Golden Guide 160 Pages Paperback Insects Book (A Golden Guide from St. Martin's Press)

I carry this little guy (and a few of its Golden Guide brethren) on me while I'm in the field at work. It does not weigh me and provides enough information so I always know what I'm looking at. The images are excellent as well. In many other books, I find it hard to view insects when they are photographed in their natural habitat. I understand that it is important to know about their habitat, but it is no good if you spend more time looking for the insect than reading on it. The pictures in this guide are all drawn, which allows for optimal viewing of the insect.

The little book is one of a series of handy Golden Guides published by St. Martins Press.It can easily be carried while hiking or out nature watching. The guide starts with a short 16 page introduction to insects , their body structure, family tree of different types,human interactions (e.g. as pests), and tips on how to collect them. Then the booksteps through each major type (e.g. dragonflies, butterflies, moths, beetles, termites,bees, wasps, grasshoppers etc) with a brief 1 or 2 page description of individual insect types.Common insects like lady beetles (lady bugs) , paper wasps, flies, mosquitoes, etc are described as wellas rarer insects that are rarely seen or noticed except by experts. What makes the bookexceptional is the color illustrations of the insects on each page and (for many) their larvae.In almost all cases, the book states where the insect lays its eggs and where the larvae live.The artwork is very good. The guide is small (160 pages) and is by no means complete. Thedescriptions of each insect are brief, but if you are a casual bugger, it will probably suit yourneeds. For serious insect-aholics, there are more complete guides such as Kaufmans. St. Martins Press also publishes a Golden Guide called Pond Life which includes many insectsfound around ponds and marshes, as well as other plants and animals that inhabit wetlands.

My son’s girlfriend loved it!

I found it a little disappointing when I realized it only showcased North American insects. However, considering the sheer amount of species of bugs that exist the world, there is just no reasonable way to fit so much info into a field guide as small as this. It does a good job of summarizing the main orders.

I had this book as a nature and science curious child in the 1970s and 80s - my well-worn old one pictured. I was about 10 years old when I got it and it came on every vacation around the Great Lakes, to Florida etc with me. I found the size handy and easy to carry. This summer I was seeing some interesting insects in my yard so I got out my old book to help identify them - yes, I could have used my iPhone to look them up but a book is better. My 10 and 12 year old sons thought it was cool to look up insects so I ordered the new version mainly because mine is old and fragile after 40 years. Same great book after all these years!

My granddaughter loves "bugs" and I wanted to find a copy of the guide I used years ago. The Golden Guides were a great series, and I remain disappointed that they have not been updated and possibly expanded. The only alternative is to look for the old ones in used book outlets.

My grandchild loves these books and has such fun looking at the pictures

Fifty plus years ago I used my allowance to buy the "Golden Nature Guides" on a variety of subjects (birds, reptiles and amphibians, etc). At the time they were my "wikipedia" to nature as an 8-12 year old.The newest editions while no longer $0.25 are very similar to the old ones and just as valuable to the novice of 8 or 80.Best of all one can flip through them in an hour or so and then consult them when that dekay snake, wolf spider, wood thrush or fossil containing sediment comes into view. From these guides a lifelong interest in looking closely at everything may arise. While the era of Heathkits is gone for our children and grandchildren this series may still help in creating a scientist, professional or otherwise.

Classic book. The go-to guide for all amateur insect enthusiasts in North America.

nature is life , this book is very necessary , whose interest are in nature . in my views , books of all golden guides &golden field guides are very very costly for medium & lower class public. print quality up to 1965 year best ,and later is not up to mark (not good) .as already seller and I accepted that approx 50 percent photos quality is very bad in golden guide on trees as recently I purchased from amazon .in .kindly inform to st martin press newyork as I tried to st martin press by email but my pc desktop with original window 8.1 not supporting ,notification is coming that this site is harmful for your pc .I am using few these golden guides from 1958 year

A lot or information in this book and good photos, perfect for those that love the insect world. A perfect gift.

petit livret broché souple format carte postale ancien (1987) décrivant les insectes nord-américains; apès une quinzaine de pages de généralités, chaque espèce concernée bénéficie de quelques lignes comprenant un petit article non systématisé, parfois une petite carte de répartition le tout illustré d'une grande (relativement à la taille de l'ouvrage) gravure couleur détaillant l'insecte, sa larve et son milieu; 1 à 4 espèces par page; petit index en fin d'ouvrage;ce micro guide, ancien mais bien illustré, est destiné à un public amateur nord-américain; il conviendra parfaitement au voyageur en partance pour les USA qui souhaite ne pas se charger;il décevra peut-être le naturaliste confirmé ou le scientifique qui n'apprendra rien, et l'amateur de beaux livres de bibliothèque qui le trouvera trop petit et limité

Great book love it