MYGALES, Découverte & Élevage by Jean-Michel Verdez, 190pp;  

 10/10

 This is by far my favorite book for our hobby, one of the rare any serious hobbyists should have regardless of internet access. The pictures by Frédérick Cléton are absolutely gorgeous and of much superior quality to anything else published anywhere. The reader will find precise information on specific species, both common and rare. The care sheets even include very valuable information on breeding tips for every species described. For less experienced hobbyists, this book should be completed by other more general books about spider keeping. Published in French with a high end price tag, this should not discourage you from obtaining this amazing book, a true bible of spider care…

L’ÉLEVAGE DES MYGALES by Jean-Michel Verdez, 82pp;

6/10

  This is a smaller version of Mr. Verdez’s big book. The reason why I rate it so low is that I do not think this book does the work it is supposed to do. Yes the care sheets are as good as in the big book (although a little shorter), but a small affordable book like this one is mostly aimed at beginners. In that regards, this book is not very well adapted to this particular group. The species in the care sheets do not represent a good selection of commonly available species (particularly in Canada ) and definitely not suitable for starters. Also, the general care section is very poor, there is not much reason for this book to be (also published in French)…

THE TARANTULA KEEPER’S GUIDE by S. A. Schultz and M. J. Schultz, 287pp;

 9,5 /10

  Referred by many as the “Official Tarantula Bible”, this is the ultimate general information book. This is by far the best book for anyone that is starting in the hobby and also always a very valuable reference book for more experienced keepers. The only down side is it’s over all appeal, it could use some better pictures and a little refreshing. This book is a must to anyone who wants to provide good care for his animals…

TARANTULAS OF BELIZE by Steven B. Reichling, 127pp;

9/10

 I love this book! Very interesting and entertaining… you feel like packing up and going on a field trip. Understand that this is not a book about spider care. Pictures are really of poor quality but it does not make this book less interesting a bit. The only down side is that in the color photo section, the spiders are referred to their common names so you constantly have to go back to the description keys to get the Latin name, it is really annoying…

TARANTULAS AND OTHER ARACHNIDS by Samuel D. Marshall, 111pp;

8/10

 I have always liked that particular book; it does the work just fine! Affordable, the pictures look great; you have both decent general information and specific one on a few species. The availability of the species described is also somehow realistic. This is a good beginner’s book, it should not replace Mr. Schultz book, but can surely complement it. Also a good compromise for starters who cannot afford Mr. Verdez’s big book…

TARANTULAS AND SCORPIONS by W. Rankin & J. G. Walls, 64pp;

 1/10

 Do not waste your money, there are no good reasons to purchase that book like most of T.F.H. books… pictures are nice, explaining the 1/10…

TARANTULAS TODAY by Andrea Tinter, 79pp;  

 6/10

 Another T.F.H. book, this one is a little bit better then the previous. The pictures are really nice, and there is decent general information. This book is aimed at beginners but it does not stand as a must. The selection of species described is a little weird, not representing commonly available species (you have a care sheet for Cyriocosmus elegans in the “common tarantula” section!). Not an excellent book but not necessarily a huge waste of money if this is your first book (but it should not be!)…

LES ARAIGNÉES GÉANTES by S. Caratozzolo , 95pp;

 7/10

 This is an acceptable effort, pretty much the French equivalence to M. Marshall ’s book but not quite as good. It contains some decent general information and a few precise care sheets for particular species. This book is not easy to find though, not a must, but if you can find it, I think it can be worth the few bucks to it’s price tag…

THE TARANTULA by Lenny Flank Jr., 125pp;

   I will be very honest; I have this book in my library but never really read it! That is why I cannot rate it. It looks decent for beginners, but I do not think we need another book like this. Stick to the previous ones, if I ever have spare time, I will read it and complete my review…

A color guide to TARANTULAS OF THE WORLD Vol. I by Russ Gurley, 40pp;

 1/10

 I do not really know how to rate this book. It is so cheap that it is hardly any waste of money although it is rather useless (not much info, mistakes, etc.), so I guess it is a waste of money after all! Pictures are acceptable but do not justify the money, buy yourself a coffee and a doughnut, you will be more satisfied. I do not understand why they keep publishing books like these....

TARANTULAS IN THE TERRARIUM by Peter Klaas, 140pp;

 6/10

  This could have been an interesting book… unfortunately; it is rather insulting to see a 1989 book being translated more then ten years after the first German publication, especially in our hobby where things change extremely fast. The worst part is the price tag that accompanies it! And to make matters even worst, the author just published a new book in German! The pictures look good and there is some decent information, but not quite to justify such an expensive book.

VOGELSPINNEN by Peter Klaas, 142pp;

  So here is the new edition. Of course, I cannot rate this book as I do not understand German. Pictures are extremely good and are quite worth the buy. There are care sheets for quite a few more obscure species, some of them not mentioned in Mr. Verdez’s book so it could possibly be a good complement (?). I was told there are some mistakes in this book (like any books anyway) so you have been warned…

VOGELSPINNEN by Dr. Günter Schmidt, 151pp;

 Of course, I cannot rate this book as I do not understand German. One thing I can say is that it is rather old and a lot of the taxonomy is not up to date. This is a “more scientific” book where you can find identification keys. I find that very interesting since it is hard for us hobbyists to get our hands on some description papers. I was told a completely revised edition will be out soon…