‘A truly excellent account’ British Wildlife
Beetles are arguably the most diverse organisms in the world, with nearly half a million beetle species described and catalogued in our museums, more than any other type of living thing.
This astonishing species diversity is matched by a similar diversity in shape, form, size, life history, ecology, physiology and behaviour. Beetles occur everywhere, and do everything. And yet they form a clearly discrete insect group, typically characterised by their attractively compact form, with flight wings folded neatly under smooth hard wing-cases. Almost anyone could recognise a beetle, indeed many are intimately associated with human society. Groups like ladybirds are familiar to us from a very young age. Large stag beetles and handsome chafers are celebrated for their imposing size and bright colours. The sacred scarabs of the ancient Egyptians were given iconic, if not god-like, status and even though the exact religious meanings may be fading after three millennia, their bewitching jewellery and monumental statuary inspire us still.
Despite this ancient and easy familiarity with beetles, the Coleoptera remains tainted by the notion that it is a ‘difficult’ group of insects. The traditional routes into studying British natural history, through birdwatching, butterfly-collecting and pressing wild flowers, now extend to studying dragonflies, bumblebees, grasshoppers, moths, hoverflies and even shieldbugs. These are on the verge of becoming popular groups, but beetles remain the preserve of the expert, or so it seems. So many British beetles are easy to find and easy to identify by the non-expert, but that bewildering background diversity, and the daunting numbers of species in the Coleoptera as a whole, have been enough to dissuade many a potential coleopterist from grasping the nettle and getting stuck in.
Richard Jones’ groundbreaking New Naturalist volume on beetles encourages those enthusiasts who would otherwise be put off by the, to date, rather technical literature that has dominated the field, providing a comprehensive natural history of this fascinating and beautiful group of insects.
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‘Highly recommended for the bookshelf of anyone wishing to be better acquainted with these remarkable insects.’ British Wildlife
Praise for the New Naturalist series:
‘Taken either individually or as a whole, they are one of the proudest achievements of modern publishing’ The Sunday Times
‘The series is an amazing achievement’ The Times Literary Supplement
‘The books are glorious to own’ Independent
Richard Jones is a nationally acclaimed entomologist, a fellow of the Royal Entomological Society, fellow of the Linnean Society, and past president of the British Entomological and Natural History Society. He has been fascinated by wildlife since a childhood exploring the South Downs and Sussex Weald after plants and insects – especially beetles. He now writes about insects, nature and the environment for BBC Wildlife, Gardener’s World, Countryfile, the Guardian and Sunday Times and has regular media appearances on programmes such as Springwatch Unsprung, Natural Histories and Open Country. He is the author of several books on science and wildlife.
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Book Description Condition: new. (Hardcover, 2018). 2018 1st edition. De luxe issue. 8vo (152 x 223mm). Ppxiv,480+2pp ads. Colour & b/w photographs & illustrations, maps, bibliography, decorative end-papers. Full brown leather, spine titled in gilt, all edges gilt. Edition limited to 50 copies, signed & numbered by the author. Fine new copy in dust-wrapper & brown cloth slip-case. Tipped-in limitation plate signed & numbered by the author. Dust-wrapper signed by the artist, Robert Gillmor. This book is designed to fill a gap in its field and to enthuse a new generation of coleopterists: it is as comprehensive and up to date a book on beetles as can be had, as well as being perhaps the most enthusiastic book of its kind ever written. "Why has the New Naturalist Library waited so long to produce a book on beetles? Beetles are ubiquitous, intriguing and much loved by many. .but they are surprisingly poorly covered in the literature. Comprehensive accounts of their natural history have been few, and until recently the keys needed by beginners. . have been out of print, out of date or generally out of reach in terms of price. Writing this book would be a challenge, requiring a huge fund of knowledge, boundless enthusiasm and an ability to do justice to a complex subject without flooding the reader with detail. .and we are delighted with the result. This book illlustrates the pleasure that can be derived from the study of beetles [whilst] giving a conspectus of the group as a whole." Chapters include: What is a beetle?; Beetle variety; Life histories - larval forms and behaviour; special features - adult quirks and oddities; Beetle flight; Beetle habitats and natural history; British beetle families; The human significance of beetles; Evolutionary history of beetles; the origins of British beetles; A history of British coleopterists; The future - how to study beetles. Another terrific new title, squarely in the tradition of the New Naturalist Series. Number 136 in the New Naturalist Library. PREVIOUS PRICE £250.00. Seller Inventory # 53412
Book Description UNK. Condition: New. New Book. Shipped from UK. Established seller since 2000. Seller Inventory # FC-9780008175320
Book Description UNK. Condition: New. New Book. Shipped from UK. Established seller since 2000. Seller Inventory # FC-9780008175320
Book Description No Binding. Condition: new. Seller Inventory # 9780008175320
Book Description Leather Bound. Condition: New. Seller Inventory # 6666-HCL-9780008175320
Book Description Hardcover. Condition: Brand New. 496 pages. 8.74x6.10x1.22 inches. In Stock. Seller Inventory # __0008175322