Reviews (11)

GOOD Reference, LOTS to Read
My favorite chapters included Kingdom Fungi, Photosynthesis,excretory system and structure and function of chloroplasta.Like a previous reviewer, I used this book to prepare for the biology section of the DAT (Dental Admission Test).This is a good reference, it explains with examples that get the facts to stick to your brain.Yes, it requires studying, but then again what subject doesn't?
Too much information... Just make it simple
I was looking to get up to speed to teach an intro bio class for community college.After reviewing bio texts, I bought this book thinking that it would be a great summary, review and offer quiz questions for bio.I wanted it to be to the point, revelant,and a pithy supplement.Unfortunately, I was disappointed.This book didn't highlight or sum up bio.It went into in-depth discussions that might be of interest to grad students. I looked at Biology the Easy Way and liked it much better.

A useful supplement for freshman college or high school biology
The basics in biology haven't changed in a long while.If you're in a high school or college biology class, you should have a copy of this book.In it, you will find a concise, clear review of the theory, followed immediately by lots of problems with detailed solutions.My students tell me this Schaum's made a positive difference in their understanding.
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Subjects:  1. Biology    2. Biology (General)    3. Life Sciences - Biology - General    4. Outlines, syllabi, etc    5. Science    6. Science/Mathematics    7. Study Guides    8. Biology, Life Sciences    9. Science / Biology   

Reviews (106)

2 1/2 stars, because it is half a good book
When the author focuses on what she knows - autism, neurobiology, and domestic livestock - this book offers many insights. By applying some excellent existing research in neurobiology about what animals are truly capable of perceiving and feeling (read some of the referenced books for confirmation of emotions in animals) and applying her own experiences with domestic livestock and insights founded in her autism (a much more visual world than "normal" people (her word, not mine)), Dr. Grandin shows how a more visual, detail-oriented animal encounters the world.
NO stars for this book!!
What a bunch of high school hallway gossip! The author does not know the difference between white and albino! The 'genetics' discussions on color (which includes people, chickens, horses, and dogs - all of it suspect) and mutts vs. purebred dogs are total claptrap! I confess, I couldn't get past page 87 when the author explains that 'one of the reasons wolves turned into dogs was that nursing human mothers probably adopted orphaned wolf cubs and nursed them at their breasts along with their human babies.' WHAT?? A waste of my hard-earned $. Having read those parts I cannot believe anything that went before or that follows, not that I'm reading any further. How is a multi-published author allowed to put such uneducated 'information' into print? And now she's influenced readers -- a terrible situation. Publisher, where are your pre-publication reviews? Shame on you for allowing this ignorant speculation to be published!!

Very, very interesting
This book was someone else's bookclub selection, and I think having no expectations when I picked it up really helped in my having that WOW experience that some folks report with this book and others miss. Yes, the prose needed much better editing: overuse of repetition, "stock" phrases, and "hanging" assertions that should have been cleaned up.However, I found the discussions of brain development/evolution, similarities between certain animal behaviors and human behaviors, development of language in different animals, and the coevolution of humans and dogs to be facinating (oops, just gave away the ending!).I found the side discussion of outcome-based audits interesting and enlightening.I also liked Dr. Temple's recommendation that people with autism be hired for baggage checking positions.Great idea! Although the book really goes all over the place, I found it a wonderful opportunity to engage my "seeking/hunting" motivation (you'll have to read the book for that one), and worth wading through the flaws to pick up the nuggets of gold. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Animal behavior    2. Animals    3. Autism    4. Cognitive Psychology    5. General    6. Life Sciences - Zoology - Mammals    7. Nature    8. Nature/Ecology    9. Science    10. Zoology (General)    11. Science / Life Sciences / Zoology / Mammals   

Reviews (4)

Vague and Disappointing
It's too boring and basic for my taste.I wanted a more advanced textbook.Alot of people say that this book was okay, but for me, I give it a 1/5.I'm not satisfied with Mader's Biology.I don't agree with alot of the stuff that was said like:The US population will have minorites (Black, Asian and Hispanic) as the majority in the next two decades.That is bull!White people have children and their children of course reproduce...even when they are teens because some don't mind.I aslo think that this textbook is simple also, as one person said.It's too basic.It tells you what a Penis is and it tells you the function of the other organs in your bod.However, she fails miserably to add how to take care of the organs and diseases that can come from doing things.Sure she has STDs down, but it doesn't tell how a baby forms in the stomach or how big a baby is when it's born.I haven't read everything, but I skip around because my class hasn't started yet.

