Today more than 5000 species of dragonflies and damselflies inhabit six of the seven continents. This text presents a comprehensive and accessible overview of the world's more popular insect groups, the Odonata. Written for interested amateurs as well as more experienced professionals, "Dragonflies of the World" provides information on distribution patterns, life cycles and habitat, behaviour and general appearance, as well as evolutionary history, taxonomy, and conservation efforts. The final chapter describes specific dragonfly families and subfamilies.