A presentation of close-up studio photographs of one of the most varied and beautiful species on the planet: the beetle. The range of shapes and colours featured should be a source of inspiration to professional designers and a visual wonder to the general reader. As the introduction explains, beetles were deified in Ancient Egypt, used for necklaces and brooches by the Amazonian Indians of Peru, and worn live, tethered to gold chains, by fashionable ladies in Victorian times. The photographs here provide evidence of why beetles have been such a valuable commodity to various cultures.