Simple
Mader's "Biology" makes every thing simple with its easy-to-understand language and figures. Great EM shots, summarized tables, and applied examples are a few of the several features of the book. Also,summaries at the end of each section and chapter make it easy to reveiwwhat you have read in a short time. In addition, I have to note that thebook is very simple. i.e. College students may need more detailes, althoughthis book is very useful to them!

Boring But Understandable
Like most biology books full of big words and irrelevent terms this 4th edition biology book by Mader was quite easy for me to understand the scientific terms considering this was my first science course. This easy toread book is a must for those who struggle with the harsh technical termsin science ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Biology    2. Biology (General)    3. Life Sciences - Biology - General    4. Science    5. Science/Mathematics    6. Biology, Life Sciences    7. Science / Biology   

Editorial Review

Richard Dawkins is not a shy man. Edward Larson's research shows that most scientists today are not formally religious, but Dawkins is an in-your-face atheist in the witty British style:Read more

Reviews (299)

Only for intelligently-designed readers! (Tee hee!)
What is very entertaining about this book is reading the very silly and scientifically-baseless reviews that gave the book one star.
fatih for faith
I tried hard to read this book as an intelligent challenge to my faith - only to find that Dawkin's arguements require a leap of faith also- something about how irrational he is about religion - seems to dump his scientific mind and operate on raw emotion - sometimes something more like hate at times.
The Leading Author makes Sense
"Dawkins is the leading author about evolution for the general public. His explanations work and make sense." ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Evolution    2. Evolution (Biology)    3. Life Sciences - Evolution    4. Natural selection    5. Organic Evolution    6. Science    7. Science/Mathematics    8. Science / Evolution   

Editorial Review

With its colorful coral reefs, excellent birding, and tropical temperatures, Florida remains a popular vacation spot for the ecologically minded. In this concisely detailed volume you'll become acquainted with the state's geologic origins, natural history, and diverse habitats (salt marshes, mangrove swamps, prairies, and woodlands). A field guide assists in the identification of some of the region's wildflowers, trees, fishes, amphibians, reptiles, butterflies, mammals, and birds, including the elusive manatee, three species of dolphin, and the rare snail kite. An extensive sampling of the area's best parks, preserves, beaches, forests, islands, and wildlife sanctuaries, with thorough descriptions and visitor information on 50 destinations, is also included. For instance, the section on Everglades National Park includes information on wildlife viewing possibilities, driving directions, and popular touring attractions inside the park (such as Shark Valley, where a 15-mile loop via foot, rental bike, or tram affords close views of alligators, anhingas, and wading birds). Lesser-known areas such as Pelican Island National Wildlife Refuge and Withlacoochee State Forest are also featured. More than 1,300 color photographs heighten the quality of this handy compilation. ... Read more

Reviews (12)

Good resource
I use this as a guide for creatures in South Carolina. It has helped identify snakes and insects. It has great pictures.

Both more and less than what I wanted
I wanted a bird guide that would cover all Florida birds. It did not include all birds, including the one I needed to identify, which turned out to be an atypical muscovy duck. There are more than 2,000 confirmed sightings of this bird in Florida, so I really think it should have been in there. It had identification for lichens for heavens sake but not all the birds.
Mile wide and inch deep
This is the BEST nature guide I have found for Florida, but unfortunately that is not saying much. I have been spoiled by the wealth of naturalist and natural history books available for all different parts of the west, books which not only tell you how to ID a species, but which also give you enough information to feel like you know it afterwards.
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Subjects:  1. Florida    2. General    3. Natural history    4. Nature    5. Nature/Ecology    6. Reference    7. NATURAL HISTORY, COUNTRY LIFE & PETS    8. Nature / General   

