The main author of this book, Jill Sillsby, is the honorary secretary of the Worldwide Dragonfly Association and a former ditto of the British Dragonfly Society. As behoves such a prominent student of dragonflies, her book is interesting, readable and illustrated with a large amount of stunning colour photos. Indeed, this is one of the best books on dragonflies I've seen.
"Dragonflies of the world" covers all odonates: true dragonflies, damselflies and anisozygopterans. The book is divided into two main sections. The first deals with the life cycle and behaviour of these fascinating insects. The second is an encyclopaedic section, covering all extant families of the order Odonata. Apart from the usual Hawkers, Emperors and Chasers, there are some groups I haven't heard of previously. The Primitives are dragonflies with curiously shaped wings, Dwarves are the smallest dragonflies (one species is only 15 mm), and the largest ones are called Forest Giants (strictly, they are damselflies). Finally, there are the anisozygopterans, which I personally think looks like a cross between dragonflies and wasps!
The two main sections are followed by three shorter chapters on evolutionary riddles, dragonfly breeding and conservation issues.
All things considered, "Dragonflies of the world" might be the only book about dragonflies you are likely to need.
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