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Booksellers
Apollo Books - butterfly book ( publishers website ).
Aurelian Books -
new, out of print, & second-hand books about butterflies & moths.
Collins - field guides and natural history books ( publishers
website ).
Hillside Books - books about insects ( publishers website ).
NHBS -
probably the biggest selection of
new butterfly books available.
Pemberley Books - new,
out of print, & second-hand entomological books.
Subbuteo Wildlife Books
- new entomological and natural
history titles.
Publishers -
learnaboutbutterflies publishes full reviews
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Please contact the
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Nomads of the Wind
The Migration
of the Monarch Butterfly and other Wonders of the Butterfly World
Ingo Arndt,
Claus-Peter Lieckfeld, Peter Huemer
Papadakis
Publisher, London
ISBN
978-1901092-92-9
£20
Special Offer
for learnaboutbutterflies visitors !
£17.00, postage free
(expiring 31
August 2008).
For orders,
please call 01635 248833 or email
info@papadakis.net
quoting "learnaboutbutterflies
special offer".
www.papadakis.net
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A fabulous new book just published, featuring the work
of one of the world's most accomplished wildlife photographers, Ingo
Arndt. The photographer followed the 2000 mile migration of the
butterfly from Canada and northern USA to it's winter quarters in
Mexico. An informative text by Lieckfeld and Huemer explains the latest research on the
migration. As well as the extensive coverage of the Monarch, the
book features further stunning images of various other butterfly
species from around the world.
Monarch
Danaus plexippus. photograph
Copyright © Ingo Arndt from the book "Nomads of the Wind".
Click here to read a full review by Adrian
Hoskins
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Books, Videos and DVDs
The
world in one volume
There
are at least 18,000 species of butterfly in the world, no single book that covers them all. Several authors however have
produced single-volume books which illustrate a fairly
representative selection of the world's butterflies. These books are
of little value for identification purposes, but offer an interesting
overall coverage of the showier and / or commoner species, and make
an excellent gift to a newcomer to butterfly-watching, acting as a
stimulus for further investigation.
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d'Abrera |
Concise Atlas of
Butterflies of the World |
Large format book
covering several thousand species from all regions of the
world, excluding Skippers. Reduced-size colour photographs.
Lengthy text dealing with anatomy, taxonomy and
controversial counter-evolutionary arguments. |
Hill House Publishers
2001 |
|
d'Abrera |
World Butterflies |
Paperback version of
the above, with reduced text. Excellent value, and ideal as a
general overview of the world's butterflies. |
Hill House Publishers
2006 |
|
Smart |
Encyclopedia of the
Butterfly World |
Large format book.
2000 species illustrated life-size. Excellent text covering
all aspects of butterfly biology, written for the general
naturalist. |
Salamander Books
1975 |
|
Lewis |
Butterflies of the
World |
Large format book.
Reduced-size illustrations of 7000 species. Includes the
Skippers, so covers many species not depicted in other works.
Outdated nomenclature. |
Harrap
1973 |
The
world in several volumes
Producing an exhaustive treatment of all the world's butterflies is
a task that takes many years and can never truly be completed, as
new species are regularly discovered, and the status and
nomenclature of all species is in a state of constant flux. The
works of d'Abrera are true classics, and never likely to be
surpassed. The Bauer and Frankenbach series of paperbacks are best
regarded as complementary to d'Abrera, and are useful when
additional illustrations of particular genera or species are needed.
None of these works include the Hesperiidae.
|
d'Abrera |
Butterflies of the
World |
Large format books
covering the butterflies of the various zoogeographical
regions in 16 volumes. Covers all families except the
Hesperiidae. Life-size colour photographs of every species in
the collection of the British Museum Natural History.
Essential. |
Hill House Publishers
various
dates |
|
edited by Bauer &
Frankenbach
various authors |
Butterflies of the
World |
Large format
paperbacks covering particular genera tribes or subfamilies. Life-size
colour photographs. Each volume in this large and growing
series is produced by an entomologist specialising in the
relevant taxa. |
Hillside Books
various dates |
Books dealing with a single country or region
These
are generally single volumes or 2 volume sets which deal with the
butterflies of a particular country or small group of countries.
They are particularly valuable for the travelling lepidopterist who
does not want to be side tracked with illustrations and descriptions
not applicable to the area he or she is visiting. These books
generally have an introductory section in which the various habitat
types in each region are described in detail. The species
descriptions provide further information about the distribution,
habitat requirements, behaviour, foodplants and ecology of each
species.
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Ackery, Smith & Vane-Wright |
Carcasson's African Butterflies |
|
CSIRO
1985 |
|
Baytas |
Field Guide to the Butterflies of
Turkey |
Includes over 750 photographs of
butterflies taken in their natural habitats and species
accounts of all Turkish butterflies,
including recently described Agrodiaetus blues. |
National
Geographic Turkiye
2007 |
|
Braby |
Butterflies of Australia |
Covers the biology,
identification and distribution of all Australian species. |
CSIRO
2000 |
|
Canals |
Mariposas de Misiones |
Photographic
field guide to the butterflies of Iguassu Falls and
surrounding areas of Argentina and Brazil. Covers about 30
percent of the species, including Skippers |
Literature of Latin America
2003 |
|
DeVries |
Butterflies of Costa
Rica |
2 paperback volumes
covering all families except Hesperiidae and Lycaenidae.