Editorial Review

"How does a dinosaur say good night when Papa comes in to turn off the light? Does a dinosaur slam his tail and pout? Does he throw his teddy bear all about? Does a dinosaur stomp his feet on the floor and shout: 'I want to hear one book more!'? DOES A DINOSAUR ROAR?" Most certainly not. Dinosaurs give their mommies and daddies big hugs and kisses, tuck their tales in, and whisper "Good night!"Read more

Reviews (99)

Favorite in our house!
My son got this book and the matching stuffed dinosaur when he was 2. I think that was the start of his dinosaur obsession! :) We love this book and a year later we still read it all the time. He has the whole book memorized and can "read" it to us. We have started to acquire some of the other "How Do Dinosaur" books but this will probably always be the favorite. It's a great book!! We love the pictures and the story!!

We Love It!
How could this book not recieve 5 stars? My first encounter I had with this book was at a daycare I worked at for the 2 year olds and they always requested it and loved it. Of course after reading it so many times it became memorized and they would help by shouting out words here and there. I loved it so much I made it a point to get it for my daughter and she has the same reaction. We read it every night and she knows the story, acting it out and recalling parts here and there. I got the paper back because it was cheaper but we'll be getting the hard back soon due to so much use. Definitely a title that should be included in your library.

We read this book every night
My 3 year old son absolutely loves this book. We have to read it every night at bed time, he has it memorized for the most part so he "reads" along with me while I am reading it to him.
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Subjects:  1. Animals - Dinosaurs & Prehistoric Creatures    2. Bedtime    3. Bedtime & Dreams    4. Behavior    5. Children's 4-8 - Picturebooks    6. Children's Books/Ages 4-8 Fiction    7. Children: Preschool    8. Dinosaurs    9. Fiction    10. Humorous Stories    11. Juvenile Fiction    12. Stories in rhyme   

Reviews (4)

Genetics: From Genes to Genomes
Great figures to go with the text. Not a quick read, but it is a great genetics resource.

Genetics:From Genes to Genomes
I found this book extremely verbose and unorganized.It would serve as a great reference book for a lab researcher or grad student.But it's way too technical and dense for an introductory genetics class.The authors do a poor job presenting the material in a comprehensible way to an undergraduate genetics student.Not recommended.

Great general Genetics textbook
I think this is a great text book for General Genetics class! In fact, this is the text we have been using at UC Berkeley.
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Subjects:  1. Genetics    2. Life Sciences - Evolution    3. Life Sciences - Genetics & Genomics    4. Science    5. Science/Mathematics    6. Biology, Life Sciences    7. Science / Genetics   

Reviews (9)

excellant book for the money
Well illustrated, informative,helpful,perfectly priced.I recomend this book to amateurs and veterans of this hobby, this is a beautiful book easily worth the money.

YOU CANNOT GO WRONG WITH THIS ONE
I have been a rather serious birder for well over fifty years now and when I first saw this book (it was a gift) I almost felt insulted...back yard birder indeed!Well, I was wrong...I admit it.I have actually enjoyed this one far more that several of the many hundred or so more technical books on the subject that inhabit my shelves.This is a wonderful quick reference and is quite well organized.I have interested grandchildern and I not when they are here, which is almost daily, they reach for this volume far more than any of the others.Sharing my passion and hobby with them is great and this work is a wonderful help tool.Recommend it highly.

Helps the Average Birdwatcher
"The Audubon Backyard Birdwatcher: Birdfeeders and Bird Gardens" is for the interested, but average birdwatcher. However, it might just inspire the reader to take it a level higher.
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Subjects:  1. Bird feeders    2. Birds    3. Birds & Birdwatching - General    4. Garden Design    5. Garden Furnishings    6. Gardening to attract birds    7. Identification    8. Nature    9. North America    10. Science/Mathematics    11. Sale Books   

Reviews (54)

what you want is the fourth edition
I'm sure this book was great in the 90s, but this is the 21st century, when you can buy the fourth edition.There has been a ton of advancement between 1994 and 2002.

