Damselflies of the Northeast comments and reviews

Since its publication, the guide has gotten a wonderful response from users and reviewers of the book. I am tremendously grateful for all the comments I've received. A great personal thrill was when Dr. Edward O. Wilson described the book as "a small masterpiece" while addressing a joint gathering of the Cambridge Entomological Club and the Concord Bird Club in August, 2004.

"At last – a guide which really works! ... attractive as it is informative, Ed Lam has produced a guide that has clearly enabled beginners - and not a few "experts" also all over the east and midwest to identify damselflies quickly and accurately."– Nick Donnelly, Argia, news journal of the Dragonfly Society of the Americas. For full review, click here

"It is superb! To my mind, this is the finest odonate guide yet to appear in North America. The illustrations are brilliant and the text clear and concise." – Blair Nikula, co-author of the Stokes' Beginners Guide to Dragonflies and The Field Guide to the Dragonflies and Damselflies of Massachusetts.

"With life-like drawings, range maps and concise text, Lam has crafted a masterpiece — arguably the greatest breakthrough in Zygoptera since Ginger Carpenter’s seminal work, The Dragonflies and Damselflies of Cape Cod." – Bryan Pfeiffer, Boghaunter Vol. 3 No. 2. For full review, click here (pdf format)

"While there have been a number of fine guides prepared in North America, Ed's work is exceptional in the tone of editorial (an good balance of science and accessibility to the lay person), clarity of the taxonomic explainations, beauty of the illustrations, quality of the explanatory diagrams, maps, and drawings, and overall refinement of the graphic design... The comments and observations indicate an intimate knowledge of the species covered - in many cases he pointed out aspects of species that I had not noted, although I may have considered myself familiar with them for more than a decade. The extent of treatment of colour patterns and variation is unprecedented, and certainly informed me." – Paul-Michael Brunelle, Regional Coordinator, Atlantic Dragonfly Inventory Program, Coordinator, Maine Damselfly and Dragonfly Survey. For full review, click here

"...thorough yet compact, detailed yet still appealing and accessible to anyone who wants to learn about these glittering stars of the insect world. The maps show ranges clearly, and they also put a sharp focus on places where particular species are not known to occur, places where users of this field guide may some day find them. There’s even a clever set of symbols to tell you which damselflies can be identified on the wing and which require the use of hand lenses and dissecting scopes." – Ed Kanze, columnist, All Things Natural

"Every so often, a terrific field guide comes out. Since birders do like things that fly, it becomes a crossover opportunity to study other fascinating creatures. The world of odonata – dragonflies and damselflies – is a beautiful one. Although there are several guides for identifying dragonflies, there hasn't been a guide covering only damselflies – until now. "Damselflies of the Northeast" is the best I've seen for its simplicity and spectacular artwork." – Peter Dorosh, The Clapper Rail, newsletter of the Brooklyn Bird Club

"I too, would like to heartily recommend this guide. The illustrations are incredible, and it's a joy to look at. Anyone with any interest in eastern damselflies shouldn't be without it!" - Glenn Corbiere, www.dragonhunter.net

"I very highly recommend the new book "Damselflies of the Northeast" by Ed Lam. You have to see this book to believe it! Each damselfly is on its own page, with several beautiful diagrams showing different views. There is a description on each page of what tools and field marks are needed to identify them. And despite the name of the book, it covers the mid-Atlantic, too." – June Tveekrem, Columbia, Maryland, www.toad.net/~junetvee

"Anyone who is interested in identifying damselflies in Iowa needs to seriously consider this book. Even though it is geared toward the northeastern US, the book covers all but four of the species recorded in Iowa." – Ann Johnson, www.iowaodes.com

"...this guide is awesome and in my opinion is the best currently available guide to eastern Zygoptera by far. Of special note to this list (se-odonata), however, is the point to not be fooled by the title. This comprehensive guide contains nearly every eastern damsel, including virtually all those occurring in the south. Of the 50 damselflies that have been found in Georgia, only 5 are not included in this book." – Giff Beaton, Marietta GA, www.giffbeaton.com

"I absolutely recommend it -- while it has its uses to those with extensive experience, it may prove invaluable to those who are just starting out. I wish it had been out all those years ago when I was getting started!" – Tim Allison, Ottawa, ON.