A photographic guide to Flies of Britain & Ireland – First Impressions
Steven Falk, Gail Ashton, Rory Dimond & Peter Creed foreword by Erica McAlister
piscespublications (pbk) published 2026.410 pages, +1500 photographs, illustrations, and distribution maps
ISBN 978-1-913994-16-7
A couple of weeks ago a book arrived through my letterbox that I had ordered last year. I don’t normally pre-order books, I normally await their publication before purchase, tending to buy it a couple of weeks or months later. But I knew I wanted this book and the reduced pre-order price was certainly an offer I couldn’t refuse.
When I unboxed it I thought I have seen this book before, it felt and looked familiar. I only had to look across to my bookshelves to see on the third shelf down Insects of Britain & Ireland by Paul D.Brock (2015). This is a super insect book but like most things I always felt there was more to flies that just the 100 pages that were dedicated to it. Don’t get me wrong it’s a comprehensive book full of great photographs with bees, dragonflies, moths and of course hoverflies but I have other more comprehensive books dedicated to those subject matters, so portions of the book were rarely used.
When I heard that there was going to be a book dedicated to flies, I just couldn’t wait for it to drop through my letter box.
Well, was the wait worth it?
Was the content what I expected or letdown as built-up hype often turns into? – for example, some Hollywood films. I had been following the production of this book more than any other…..
