Photographic Atlas of Entomology & Guide to Insect Identification [Spiral-bound]

James L. Castner (Author)

Editorial Reviews

From the Publisher

Although photo atlases in other fields of the life sciences have long been available to aid students in their studies, there has never been one for entomology. One reason for this is the great number of photos necessary for such a book to be of any value. Fortunately for students, Dr. Castner has spent the past 25 years photographing insects with his work appearing in everything from National Geographic to Ranger Rick. Dr. Castner's experience in teaching and working with students has allowed him to produce a work that exactly addresses their needs. His Photographic Atlas of Entomology is simple, thorough, user-friendly, and very reasonably priced. It should be a great help to any entomology student, as well as to the professors teaching entomology courses.

From the Author

I can't tell you how many times I have seen students sitting in the hallway outside the entomology lab, frantically trying to study in the last few minutes before a quiz or lab practical. These and other students deserve something better than a bunch of pages of hastily scrawled notes from which to study. The purpose of this photo atlas is NOT to take the place of students examining actual specimens in a collection. The purpose is to make it easier for them to study such specimens, and to review these studies in a more meaningful way outside the lab by having photographs of representative insects to guide them.

I have set what I feel is a low price ($35) on this book in order to make it affordable to all students. However, with 670 color images included, printing costs were high. I will listen to feedback from both students and professors, and will try to incorporate changes that will improve this text in future additions. It is my sincere hope that both students and teachers will find this book helpful with the result that entomology becomes more fun.

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Product Details

• Spiral-bound
• Publisher: Feline Pr (January 1, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0962515043
• ISBN-13: 978-0962515040
• Product Dimensions: 11 x 8.9 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #71,495 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

38 of 39 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars a MUST for people just starting, July 22, 2001

By 

K. Barnes (Austin,TX) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Photographic Atlas of Entomology & Guide to Insect Identification (Spiral-bound)

A picture is truly worth a thousand words. This is perfect for students to use as a study guide or for others who find, like I did, that they need to learn how to identify insects (for a job, gardening pest control or other reason).

After chapters on insect life cycles, coverage of each type of body part, and distinguishing insects from creatures of other Classes (each section full of photographs for comparison), Castner then covers each Order of insect -- with short descriptions of Families and magnified photos of examples from each family. Of the chapters devoted to a specific Order, you find a key to the families of each Order. Should you need to identify by species, you will have to then refer to a field guide; however Castner's book speeds up the process tremendously.

Unlike most books that give confusing written descriptions of different types of body parts, this one shows pictures (though it is missing clear photos showing the difference between Hemiptera and Homoptera mouthparts, which would be my one complaint, but may end up in later editions). Although it is not meant to REPLACE field guides, esp. in the area of Genus and species identification, it does clear up many things that you'll need to know in order to understand the written ID descriptions in field guides.

Although there seems to be some variation in the field on Orders, I hope professors will seriously consider recommending this book as a study guide/supplement -- just pointing out any differences expected on the test.

I wish I had more space to say more good things about this spiral-bound guide and its beautiful & helpful pictures. I will say that if I had had it for my Forest Entomology class several years ago, my grade of "C" would have been an "A".

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Outstanding!, September 3, 2005

By 

Paul D. Goodell "wildlife photographer" (Ridgewood, NJ USA) - See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Photographic Atlas of Entomology & Guide to Insect Identification (Spiral-bound)

This is a great introduction and guide to the understanding of insects. As the title says, it is an atlas, not an encyclopedia; it provides a beautifully illustrated (photographically) basis to understanding the fundamental aspects of insect taxonomy. It is a 'what and why' guide to types and classifications. And, while not intended to be a complete identification guide, it really is pretty good at that also. I highly recommend the book to anyone wanting to _learn_ about insects.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Insect guide, June 21, 2009

By 

D. H. Lee (Northern California) - See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Photographic Atlas of Entomology & Guide to Insect Identification (Spiral-bound)

This book has excellent photographs of insects and the various stages of their life cycle. Great anatomy and an easy to follow Table of Contents. It also lays flat when opened because of the ring binder. Kids love the photos of the really exotic to the ugly, scary ones. It encourages young readers to try and identify insects they have seen or caught and learn anatomy, metamorphosis and other life stages.