'Directions for Collecting and Preserving Insects' is a comprehensive guidebook by Charles V. Riley that teaches readers how to collect and preserve insects of all kinds. From general considerations to specific techniques for collecting Hymenoptera, Coleoptera, Lepidoptera, Hemiptera, and more, this book offers detailed instructions for catching insects in a variety of settings. It also provides guidance on the best ways to kill and preserve specimens, including using alcohol, chloroform, and cyanide of potassium. With helpful tips on preparing and mounting specimens for display, this book is an essential resource for amateur and professional entomologists alike.

The following pages provide several methods for accomplishing different procedures along with other ways that are doubtless familiar to many collectors. As a general rule patience in collecting, care in the handling, and uniformity in the preparation of specimens will result in a good collection. And a good collection is the first requirement and the greatest inducement to study any group.

“The Beetle and Butterfly Collection” is a classic guide to collecting, arranging, and preserving various insects at home. Written with the amateur in mind, it contains simple, step-by-step instructions that will prove invaluable to anyone with an interest in insect collecting and preservation. Contents include: “Setting-Out and Maintaining Beatles and Butterflies”, “The Parts of a Beetle”, “The Classification”, “Lepidoptera, or Butterflies and Moths”, “Classification of Butterflies”, “The Lepidarium”, “The Outline Sketch of the Insect Orders”, etc. Many vintage books such as this are increasingly scarce and expensive. It is with this in mind that we are republishing this volume now in a new, affordable, modern edition complete with the original text and artwork.