Reduced-size colour photographs of all species. Excellent and
informative text. |
Princeton University
Press
1987 |
|
Eliot |
Butterflies of the
Malay Peninsula. |
Portable hardback
covering all West Malaysian butterflies including the Skippers. Full-size colour photographs of all species.
Useful text. |
Malayan Nature
Society
1992 |
|
Garwood & Lehman |
Butterflies of Southern Amazonia |
Photographic field guide covering about 1000 of the commoner
Amazonian species, including Skippers. |
RiCale Publishing
2007 |
|
Henning, Joannou &
Woodhall |
Living butterflies of southern Africa |
|
Umdaus Press
forthcoming |
|
Hernandez |
Field Guide of Cuban /
West Indies Butterflies |
Covers all
species found in Cuba and the West Indies |
Apollo Books
2004 |
|
Lanfranchis |
Butterflies of Europe |
Comprehensive
field guide and key to the butterflies of Europe. Contains
distributions maps, taxonomic keys, and detailed drawing of
genitalia to assist identification of difficult species. |
Diatheo
2004
|
|
Larsen |
Butterflies of West
Africa |
Large format. 2
volumes covering all West African species
including the Skippers. Excellent text. |
Apollo Books
1997 |
|
Larsen |
Butterflies of Kenya |
Hardback field guide
covering all Kenyan species including Skippers. Illustrated with colour photographs |
Oxford University
Press
1991 |
|
Makris |
Butterflies of Cyprus |
Describes and
illustrates all the
butterflies of Cyprus, with
information on distribution and ecology.
Photographs of uppersides and undersides of both sexes of all
species. |
distributed
by NHBS
2003 |
|
McCubbin |
Australian Butterflies |
Large format. Covers all Australian species
including Skippers. Beautifully illustrated with water-colours.
Exhaustive and entertaining text. |
Nelson |
|
Monastyrskii |
Butterflies of Vietnam |
A series of
identification guides covering the butterflies of Vietnam |
Apollo Books
2005 |
|
Neild |
Butterflies of
Venezuela
click
for more info... |
4 part series covering the Venezuelan
members of the Nymphalidae, Pieridae and Papilionidae. 1 volume published so far.
Extremely thorough text and superb plates depicting uppersides
and undersides of both sexes of every species at life size. |
Meridian Publications |
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Otsuka |
Field guide to the butterflies of
Borneo & south-east Asia |
|
Borneo Books
2001 |
|
Parsons |
The Butterflies of
Papua New Guinea |
Exhaustive study
covering the identification, biology, distribution &
systematics of all PNG species. |
Academic Press
1988 |
|
Parsons |
Butterflies of the
Bulolo-Wau valley |
Handy pocket guide with
colour photos of about a third of the butterfly species found
in Papua New Guinea, all reproduced smaller than life-size.
Useful text. |
Bishop Museum Press
1991 |
|
Pinratana |
Butterflies of Thailand |
6 volume set of handbooks covering all
species found in Thailand, including Skippers. |
White Lotus
1988 |
|
Riley |
British and Irish Butterflies |
Field guide with
photographs of all subspecies of British butterfly. |
Brambleby Books
2007 |
|
Scott |
Butterflies of North
America |
Portable guide to
all North American butterflies. Mediocre life-size colour photographs.
Excellent species text. Superb coverage of anatomy, biology and
ecology of N. American species. |
Stanford University
Press
1992 |
|
Smith |
Butterflies of Nepal |
|
White Lotus
1995 |
|
Swaay &
Warren |
Prime Butterfly Areas in Europe |
Of the 576 species known to occur in
Europe, 71 are considered threatened. This book aims to
identify the areas where conservation efforts should be
urgently focused. Within these 431 areas, described country by
country, the focus is on target species. |
Wageningen
2003 |
|
Tennant |
Butterflies of Morocco, Tunisia and Algeria |
|
Gem Publishing
1996 |
|
Thomas |
Philips guide to Butterflies of Britain &
Ireland |
Field guide to all British species,
written by the leading author in the field of UK butterfly
ecology. Superbly illustrated with photographs, water-colours
and charts. |
Philips
2007 |
|
Tolman and Lewington |
Butterflies of
Britain and Europe |
Field guide covering
all butterflies found in Europe, including Skippers. Superb
watercolour illustrations. |
Harper Collins
1997 |
|
Tomlinson & Still |
Britain's Butterflies |
Field guide
to British butterflies illustrated with composite photographs
depicting all stages of the lifecycle |
Wild Guides
2002 |
|
Tratt |
Butterfly Landscapes |
A collection
of water-colour paintings depicting British butterflies in
context with their habitats. |
Langford Press
2005 |
|
Whalley & Lewington |
Mitchell Beazley Pocket Guide to the Butterflies of Britain&
Europe |
Truly pocketable book with superb and
accurate water-colour illustrations of all species by Richard
Lewington |
Mitchell Beazley
2008 |
|
Wikramanayake |
Butterflies of Sri Lanka |
|
Wikramanayake
2006 |
|
Woodhall |
Butterflies of
South Africa |
Introduction covers biology, anatomy, and
taxonomy. The species accounts cover distribution, foodplants
and identification. Photographs are mostly of live specimens
taken in the wild. |
Struik
2005
|
Books dealing with British counties
These
books are mostly produced in collaboration with local county
branches of Butterfly Conservation, and analyse the history, current
status, and future trends of each species found in that county.
