Europe's Dragonflies - by Dave Smallshire & Andy Swash (Paperback)

Book Synopsis

The go-to photographic guide to all the damselflies and dragonflies recorded in Europe, including the Macaronesian Islands and western Turkey

Europe's Dragonflies is a comprehensive, lavishly illustrated and beautifully designed photographic field guide to the damselflies and dragonflies of Europe. Written by two well-travelled experts, the book covers all 140 resident and vagrant species recorded, focussing on the field identification of adult insects. Concise species profiles highlight key identification features and provide information on behaviour, habitat preferences, distribution, flight periods, status and conservation. Other sections cover identification tips, conservation status and legislation. Presenting an unsurpassed selection of images of the highest quality, this is the go-to guide for anyone wishing to know more about these amazing and fascinating insects.

• Comprehensive coverage of every species of damselfly and dragonfly recorded in Europe
• Stunning colour plates showing males, females, immatures, colour forms, subspecies and typical habitat for every species
• Over 1,200 superb photographs, supplemented with illustrations of fine details
• Detailed profiles for the 140 resident and vagrant species
• Unique comparison plates for difficult groups
• Easy to use by beginners and experts alike, avoiding technical terms

Review Quotes

"Europe's Dragonflies is not only comprehensive, but beautifully presented, and I find myself referring to it regularly during the spring and summer months. . . . Surely an essential book to add to your library"---Frank Lambert, Frank Lambert Birding

"

A stunning book which I thoroughly recommend. It is aesthetically pleasing as well as having a vast amount of information to assist any Odonata enthusiast or general naturalist identifying Odonata on their travels through Europe.

"---Neil Anderson, London Naturalist

"

I've been a big fan of the WILDGuides series from the first publication . . . they are my first port of call. I already have the WILDGuides for British species, now I can venture into Europe's wild and wet places . . . looking for these aerial jewels. Take a look and you will want it... this comprehensive and easy to read guide has it all!

"---Bo Beolens, Fat Birder

"A brilliant book collection . . . each volume is a colourful, fact-filled introduction to the animals, insects, plants and habitats that makes watching wildlife so fascinating."---Stuart Winter, Sunday Express

"A first-rate full-colour identification guide."---John Badmin, British Journal of Entomology and Natural History

"A very comprehensive guide to the adult species of European Odonata which is richly illustrated and packed with information."---Andy Chick, Amateur Entomological Society

"A wealth of information packed into concise, image-rich content in a careful layout designed to provide the most helpful cues along the quickest and easiest route to identification."---Chris Sharpe, Curious Naturalist

"Glorious guide."---Alan Wright, Lancashire, Manchester and North Merseyside Wildlife Trust

"Simply brilliant."---Roy Stewart, Country-Side

"This field guide features all the hallmarks we have come to expect from Princeton University Press in their WildGuides series. . . . An easy-to-read style means the book will appeal to dragonfly enthusiasts of all ages and standards. It will surely become the go-to textbook guide for Odonata."---Eric Brown, News Shopper

"This is a truly excellent field guide, containing a wealth of detailed and well-presented information. It has much to recommend it to those whose interest in Odonata is now starting to expand beyond British shores."---Adrian Parr, Atropos

"This is a very useful field guide, packed with information, that specialists could employ to identify species in the field and that more generalist natural historians would surely want for wider reference. It is a very nice addition to the study of these magnificent insects; it will further widen public awareness of their beauty and the relative fragility of their habitats."---Andrew Wakeham-Dawson, Entomologist's Monthly Magazine

"This photographic guide to Europe's dragonflies is amazing, although WILDGuides have built up such a reputation for producing high quality books of this sort that it doesn't come as a surprise really. But it is still amazing. . . . It is a marvel of concise clear information transfer."---Mark Avery, Mark Avery Blog

About the Author

Dave Smallshire is an ecologist, lecturer and wildlife tour guide, and plays an active role in the British Dragonfly Society. He formerly worked as an environmental adviser to the UK government and is the coauthor of the highly acclaimed Britain's Dragonflies (Princeton WILDGuides). Twitter @smallshire Andy Swash is managing director of WILDGuides and a well-known wildlife photographer and author. He is the coauthor of Britain's Dragonflies and seven other Princeton WILDGuides books, and has written and edited many other titles.