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Rating: 
Summary: Disapointing
Review: Moths are some of the most beautiful creatures in the world and in many cases exceeding the beauty of the butterfly but you would not know it from the majority of specimens shown in this book. Many moths shown are different shades of browns or white and gray. Many beautiful USA moths are left out such as the "Royal Walnut" and the "Imperial" moth.Without doing a lot of research the specimens shown all appear to be USA moths mainly east of the Missippi. Although these are great pictures there are some disturbing out of focus areas near the bodies of a few specimens. In doing a book like this on the beauty of moths you should include some of the vast array of fantastically beautiful moths from other parts of the world to truly appreciate their beauty and leave out the dull browns and whites unless they have a striking pattern. The other problem is this book will not fit in a book case as it is 12" x 14" in size. Most bookshelves are 12" deep so the final question is how do you store this 14" deep book - on its end?
Rating: 
Summary: Subtle yet stunning beauty ... This one is a treasure.
Review: My reaction was very different from that of "a reader from Hamilton". To me, the images were stunning, exquisite both in detail and beauty, and required neither apology nor defence. The omission of more colourful moths from other parts of the world is hardly an objection: author Joseph Scheer collected his from within a specific area (upstate New York, I believe), and there is no indication that he had any interest in doing a "moths of the world" or even a "moths of the US". That he found such a wide variety in such a limited geographical range is already impressive. He had no need for more or different specimens to prove his point. Some moths were striking, indeed -- drab is not a word one would apply to the Actias luna, by a long shot -- but I found myself delighting even more in the simple, subtle beauty of the shades of brown (Odontosia elegans), or white (Eudeilinia herminiata), or grey (Catocala relicta), next to which even the subdued reds and yellows of, say, Hypoprepia fucosa seemed almost gaudy. What beauty might be overlooked seeing these moths with the human eye alone was brought out superbly seeing them enlarged upon these plates, often with each hair and each scale distinct. Yes, there were areas where the image was not as sharp as it should have been had this been a scientific work, where detail is all and aesthetics, however welcome, of secondary importance. For such a work, a camera might have been the better choice; Scheer, however, was interested in exploring the artistic potential of using a high-resolution scanner and an Iris printer. Frankly, I had not even noticed the fuzziness until I went looking for it after encountering the Hamiltonian reader's review. Now that I see it, I do not find it detracts in the slightest -- it is only natural that, when the human eye focuses on one part, other parts blur away. These images simply mimic this. As for the size of the book (30 cm. x 36 cm., rounding fractions up) vis a vis the size of your bookshelves: let me answer your question, reader from Hamilton -- you store it lying flat, by preference. If you have absolutely no choice but to shelve it upright and your shelves are too shallow, rest it on its spine, and make sure there is adequate support on either side (as, indeed, you would for any book upright on the shelf). Never shelve a book fore-edge down, the strain on the binding is much too great.
Rating:
Summary: Subtle yet stunning beauty ... This one is a treasure.
Review: My reaction was very different from that of "a reader from Hamilton". To me, the images were stunning, exquisite both in detail and beauty, and required neither apology nor defence. The omission of more colourful moths from other parts of the world is hardly an objection: author Joseph Scheer collected his from within a specific area (upstate New York, I believe), and there is no indication that he had any interest in doing a "moths of the world" or even a "moths of the US". That he found such a wide variety in such a limited geographical range is already impressive. He had no need for more or different specimens to prove his point. Some moths were striking, indeed -- drab is not a word one would apply to the Actias luna, by a long shot -- but I found myself delighting even more in the simple, subtle beauty of the shades of brown (Odontosia elegans), or white (Eudeilinia herminiata), or grey (Catocala relicta), next to which even the subdued reds and yellows of, say, Hypoprepia fucosa seemed almost gaudy. What beauty might be overlooked seeing these moths with the human eye alone was brought out superbly seeing them enlarged upon these plates, often with each hair and each scale distinct. Yes, there were areas where the image was not as sharp as it should have been had this been a scientific work, where detail is all and aesthetics, however welcome, of secondary importance. For such a work, a camera might have been the better choice; Scheer, however, was interested in exploring the artistic potential of using a high-resolution scanner and an Iris printer. Frankly, I had not even noticed the fuzziness until I went looking for it after encountering the Hamiltonian reader's review. Now that I see it, I do not find it detracts in the slightest -- it is only natural that, when the human eye focuses on one part, other parts blur away. These images simply mimic this. As for the size of the book (30 cm. x 36 cm., rounding fractions up) vis a vis the size of your bookshelves: let me answer your question, reader from Hamilton -- you store it lying flat, by preference. If you have absolutely no choice but to shelve it upright and your shelves are too shallow, rest it on its spine, and make sure there is adequate support on either side (as, indeed, you would for any book upright on the shelf). Never shelve a book fore-edge down, the strain on the binding is much too great.
Rating:
Summary: WOW!
Review: This is one of the most remarkable books that I have encountered in a long long time. An artist friend who is aware of my tripartite interest in science, technology, and the arts grabbed me in the cafeteria last month & said that I "had to take a look at this". She was absolutely right. No, this ISN'T a scientific treatise on moths or a discourse on the natural history of insects, and one certainly wouldn't want to take it into the field to identify even the moths of the relatively small area sampled, BUT THAT ISN'T THE POINT! Instead one is treated to stunning imagery of animals that most of us either ignore entirely or slaughter with "bug-zappers" and poisons & seldom if ever grant the benefit of a second glance. Thanks to Scheer my children & I have had some very pleasant sessions simply sitting & turning the pages & the most frequent comment is the title of this review. "Wow!" indeed. Also Bravo to Scheer for giving us a wonderful look at a little seen & greatly under-appreciated subject.
Rating:
Summary: WOW!
Review: This is one of the most remarkable books that I have encountered in a long long time. An artist friend who is aware of my tripartite interest in science, technology, and the arts grabbed me in the cafeteria last months & said that I "had to take a look at this". She was absolutely right. No, this ISN'T a scientific treatise on moths or a discourse on the natural history of insects, and one certainly wouldn't want to take it into the field to identify even the moths of the relatively small area sampled, BUT THAT ISN'T THE POINT! Instead one is treated to stunning imagery of animals that most of us either ignore entirely or slaughter with "bug-zappers" and poisons & seldom if ever grant the benefit of a second glance. Thanks to Scheer my children & I have had some very pleasant sessions simply sitting & turning the pages & the most frequent comment is the title of this review. "Wow!" indeed. Also Bravo to Scheer for giving us a wonderful look at a little seen & greatly under-appreciated subject.
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