Rating: 
Summary: I have had this book for years
Review: I first got this book when I started college, for horticulture, while the study only became a hobby in my later years, this book has been with me the whole time.
Every time I see a new bug or insect in my habitat, I run to the house and bring out this book. 80% of the time I can ID it by only using the plates. 15% of the rest I can figure it out by the description pages and the last 5% I usually have enough information to go look on the Internet to find out exactly what I am looking at. I think that it must say something to say I have had this book for 19 years and still use it every summer. And yes it is the same book- I looked at the screen shots Amizon.com so nicely provides and the contents and index is identical. And so are the pages I saw including the page #'s
This is a very good book to get you on the road to entomology and as a reference after that, one you too will keep a long time!
Rating: 
Summary: Too General Too much is missing
Review: If you really want to ID insects in your yard or garden, I dont think that this is the book to use. It is way to general containing insects from desert, the south and the north, it omits many families and includes many exotics that are unique but not likely to be found. A more regional focus would help and a more complete key would also help. It just seems that they tried to do to much with the pages they had. As far as an alternative, I am still looking for a better key/field book.
Rating: 
Summary: Disappointed
Review: It didn't included the one spider I was looking for that prompted me to buy it in the first place.
Rating: 
Summary: A great book to identify bugs.
Review: Its a great book but their is one draw back it doesn't tell you which are poisoness and which are not. Other than that it is the best insect spider book around.
Rating:
Summary: NORTHWESTERN SPIDERS OF THE U.S.
Review: KEEPING UP WITH ALL THE NEW INSECTS DISCOVERED IT HAS UNITENTIONALLY MISSED ONE THAT SHOULD BE INCLUDED IN THEIR NEXT PRINTING. THE HOBO SPIDER HAS BEEN AN INSECT OF THE NORTHWEST FOR SEVERAL YEARS NOW, BUT HAS AS YET NOT BEEN RECOGNIZED. THEREFORE THE HAZARDS OF THIS SPIDER ARE NOT KNOWN TO THE GENERAL PUBLIC AND SOME PEOPLE HAVE MISTAKEN IT FOR ANOTHER SPIDER (THE BROWN RECLUSE )WITCH ON SOME OCASIONS HAS BEEN TO THE DETRIMENT OF THE PERSON BITTEN BY IT (THE HOBO) IT WOULD BE INVALUABLE TO MANY TO ALSO INCLUDE SOME OF THE WARNING SIGNS OF ALL INSECTS AND WHAT TO LOOK FOR IF THEY ARE BITTEN BY ANYTHING OUT OF THE ORDINARY WHEN OUT OF DOORS.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent information
Review: Obviously no book that a person could actually carry around can hold information on every bug you'll see out there, but this one gives you info on the ones you'll actually find and care to look up.
Rating: 
Summary: Another book with significant false statements
Review: Perhaps a rich abundance of information resides in this book, but unfortunately the abundance is soiled with incorrect information, making the reader responsible for the job of sorting the facts from the garbage.
Yes, the photographs are lovely, but the lovliness of the photographs make the situation all the worse because more readers are attracted to this book.
For example, the book states that although "tarantulas" of the SW United States are harmless, they are related to "deadly" ones in South America. Completely, 100% untrue. Maybe the author wanted to make this book exciting, injecting it with lies to spook the reader (no tarantula, from America to Asia, has been determined to be "deadly). I don't justify these false facts by calling them mistakes--this is more than an honest mistake based on misconception. Entomologists should know what they are writing about!
Rating:
Summary: Valuable reference and field guide for the amateur
Review: The Audubon Society has put together a helpful field guide to the insects and spiders of North America. The book contains just over 700 photographs of insects and spiders in the front section of the book divided into 22 more or less taxonomic divisions. There is section of descriptive information nearly 600 pages long in the back of the book. The format of the book is such that it can fit into a back pocket or jacket pocket without a lot of bother.The reference material is helpful in identifying insects/spiders, but I have one significant criticism about the book...why in the world didn't the editors include the scientific names along with the common names of these animals by the photographs in the front section? If one wants to use this book as an aid in scientific identification it becomes an exercise in page flipping -- though those engaged in serious taxonomic identification will doubtless use taxonomic keys for that purpose. Still, for the advanced amateur collector, the page flipping can get annoying. The photographs are of generally good quality, though no photograph is the equal of a quality illustration. While 700 photos sounds like a lot, that number is nowhere near the number of photographs it would take to do a comprehensive field guide to insects and spiders of North America. Still, this guide provides good introduction to the diversity of North American insects and spiders. This book will get you in the ballpark when you try to identifying these animals, but you'll have to use other reference materials if you are serious about taxonomy. A helpful book, though it has a few flaws. You might consider using this book and the Peterson Field Guide to Insects together -- the latter book relies on illustations, and it includes a form of taxonomic keys that are not that hard to use. 4 stars -- well worth the price. Alan Holyoak, Dept of Biology, Manchester College (IN)
Rating:
Summary: It has all the info that I needed, and then some more!
Review: The book was just great, I got the info about where to find them and what they look like and wether they were dangerous or not. Now I know what to look for when I have a project like this one(that's why I got the book.)
Rating:
Summary: Great color photographs but underinclusive
Review: The color photographs are vivid and in focus. The descriptive text is interesting and useful. However, this book ought to have been called our 25 favorite spiders and 75 favorite insects. I haven't been able to find a single local spider in the book (and we have many to choose from). It's really less of a field guide and more of a coffee table book.
| 