This is a GREAT textbook
This book made studying and preparing for tests easy and enjoyable. Highly recommended, especially for those who are going to take the GRE Subject test. At later stages of your career, textbooks even the greatest ones will be largely irrelevant, as you will have to search for up-to-date articles and reviews.

A perfect introduction to the subject
I will say that I had no trouble in reading and understanding this book. All subjects are nicely elaborated and picturized with detailed schematics or with electron microscopy pictures. Scanning electron pictures are the best but very minimal.All basic concepts are covered structure of cell, protein synthesis, DANA , cell structures,nerve cells, atp, etc. You may want to skip better books when it comes to biochemistry or developmental biology but this book gives smooth introduction all subjects and than you make your direction. Compared to book written by Karp, I prefer this one for wider coverage but Karp has some sections called "experimental pathways" that open your vision to latest developments. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Cells    2. Cytology    3. General    4. Life Sciences - Biology - General    5. Life Sciences - Biology - Molecular Biology    6. Life Sciences - Cytology    7. Molecular Biology    8. Science    9. Science/Mathematics    10. Cellular biology    11. Science / Biology   

Reviews (1)

Beautiful Edition of Cabinet of Natural Curiosities
Beautiful book...I'd been waiting for a more palatable ($) edition of this book for quite awhile and was happily surprised at the quality. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Art    2. Art & Art Instruction    3. General    4. Individual Artist    5. NATURAL HISTORY, COUNTRY LIFE & PETS   

Reviews (14)

not a beginner book
This book goes indepth about the anatomy and physiology of mushrooms, soft corals and anemones. Not a great reference guide for choosing specimens for your It tends to generalize by family and/or genus vs species. If you are new to saltwater and are looking for a reference to choose items for your tank this would not be my first choice.

THE reference for that field
Just like the vol. 1, that is a must-have book. Please note that the vol. 3 should be released late Nov. 2005.
One of the best of the best vol.2
This volume of the series covers the soft corals and sea anemones; very important topics indeed for reef aquarium. The two books together are still not complete as� there are many organisms found in a reef aquaria still not covered. In this series. A fine glossary accompanies this book. Much of what I had to gleen by trial and error and by reading arcane publications over the years is covered in this book. Approachable to the beginner yet� a lot of substance for the expert.
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Subjects:  1. Animals / Pets    2. Aquariums    3. Captive marine aquariums    4. Coral reef animals    5. Fish & Aquariums    6. Identification    7. Marine Fauna    8. Marine Life    9. Marine invertebrates    10. Nature    11. Nature/Ecology    12. Pets    13. Tropics    14. Fish    15. Tropical Fish   

Editorial Review

This is the be-all and end-all of mushroom books! Truly an encyclopedia of mushroom facts and lore, lavishly illustrated with full-color photographs, literally everything you need to know about mushrooms, edible or not. Arora has taught mycology for close to twenty years and has hunted and photographed mushrooms across the North American continent. Threaded through the book are his wry and humorous observations and comments, making what could have been a rather dull, "just-the-facts, ma'am" reference book into a really enjoyable read. The stunning photographs of the incredible variety of fungi are fascinating and eye-opening, and while the author gives clear and factual information, the mysterious allure of mushrooms in their countless shapes, sizes and colors is only increased by this huge and delightful book. --Read more

Reviews (29)

A Must Have
I am a biology teacher and own two tracts of woods.I bought two cheaper books thinking, foolishly, that I would then be able to identify most mushrooms.Cheap and thin is easy to carry in the woods, but this is the "mushroom bible" all naturalists should own.Arora handles a jargon rich science exquisitely.His use of humor in a virtual textbook takes away the thick book intimidation factor.Academia could learn a lot from David's style.I wish all the pictures were in color, but that would increase the price and thickness of the volume tremendously.I will add a few other field guides with color pictures for referencing. I now have a hard time believing there are still copies available for sale.I don't know who in their right mind would sell such a volume.I'll have mine until the end.

