Naturalists’ Handbooks

The Naturalists’ Handbooks series are specifically aimed at anyone interested in natural history, that lack specialised training in the subject. I used to have a few more in the series- Common ground beetles (no. 8), Animals of the surface film (no. 12) and Animals under logs and stones (no. 22) amongst them, sadly, I lent them and they never returned.

The Handbooks were first published by Cambridge University Press, one of my volumes dates from that period, then Richmond Publishing took over. I note that they are now published by Pelagic Publishing. It is great to see they are still being produced as they all have good, fairly easy to use, keys. The ones that focus on a particular environment are just right for whiling away a couple of hours in the field. Quite a few of the volumes that I do not own focus on often over-looked invertebrate life.

Sample pages from Naturalists’ Handbook No. 2- Grasshoppers

Books from my shelves:

Grasshoppers, Valerie K. Brown, with plates by Judith G.Smith. Naturalist’s Handbooks 2. Richmond Publishing, 1990, revised edition. ISBN 0-85546-278-7

Insects and thistles, Margaret Redfern, with plates by Anthony J.Hopkins. Naturalists’ Handbooks 4. Cambridge University Press, 1983. ISBN 0-521-29933-0

Bumblebees, Oliver E. Prys-Jones and Sarah A. Corbet, with plates by Anthony J.Hopkins. Naturalists’ Handbooks 6. Richmond Publishing, 1991, revised edition. ISBN 0-85546-258-2

Dragonflies, Peter L. Miller, with plates by R.R. Askew. Naturalists’ Handbooks 7. Richmond Publishing, 1995, second edition, revised. ISBN 0-85546-300-7

Ants, Gary J. Skinner and Geoffrey W. Allen, with plates by Geoffrey W. Allen. Naturalists’ Handbooks 24. Richmond Publishing, 1996. ISBN 0-85546-305-8