Two useful and wonderfully illustrated guidebooks have recently been published, and I highly recommend them to anyone interested in spiders or beetles. The illustrations are terrific, and both books have a section on the general biology and morphology of the group. The spider book uses color illustrations, the beetle book uses photographs, and both accomplish their goal very well. We have many species of both spiders and beetles right around our homes. If you take a closer look, with the help of these books, you will be amazed at the beauty and diversity of life style you will find. Either one would make an excellent gift for anyone at all interested in natural history.

My book reviews are entirely ad hoc. I do not know any of these authors, and certainly no one is paying me to review books. I just think highly of these two. I have added these books to the Field Guide section of our web site, where you can get complete publishing information.