HOOK

58 HOOK By David Neilsen Book Reviews Insects are an everyday part of our lives. they are every- where you look and many places you don't. there are thousands of different members of the phylum Arthro- poda, and by some es5mates, insects make up nearly 90% of all animal species. Professor Stephen A. Marshall has been researching insects, studying them, and teach- ing en5re genera5ons of proto bug lovers for decades and in his magnum opus, Insects: their natural History and diversity, he a6empts to list and photograph each and every one. the book is simply massive (over 700 pages long) and crammed full of color photographs of every insect known to man that can be found in eastern north America, which is well over a thou- sand. While the staggering quan5ty of different dis5nct species may feel daun5ng at first, Marshall has managed to format the informa5on within his tome in such a way that is easily-diges5ble. He divides his subject into thirteen specific biolog- ical sec5ons - chapters include "Mayflies, dragonflies and dam- selflies," "Bu6erflies and Moths," and "Sawflies, Wasps, Bees and Ants" for example - then finishes with a chapter dedicated to the act of observing, collec5ng, and photo- graphing the insects themselves. Each chapter begins with a short- yet-very informa5ve and easy-to- grasp descrip5on of the order contained within. once Marshall has had his say, he brings out the pictures. there are generally nine images to a page, with a running commentary and annota5on be- neath. Some chapters are short, such as the one on "Cockroaches, termites, Man5ds and other orthopteroids" which clocks in at merely 13 pages. other orders, however, are so full of diversity, that they run much, much longer. the chapter 5tled "Flies, Scor- pionflies and Fleas" for example, is over 130 pages! this is the reference book to end all refer- ence books. Marshall has been an insect enthusiast since the age of five, and it shows. His knowledge on the subject is un- fathomable, even while it is laid out be- tween the pages of his impressive volume. At the back of the book is a very clever and handy tool to help in iden5fying any insect you might come across, containing well over 50 pages of flow charts that will allow you to put a name to that amazing li6le creature you spot. It is a must-have for any true naturalist or entomologist. A dEdICAtIon to BEAuty — An an5quarian's life with an5ques and old houses. By Mel Shakespeare. there is something special about an old house. It has history, the emo5onal en- ergy of those who have spent years between its walls. Stepping foot into a true an5que, you are im- mersed within the decades and centuries that have passed since its founding. Sadly, the older a home becomes, the more it is in need of repair. Entropy tears down the founda5ons and modern tastes de- mand renova5ons, which can rob a structure of its original spirit. Mel Shakespeare, however, searches M a r s h a l l h a s b e e n a n i n s e c t e n t h u s i a s t s i n c e t h e a g e o f f i v e , a n d i t s h o w s . H i s k n o w l e d g e o n t h e s u b j e c t i s u n f a t h o m a b l e , e v e n w h i l e i t i s l a i d o u t b e t w e e n t h e p a g e s o f h i s i m p r e s s i v e v o l u m e . A t t h e b a c k o f t h e b o o k i s a v e r y c l e v e r a n d h a n d y t o o l t o h e l p i n i d e n - t i f y i n g a n y i n - s e c t y o u m i g h t c o m e a c r o s s c o n t a i n i n g f l o w c h a r t s t h a t w i l l a l l o w y o u t o p u t a n a m e t o t h a t a m a z i n g l i t t l e c r e a t u r e y o u s p o t .

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