Insects: Their Natural History and Diversity

The following review by Dick Dearborn, president of the Maine Entomological Society and retired professional entomologist, appeared in "The Maine Entomologist" (vol. 10, no. 3; August 2006) and is reprinted here by permission of the author.

There have been many excellent new books published over the last few years on insects and these valuable references written by specialists certainly deserve a place on the bookshelf of amateur and professional alike. Before you put away your credit card, however, you must see Stephen Marshall's new book. This one will "blow you away" with its broad yet in depth content. Since I was shown a copy in early March [2006] I have not ceased to "ooh and ahh" over it and to use it almost daily as I continue with my entomological endeavors. It's a classroom on paper and must reflect the enthusiasm and fascination with insects that Dr. Marshall had as he taught entomology for more than 20 years. While he draws deeply from his special interest in Diptera (Flies), he is very comfortable in dealing with other orders as well. This great contribution to the field of entomology also reflects the input on many levels of Dr. Marshall's fellow entomologists from across Canada and the US. It won't matter what your area of interest is, I'm sure that you will use this book as a reference often.
   This book covers all orders and major families of insects (Class Insecta) likely to occur in eastern North America. Related Classes of arthropods such as Arachnida are covered as well but to a lesser degree. While the impressive selection of more than 4000 live action photos is hard to top, the associated text has those needed bits of information you have been looking for. I have already corrected a couple of misconceptions that I had in groups with which I only had passing familiarity. And the keys--well for those of you who have labored long over keys that used terms that are totally beyond comprehension, you will find relief in the clear yet concise pictorial keys to Order and Family found in Marshall's book. Several MES [Maine Entomological Society] members have already put these keys to the test, successfully. And the systematics are up to date! By now it should be obvious that I am thoroughly sold on this great book. Buy a copy now before it goes out of print as many good books have in the past. The only part of the book I found limiting was the index as you need a good idea where you want to go before you use it. But this is understandable as you would need an index three times as long to cover all of the terms included and I rather enjoy skimming the book in search of a particular insect anyway, which is easy to do.