Dragonflies New Naturalist Series no 41.<br />First edition

London: Collins, 1960. First edition, 1960. Hardback. xii, 260pp. Dust jacket in a protective sleeve. Dragonflies are an ideal group of insects for study. They are beautiful and fascinating creatures and, in spite of many environmental threats, many are still relatively straightforward to find. Moreover, the dragonfly's life is dramatically divided by sudden stages. Its immature stage is quite unlike the adult. Dragonfly larvae are almost all aquatic while the adults are all terrestrial. The adult stage often lasts less than a twentieth of the creature's whole life. This book is a useful history of British dragonflies and provides a thorough account of the native species. 54 colour photographs, 16 black & white photographs and over 200 maps and diagrams. Jacket design by Clifford and Rosemary ellis. Book in near fine condition. Faint band of toning to free endpapers. A couple of small and faint spots of foxing to pastedowns. Internally very clean and bright. Dust jacket near fine. Unclipped. A little discolouration to spine and again but less so to rear.