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Hi


I have some good knowledge of biology, but entomology is a field that I know just very little. I browsed here in amazon.com for some books about entomology:
http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_ss_gw/102-7452558-5581710?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=entomology&Go.x=0&Go.y=0&Go=Go

unfortunately some are, indeed, really expensive.

I ask you for some trust and good start for entomology.

Any advices will be welcome. Thank you again.

I'm stick with Evolution of insects (not, I haven?t it yet, just have a look of 1 chapter available on net). I liked a lot the first chapter! Great reading!

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I'm not sure exactly what sort of books you want, but an excellent field guide is Michael Chinnery's Field Guide to the Insects of Britain and Western Europe, published by Collins. Unfortunately it's out of print, but should be reprinted soon, and used copies are sometimes available. It's the one book I keep beside my desk for when I get telephone enquiries at work - I can almost always find the answer in it! :)

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Chinery's Guide is really perfect for general observations! I had no time to wait for new English edition to be finally published, so buyed a German one of 2005. I've seen people selling French and even Finish editions somewhere on the internet :) I guess French edition would be closer with describing some Spanish flies, so you should search a little bit on internet ;)

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you can find 2 editions in spanish; one of them says for spain and europe (spanish references are just a few) and the classical one. The one with the comment of "spanish" has more descriptions of families but less pictures, the other general one (without the word spanish) is more actualized and has more species drawings

*with the comment spanish: available in fnac.es about 39e and "just" european one in casadelibro.com 37e

*http://www.dipter...ad_id=3136 this french one has general introduction to diptera,keys to families and photographs, no drawings and just for diptera

*http://www.dipter...ad_id=2175 this one has photographs and some "light" description of each order/family, worldwide, edited in italian, spanish..
-new edition: http://www.fnac.e...dID=572914

*in spanish you can find very cheap the "Blume" field guides , there is one for insects and another for spiders and related (approx 9 euros each) with pictures,
-new edition: http://www.fnac.e...dID=438737

there are some more, less "serious"
anyway the best (in my opinion) is Chinery

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I've had the new Chinery on order (and paid for:() from Amazon for over a year now. I suppose it will eventually turn up in my letterbox.

I have seen the French version advertised somewhere, but assumed it was just a translation (although I did notice it was called Insects of France and Western Europe). Now I am spending more time in France, perhaps I should get it - presumably it indicates French species in much the same way as the Bristish Isles one indicates British species, and includes some French vernacular names. Does it have a slightly different set of species to focus on France? Can anyone give me an overview of the contents?

I notice that the old, out of print British Isles Chinery is getting very expensive. When I bought it a few years ago I got it second hand for 15 pounds sterling. Now I see it on Amazon second hand for 35 or even 45 pounds.

Just as an aside, the new Identification Guide for Dragonflies of Europe, by KD Dijkstra and Richard Lewington is fantastic:D