actually good beginner book
I love this book.
This Book Is Great!
After reading this book, I have a hard time reading other mushroom books.This one is just such fun to read!I subconsciously am looking for other mushroom books to be less dry and as funny as this one, but it just ain't happenin'.I really recommend this book both for the information it contains and the pleasure that you get from reading it. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. California    2. Gardening / Horticulture    3. General    4. Identification    5. Life Sciences - Bacteriology    6. Mushrooms    7. Nature    8. Nature/Ecology    9. Pacific States    10. NATURAL HISTORY, COUNTRY LIFE & PETS   

Reviews (14)

I LOVE THIS BOOK
I LOVE THIS BOOK, THE PHOTOGRAPHS ARE BEAUTIFUL!I BOUGHT THE BOOK FOR MY 8YR OLD NIECE, EACH TIME I VISIT, SHE WANTS ME TO LOOK AT IT WITH HER! YOU WILL NEVER BE BORED! I HIGHLY RECOMMEND EVERYONE TO OWN THIS BOOK.IT ALSO LAYS GOURGOUSLY ON YOUR COFFEE TABLE.
Great book for non-readers
This was a gift to my dad who spent many years in South America as a young boy and has worked with zoos providing animals for care and protection.He was amazed at the book and never put it down for several hours after reading it.A great conversation piece for the coffee table.

Untamed
This was an awesome book witht he pictures and everything. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. 1953-    2. Animals    3. Bloom, Steve,    4. Collections, Catalogs, Exhibitions    5. Individual Photographer    6. Nature    7. Nature/Ecology    8. Photography    9. Subjects & Themes - Plants & Animals    10. Wildlife photography    11. Individual photographers    12. NATURAL HISTORY, COUNTRY LIFE & PETS    13. Nature / Animals    14. Photographs: collections   

Subjects:  1. Calendar    2. Calendars - Nature and Science    3. Calendars - Photography    4. Non-Classifiable    5. Subjects & Themes - Plants & Animals    6. Wildlife    7. Photography / Nature & Wildlife   

Reviews (5)

Oversimplified
The book is reasonably good at explaining simple concepts.
An excellent textbook that teaches by example
In a word - wow. This is an outstanding textbook for undergraduate biology students. The number of practical, real life examples exceeds anything else I have seen in a statistics book, permitting the student to follow theory immediately with concrete practice. Examples are drawn from all axes of biology as well - physiology, biogeochemistry, pharmacology, microbiology, animal behaviour and more. I have been disappointed with previous textbooks which fall down in the following ways: 1) too much emphasis on the mathematics of calculation, or 2) lack of practical introductory treatment of moderately advanced topics which are nonetheless necessary to practitioners. This book for me strikes a very good balance between understanding the underpinnings without getting lost in equations, and getting your hands dirty with data in order to learn by example. Coverage is as wide as necessary today: introduction to logistic regression,and a clear treatment of interaction in two-way ANOVA. I do note that multiple regression is not touched. The sole drawback: sticker shock. It will be difficult for students to pay for a book that costs about $100 US. But at least you get what you pay for in this case.

I DON'T HAVE IT YET
I wish I knew where my book was... ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Agriculture    2. Biometry    3. General    4. Life Sciences - Biology - General    5. Life Sciences - General    6. Medical statistics    7. Probability & Statistics - General    8. Science    9. Science/Mathematics    10. Statistics    11. Biology, Life Sciences    12. Mathematics / Statistics    13. Mathematics for scientists & engineers    14. Probability & statistics   

Editorial Review

More than 10 years in the making, David Sibley's Read more

Reviews (97)

