Steve Marshall’s new book “Flies: the natural history and diversity of Diptera” is the best book ever on flies. It is so stuffed with amazing photographs and interesting information that I literally cannot tear my eyes away from it.

I showed it with my hand for scale because it is HUGE. Steve could have written a book half this size and it still would have been the best book ever on flies, but he really overshot the mark here. The number of photos of flies in this book is absolutely insane. I mean, there five pages of photos of sphaerocerids (lesser dung flies), never mind the page after page of more photogenic groups!

Steve was my MSc advisor and has remained a good friend through the years since. We’ve even traveled together and I’ve seen him clicking away with his camera while collecting at the same time, but I had no idea that he had THIS in him. Simply a remarkable book from a remarkable guy. If you are even slightly interested in Diptera, don’t stop to think, just buy this book as reflexively as you take your next breath. Its that good and I can’t imagine anyone writing one that is better.