The Little Book of Spiders Review

by G. Bradley 24th April 2024

Are you old enough to remember "Observer" books? Little pocket-sized hardback books, packed full of facts and information on all sorts of subjects from architecture to motor sport?  I had one as a boy with the title of "Common British Insects and Spiders".  Published in 1953 it had everything the title promised including hand painted illustrations, photos and a wealth of details on all the creatures, which as a budding entomologist, I hoped to discover in my local area.  While there are a great many better field guides available today, I still treasure that little old dog-eared book which kick-started my curiosity for natural history.

Fast-forward to today and Princeton University Press have just published a pocket-sized hardback book titled "The Little Book of Spiders".  And yes, it has all the qualities of that adorable old Observer book from my childhood.  Similar dimensions (6" x 4"), similar quality cloth cover and 160 similar heavyweight paper pages.  The photos are better (and in colour), and the illustrations are clear and plentiful.  Of course it's packed with a wealth of information, all laid out in a way which makes it easy to pick up and dip into whenever you fancy a top up of spider related knowledge.  You can find it at most good bookshops (and "Amazon), for about a tenner, which I think is good value.

If spiders aren't your thing there are other titles in the series including The Little Book of; Butterflies, Beetles, Fungi, Whales and Trees.  I've not seen the other titles, but if they're anything like the spider book they'll be worth checking out.