By far the best guide book on North American birds, PERIOD!
Ahh, the book with an identity problem. Is this a coffee table book or is this a field manual? It's far too small to be a coffee table book, yet far too large to be a practical field guide. I think Knopf (the publisher) tried to make it fulfill both roles so they decided to split the difference in sizes and in and so doing, they fulfilled neither role. Regardless, this book is astonishing to behold. It is as much a work of art as anything else. If you can have just one book on birds for the rest of your life, make it this one. I think the author said it took him something like 11 years just to carefully hand paint each of the bird illustrations in this book. Well it definitely shows! When this book was first released, it caused something of an uproar because it was way too large and heavy to carry with you out in the field. Yet, it was way too useful not to. I wrote the author telling him he should come out with a much smaller version of this guide that is more compact and lightweight for field use. Well, he listened to me because he did just that. My only complaint about this book (and the smaller version), is that the illustrations of the birds are just a wee bit smaller than what they should be. And with the target audience of this book being primarily baby boomers, this might not go over too well with their aging eyes. The somewhat smallish illustrations make it far too difficult to effectively identify many birds, especially birds of the sparrow family which are extremely tricky to visually seperate by their field markings. The author told me he did this for artistic reasons (to keep large areas of white page around the birds to visually seperate the illustrations). All fine and good, but you aren't trying to make an art book (at least I didn't think you were), you're trying to make something people can use out in the field (at least I thought you were). Still, this is by far the best identification book on North American birds availible and trust me, I've looked at them all. Go with the smaller version if you plan on carrying it with you out in the field. The large edition, though a bit small for a true coffee table book, will have to sufice in that role until Knopf finally decides to come out with a lager coffee table version of this book. Needless to say, I have them both and love them both.

Sibley Guide
This is the best bird book of its kind on the market.While it is a little too large to be as handy as Peterson's for a field guide (unless you have very large pockets), it is indispensable for the serious birder.The convenience of having all of the information about a particular bird on one page cannot be overstated, and the illustrations are not only accurate but -- like Audubon's -- are works of art.

Birds of My Region
I am using this product as a study guide for a field elective class in college.It has supplied me with great pictures and information for almost every bird I have had to study so far.I love the quizzing feature the most.It has been the highest effective learning tool I've used with this DVD.
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Subjects:  1. Bird Watching    2. Birds    3. Birds & Birdwatching - General    4. Birds & Birdwatching - Guides    5. Identification    6. Nature    7. Nature/Ecology    8. North America    9. Nature / Birds & Birdwatching   

Reviews (4)

A pre-review
Obnoxious to review a book before even receiving it, but it is a call to arms. So 4 points only because I haven't read it.
eloquently argued
In this very topical book, Olah and his co-authors advocate using methanol to drive a future economy. Olah's authority is impeccable, having won a Nobel for work on hydrocarbon research.
Inspiring book about our current energy challenges and a possible solution
The increasing world population and the declining availability of cheap oil threaten to plunge the world into a global energy crisis. Concerns over our reliance on oil and gas and the impact of fossil fuels on the environment have escalated significantly in recent years. This book explores current energy sources (oil, natural gas, coal, atomic energy) as well as renewable alternative energies (wind, solar, geothermal, biomass, etc), the interrelation of fuels and energy, and the extent of non-renewable fossil fuel resources. Besides the need to find alternates to diminishing fossil fuels, the authors outline the need for hydrocarbons and their products way into the future despite depleting reserves and global warming, and examine the envisioned hydrogen economy and its significant shortcomings.It illustrates how methanol can be used as a convenient liquid fuel and a raw material for hydrocarbons and their products. The needed methanol can be made from a variety of sources including carbon dioxide (the main greenhouse gas). This timely book demonstrates how carbon dioxide from industrial exhausts (and eventually even atmospheric carbon dioxide) can be converted into safe liquid methanol. I thought that it was an insightful and inspiring guide to meeting the world's future energy needs while preserving the environment. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Chemistry - General    2. Science    3. Science/Mathematics    4. Fossil fuel technologies    5. Management of land & natural resources    6. Science / Chemistry / General   

Reviews (26)

Great resource for newbies.
While there is not piles of detail about each fish, there are important specific descriptions about the different fish within thefamily. (i.e. They don't always say the same thing about all the small angelfish like some websites I have visited.) I really like the rating about how easy or difficult each fish is to keep in captivity.
Don't go Fish shopping without it!
This book and also the 500+ Invertebrates are great books for all reef tank enthusiasts.It is so useful when you go into your LFS and see some gorgeous new fish,as you can determine how suitable it is to you. You know whether they are compatable with other tank occupants, how large they will grow, what kind of food it requires etc. Can help to save you $ in the LFS! I have steered clear of a few species that would not survive with the help of this book.

