I received my three copies today (one for me, two for colleagues). From an Entomologist point of view I must say I am really impressed.
The book looks and reads more like a field guide than a traditional taxonomic key. It has a cool color indication to separate the different subfamilies of Buprestidae at the top corner of each page, similarly to many field guides. The keys and species descriptions are relatively easy to use if you know the terminology (I tested it to key out an Agrilus anxius that I collected last night), the photos are of excellent quality and I like the distribution maps and the details on host plants. I do wish they would include additional photographs of the beetles alive, in their habitat or on their host plant. I know this is difficult to accomplish for rare and infrequently seen species, but at least for the common species this should have been possible... Insects look different than pinned specimens when they are alive, and body posture can also help to identify a species. But that being said, you cannot beat this offer. A FREE comprehensive (at least for Eastern North America) book filled with color photographs of each and every species of one of the most hard-to-ID families of beetles. Whether you are an Ecologist working on plant pests, or a Taxonomist curating a beetle collection or conducting species surveys and your work includes Buprestidae, this book is essential.
I would like to say thanks to the nice people here on the forum for posting about this offer!
