Townsend and Lewingtons book is good, and the first to show the majority of moths in a natural pose. The distribution data is more up to date than Skinner but that's to be expected, in some species the distribution is already out of date because of changing distribution patterns. It is 'macro's' only although some of these are so small as to be mistaken for 'micro's' by the neophyte.
There are however some drawbacks, there are several species where it it critical that the hindwing be examined in order to confirm identifications and with one or two exceptions, these are not shown. There are also some species which cannot be reliably identified without examination of the genitalia, I am thinking here about the Grey and Dark Daggers, the Autumnal Moths and the Ear moths to mention just three areas where the beginner and sometimes the expert can err. Colour patterns are very variable in some moths with some identification pattern features missing in others.
Some common forms of 'variation' are shown, but when one considers that J.W.Tutt published four volumes on the variations to be found within the British Noctuids alone, there are always going to be some difficulties in identification.
As a Field Guide it is a little on the large and heavy side, but in all honesty I don't think it could be made more compact. The notes for each species are about as brief as they can be. I certainly won't be carrying it around with me. The illustrations are supurb, as is to be expected from Richard Lewington.
Basic collecting methods are described, but it is not a book on how to collect or catch insects, it is about identification. There are other books that cover these subjects.
Overall I would rate it at nine out of ten, and it's certainly worth a place on the bookshelf of anyone interested in Moths. I would suggest that it be used in conjunction with Skinner when identifying difficult species.
The price is not that high when you consider the costs of other publications of similar quality. If you have something you can't identify from either this or Skinner's books try and obtain several photographs from varying angles at put them up in this Forum.
Harry Eales.