Almost all counties of Britain now have their own butterfly book,
and those listed below are just a tiny sample. Most include
distribution maps, flight tables and information about habitats and
their management.
|
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The State of Butterflies in Berkshire,
Bucks and Oxfordshire. |
|
Pisces
2005 |
|
Fuller |
Butterflies of Wiltshire |
|
Pisces
1995 |
|
Futter |
Butterflies of south-west Scotland |
An atlas of
the distribution of butterflies in south-west Scotland |
Argyll Publishing
2006 |
|
Collins |
Butterflies of Surrey |
|
Surrey Wildlife Trust
1995 |
|
Frost |
Butterflies of Yorkshire |
|
Butterfly Conservation Yorkshire
2005 |
|
Oates,
Taverner & Green |
The Butterflies of Hampshire |
|
Pisces
2000 |
Biology and ecology
There
are many books available dealing with the biology and ecology of
lepidoptera. Most of these are technical in nature and directed at
the scientific community. The books listed below however are aimed
at amateur butterfly enthusiasts and written in an easily understood
but comprehensive style.
|
Preston-Mafham |
Butterflies of the
World |
Handbook dealing
comprehensively with anatomy, lifecycle,
behaviour, survival, variation and ecology. |
Blandford Press
1988 |
|
Vane-Wright & Ackery |
The Biology of
Butterflies |
|
Princeton University
Press
1989 |
|
Scott |
Butterflies of North
America |
Superb coverage of
the anatomy, biology and ecology of North American species.
Amazing value. |
Stanford University
Press
1992 |
Photo-essays
These books are generally produced by wildlife photographers rather
than by entomologists. They are intended primarily as showcases of a
particular photographers work.
|
Arndt |
Nomads of the Wind |
Stunning photographs
of Monarchs at the over-wintering sites in Mexico,
plus with a selection of high
quality images of other species taken by wildlife photographer
Ingo Arndt. |
Papadakis
2008 |
|
Dalton |
Caught in Motion |
Amazing photographs
of butterflies, moths, dragonflies, birds, bats and other
animals frozen in flight with a high speed camera. |
Weidenfeld & Nicolson
1982 |
Videos and DVDs
Productions dealing with a single country or region
A superb set of videos and DVDs from John Banks
illustrating butterflies from all over the world. These depict
hundreds of species in their natural habitats, and often include
thought-provoking questions about the ecology, evolution and
behaviour of butterflies. More information at
www.cinebutterflies.com
|
Banks |
Puzzles of the past |
A film probing the
history of British butterflies. 75 species filmed in their
natural habitats. |
Cinebutterflies
1997 |
|
Banks |
Beauty for Survival |
A film of living
butterflies from many parts of the world, showing how a
butterfly's appearance increases it's chance of survival. |
Cinebutterflies
1995 |
|
Banks |
Diversity in the rainforest |
A delightful film
about the butterflies of Tambopata, an Amazon rainforest
reserve in Peru which has one of the richest butterfly faunas
on Earth. |
Cinebutterflies
1996 |
|
Banks |
Ghana's other gold |
Butterflies of the
West African rainforest. 120 species filmed at Kakum and other
reserves in Ghana. |
Cinebutterflies
|
|
Banks |
Wonders of the East |
Malaysia's
breathtaking Birdwings, Lacewings, Dragontails, Tree Nymphs
and many others, filmed in West Malaysia and Borneo. |
Cinebutterflies
1998 |
|
Banks |
What's going on here
? |
An introduction to
the butterflies of the Amazonian rainforest, filmed in Brazil. |
Cinebutterflies
2006 |
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learnaboutbutterflies
would like to express our
sincere thanks to
Bernard d'Abrera for his most generous donation of 11 volumes of "Butterflies
of the World". This indispensable series is hugely valuable as
a tool for the identification of species photographed for this
website, and helps to ensure that species surveys supplied to reserve managers are as
accurate as possible. I'm pleased to include a brief autobiography of
Bernard
d'Abrera -
probably the most
well known and respected entomologist in the world, author not only of the "Butterflies of the World" series, but
also of "Birdwing Butterflies of the World", "Hawkmoths of the
World", "Saturniidae Mundi", and the scholarly and
controversial "Concise Atlas of Butterflies of the World",
which includes many stunning photographs of butterflies in
their natural habitat, as well as a huge selection of set
specimens.
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Text and photographs protected by Copyright © Adrian
Hoskins 2007-2008, and must not be reproduced or published in part
or in whole elsewhere in any form without written permission from
Adrian Hoskins. Breach of copyright will be pursued by litigation.
Website designed, produced and owned by
Adrian Hoskins
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