Previous owner's signature. Some foxing to endpapers.; xii, [1], 304, [2] pages + plates. Green cloth boards. "From the first chapter, dealing with spiders in literature and superstition, to the last, on collecting spiders, he blends wisdom with wit. Whilst disclosing the marvels of spider life, he adopts an evolutionary approach which takes him back to early beginnings in the Devonian epoch in his search for explanations of their present structure and habits." A volume in the celebrated New Naturalist Library. "[. . .] we have now come to look forward to new volumes in this series - well written, beautifully produced, and awakening interest in some fresh feature of Britain's countryside" - quoted from a Guardian review of the series. ; Series title: The New Naturalist No. 38; 8vo