or once you get home. If you have a question, it will probably have the answer. For searching or browsing, I heartily recommend it!

This book has good information for a general, overall view of various insects and it has excellent photos. It would not be useful if you need indepth info about a particular insect group. The keys are useful for identifying more common insects, although in some places the keys lump families together (if I would not have caught this, I would have misidentifed some of the insects for my class).

My wife and I have a landscaping company and teach gardening. I have been looking for a complete book insects, not just the problem ones. This book has great pictures of the life cycle of the insect not just the adult or larve. Another great book is Garden Insects of North America by Whitney Cranshaw.

Stephen A. Marshall's INSECTS: THEIR NATURAL HISTORY AND DIVERSITY isn't for the general-interest holding so much as the college-level collection catering to entomologists or students of such. Insects of Eastern North America are the focus in a jam-packed colorful reference displaying insects within their order and including notes on their introduction, habitats, coloring and more. It's the professional's solid reference to identification and habits, making it a top basic reference pick for serious science libraries.

This Insect book is the biggest and best of any I have seen or used. The photographs are an excellent help for identification purposes. There is plenty of information about each insect. Right after I got the book, I found an unknown-to-me tiny bug. I looked at it with a magnifier and had no idea what it was. Looking at the photos in this book, I immediately found an enlarged photo of the very bug I had. It was a Lace Bug. I was so pleased to find the photos and the excellent description of its life history.

With thousands of species of insects in eastern North America, a comprehensive guide would be too heavy to lift. But Marshall's book offers the next best thing: an excellent summary of the world of insects, with stunning photographs and usable charts that outline definitive characteristics of the various insect groups found in this part of the world. Each insect group is represented by an extensive group of photographs. Each group of photographs is preceded by its own well-written introductory section. And, together, the introductory sections amount to exactly what the book's title promises: an expert's insight into the natural history of the diverse groups of insects found in eastern North America. This is not a field guide. It's the book you go to after your field guide comes up empty.

This book was meticulously researched and illustrated with color photographs, Insects is a landmark reference book that is ideal for any naturalist or entomologist. To enhance exact identification of insects, the photographs in this encyclopedic reference were taken in the field - not just dead pinned specimens. It enables readers to identify most insects quickly and accurately. Key fact areas are comprehensive and easy to use for anyreader.
A book of invaluable resource for those who want to know more about the biology and behavior of a particular insect and for those interested in biodiversity, insect classification, and the impact of insects on commerce and human health. He has also devoted an entire chapter to non-insect arthropods. Invaluable book for all ages.

This is the insect book that you have always wanted, but were afraid did not exist. I have studied birds, wildflowers, butterflies, dragonflies, grasses, moths, etc., for years, and always found satisfactory field guides and natural history guides covering eastern North America. But I had bought all of the standard field guides to insects, and still felt at a loss when I tried to identify a critter, even to genus, or to learn something about the ecology of the genus.
I bought this book as a "last ditch" effort, with low expectations, but was amazed that the encyclopaedic library of extremely high quality photographs included in the book was so comprehensive that now I am almost always able to identify insects that I find in the field, at least to genus. What astounded me even more, is that the author seems to have an intimate, personal knowledge of just about every bug found in Eastern North America. The text sections of the book provide fascinating ecological details, explaining how each genus of insects, and often even (especially conspicuous or notorious) individual species of insects, interact with many aspects of the environment through different stages of their life cycle. I would have been thrilled with this book for its qualities as a field guide alone, but I often stay up reading this book much later at night then I should, just because it is such a page-turner!