[Odonata-l] Czech dragonfly book

[Dennis Paulson]

Hello, all.

I'd like to call your attention to a new book on dragonflies that I  
have just received. Books on Odonata are being published at a rate  
that would amaze anyone who had not realized how popular our favorite  
insects have become. The tremendous amateur interest in dragonflies  
has resulted in much more knowledge than a decade ago, and that  
interest in turn produces an imperative for more books on the group.  
Here is another one.

The Dragonflies of the Czech Republic, Ecology, Conservation and  
Distribution, by Ales Dolny, Dan Bárta, et al.

This 672-page book is magnificent, produced by a publisher with a  
history of magnificent books. It is in large format, a real coffee- 
table book and I think the largest book on Odonata that I own (at 3.8  
kg!), yet it is as full of scientifically gathered information about  
the Czech fauna as any technical work would be. The authors analyzed  
almost 75,000 odonate records to produce up-to-date maps and seasonal  
graphs for each of the 73 species known from the country. The  
introduction is over 200 pages long, treating many subjects of  
interest to a dragonfly biologist and enthusiast, all beautifully  
illustrated, There is a rather brief section on the basic biology of  
Odonata but lengthier sections on Czech natural environments, history  
of Czech odonatology, a detailed analysis of the database, odonate  
habitats and ecology, conservation and protection, and biomonitoring.  
The lists of references for all of these subjects are extensive.

The authors know their fauna well, and they are good biologists and  
naturalists, so I think the book must present a clear picture of the  
fauna. The species accounts are extensive and abundantly illustrated.  
There are high-quality scans of living individuals of all of them as  
well as many beautiful photos in nature. As thorough a book as this  
is, it doesn't treat larval identification, and that is of course  
true of the vast majority of regional odonate books. It would be good  
if all of us spent more time beneath the water's surface!

Actually, the only disappointment for me in this book is that it is  
in the Czech language. This makes all the sense in the world, as it  
is the people of that country who will enjoy and benefit from this  
book the most. Fortunately for many of us, all the sections are  
summarized in English, the species accounts are briefly summarized in  
English in a single section, and all illustrations are captioned in  
English as well as Czech. Because of this, it is possible for readers  
of English to get a great deal of information from the book, and, of  
course, a picture is worth a thousand words. Nevertheless, there is  
probably much to be gained by reading the entire text, and I think  
this is a book to be translated into all European languages!

The Dragonflies of the Czech Republic is available through the  
publishers, Taita Publishers, at their website: http:// 
www.taitapublishers.cz/.

Best to all,

Dennis
-----
Dennis Paulson
1724 NE 98 St.
Seattle, WA 98115
206-528-1382
dennispaulson at comcast.net



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