From the publisher: Packed with over 1600 stunning images, this unique photographic guide is the first book on the fascinating range of insects in the New Forest and surrounding area. The New Forest National Park is one of Britain's richest areas for insects, with an estimated 63% of the UK species. This guide will appeal not only to experts and wildlife-enthusiasts of all ages living in or visiting the New Forest, but also those throughout the UK and abroad. The photographs include behavioural images and are accompanied by a concise text with key information and locations in which to identify, enjoy and photograph these insects. Around 1300 species are included, with full coverage of butterflies, dragonflies and damselflies, shieldbugs, grasshoppers and related insects, amongst others. Sections on the history of entomology in the New Forest and information on different habitats are also included.

About the author: Paul Brock is a Scientific Associate of the Natural History Museum, London, world expert and author of several major reference books on stick and leaf insects.

Paul Brock

A Review by Peter Eeles - 18th June 2011

The author first told me of his idea for this guide a couple of years ago and, I have to say, I'm absolutely blown away by the final result. This is, without doubt, going to be a standard reference for many years to come and, I'm sure, a benchmark that authors of similar topics will measure their works by. If you're at all interested in entomology then you need this book - simple as that. And don't be fooled by the title - many of the individual species are found across the British Isles and not just the New Forest area, and this guide will help you identify the family or even genus for those species found further afield for the most part.

For the last 30 years or so I've relied on typical field guides that present their subject out of context, often displaying specimens in unnatural positions - something that a photographic guide doesn't suffer from. The path trodden by Waring and Townsend's Field Guide to the Moths of Great Britain and Ireland (illustrated by Richard Lewington) and Chris Manley's British Moths and Butterflies - a photographic guide, which have shifted away from the illustration of pinned specimens (thankfully) and toward a representation that is wholly realistic as seen in nature, is continued in this work.

The text accompanying the photos is really quite detailed when compared with other guides. Given the many acknowledged contributors, it's easy to see that the author (whose own credentials are impeccable) has clearly done his homework by consulting the "great and the good" in all fields of entomology - something that comes across in the written word. The species-specific dialogue makes for an enjoyable read with the author's local knowledge shining through. I have to admit, I thought I knew my butterflies, but even this section was interesting and informative reading; I stand enlightened as a result! Specific sites within the New Forest area are also provided should the reader want to make specific plans to find a particular species.

Finally, I should mention the presentation. I'm surprised that this book isn't also labelled as a "field guide", since it would be easy to carry around on a field trip (and I shall be doing just that!). It's fairly chunky at 314 pages, but small enough to carry around. The various insect orders are suitably divided in the book, with every page colour-coded to allow the reader to easily locate the order in question. It's then a case of simply flicking through the pages to "home in" on a particular species. Having said that, I can also envisage readers reading the book from cover to cover.

All in all this is, quite simply, a book that "raises the bar" for similar works and, as such, is highly recommended.