Marine Fishes: 500+
Great reference for determining which fish will fit well into your aquarium, ease of keeping, feeding, and compatability with others. A must have reference for looking up those fish at the LFS. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Fish    2. Fish & Aquariums    3. Marine Life    4. Marine aquarium fishes    5. Marine aquariums    6. Nature    7. Nature/Ecology    8. Pets    9. Fishes & aquaria   

Editorial Review

There are about 100,000 kinds of insects in North America, so obviously they can't have a field guide in the same way the 650 species of birds do: something both portable and complete. The National Audubon Society has produced a remarkably useful compromise. This guide has photographs and descriptions of 550 insect species and 60 kinds of spiders. Most of the families of arthropods on the continent are covered, as are all of the most common species. It's a very useful resource for any North American naturalist, and the best choice for an adult who is not an expert entomologist. Read more

Reviews (33)

Great Guide
This Is a field guide and it is a good one, you may not be able to ID what you are looking at but you can narrow it down for further research. I use this with two other books one on spiders and one on dragonflys and have been able to ID everthing pretty easyly

Fantastic For A "Guide"
I bought this book because I am a photographer with a growing interest in spiders and insects, and I need to know what my subjects are.Before I bought this book, I mostly did Internet research to try to find the exact species.Since I'm not an entomologist or arachnologist, I'm sure you can imagine that my search words often weren't very effective (for example, brown spider in California).Now that I have this book, IDing spiders and insects is much easier.I'm not saying that everything I take a picture of is in here; in fact, the exact species often aren't.But most of the time I can narrow it down to the point where further research is much more successful.This book also explains the correct terminology, which is extremely helpful when searching online or in other books.I know a lot of people out there are disappointed because this book is missing so many species.But honestly, they should have known better than to expect a small FIELD GUIDE to contain so much.If you're looking for a complete encyclopedia of insects or spiders, this book will very disappointing.But if you're looking for a GUIDE (i.e., you're an amateur and you just need to be pointed in the right direction), then you should find this book extremely helpful.

For beginners only
I found this book to be overly broad, which should not have surprised me, given the subject.
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Subjects:  1. Arachnida    2. Entomology    3. Identification    4. Insects    5. Insects & Spiders    6. Nature    7. Nature/Ecology    8. North America    9. Spiders    10. Animals    11. Nature / Insects & Spiders   

Reviews (24)

My field guide of choice
At one time I owned nearly every field guide availible on North American birds. I have since gotten rid of all of them and kept only this one because it far exceeds the others. Enough said.

Well worth the bux!
Admittedly I'm an amateur bird watcher, so I don't speak from a great amount of experience, but I did have certain expectations as to the quality and quantity of information to be found in this book.Both have been completely met.The layout is intuitive and the illustrations clear and informative.The size lends itself to slipping in an outside field-jacket pocket and the binding and covers seem rugged enough for many years of use....good show!

Great Book for Beginners
Unlike a lot of 'beginner guides,' this book shows very accurately what birds actually look like - from multiple points of view.The drawings are exquisite, and are more accurate than photos - a photo shows only 1 bird at one point in time; a drawing allows an artist to convey the total bird, eccentuating some features and dulling others for more easy identification. Additionally, descriptions are great, detailing habitat, range, commonality, nesting habits, and more. This fairly small book can be brought on day hikes, and also on some backpacking trips, depending on conditions.Realistically the best and only guide most people in the east will need. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Birds    2. Birds & Birdwatching - General    3. Birds & Birdwatching - Guides    4. Identification    5. Nature    6. Nature/Ecology    7. North America    8. Nature / Birds & Birdwatching