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I have long been fascinated by all things freshwater, and few creatures are more fascinating than amoebae. I guess most of us first encountered good old Amoeba proteus at school and little suspected that this was only one of a vast variety of amoebae. A vast variety indeed, for how many of us on our first encounters with amoebae dreamt that some actually build their own houses, or “tests”, and that others have the form of miniature suns with radiating spines. David Seamer’s latest illustrated guide provides a kaleidoscope of this variety and his drawings will be familiar to many on the Facebook Amateur Microscopy Group. The superb line drawings in this guide clearly show the characteristics of the genera and showcase the shape shifting naked amoeba, the wonderful intricate patterns of amoeba tests and the beautiful symmetry of the Heliozoans.

I have spent many hours over the years watching protozoa through my microscope. Many can be difficult to identify and with this guide at my side I am really pleased with the expert assistance it offers.
Although the book has been written in Australia, most of the genera are cosmopolitan, not only found in the southern hemisphere. I recommend it to anyone with an interest in freshwater microscopy, no matter where in the world they are. See http://davidseamer.com/ to obtain your own copy.

I was very pleased to be able to show a copy of this book at a recent meeting of the Quekett Microscopical Club, where it attracted quite a few admirers.

Graham Mathews,
West Sussex, UK.     

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         DAVID SEAMER'S NEW MONOGRAPH, "An Illustrated Guide to the Freshwater Amoebae" is his most ambitious project yet. 132 pages of 36 naked amoebae, 61 testate amoebae and 23 Heliozoans. All of the amoebae are common and found world-wide.

         The drawings and descriptions prompted me to revisit numerous videos tucked away in various folders on the computer. I was able to identify and sort most of the amoebae with a high degree of confidence.
         Since amoebae live in just about every environment including soil, this is a must-have guide for the beginner and the serious enthusiast. The spiral binding allows the book to lay flat for easy comparison while looking through the microscope.

         Visit davidseamer.com for this and his other freshwater protist identification guides. What a great gift for any microscopist.

Steve Cunningham
Baltimore Maryland, USA.

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            This publication by David Seamer follows two previous publications by him An Illustrated Guide to the Freshwater Ciliates from Australia and An Illustrated Guide to the Freshwater Flagellates.

            This particular publication is long overdue and David must be congratulated for his monumental effort to clearly and succinctly describe and illustrate 120 different genera of Amoebae. Although there are no identification keys to pinpoint each genera the drawings are so clear and large that it is a pleasure to flick through the pages until you find what you are looking for. If it is not represented it might mean that a new species has been found. As I find amoebae in my freshwater samples through which I study freshwater microscopic Desmids I have always found it a daunting task to try and identify them. I knew that there are 3 groupings – Naked, Testate and Heliozoans and unable to source the literature for more specific names I relegated them to my memory. Now I can really get closer to specific names at least to Genera. For example, I was unaware that there exists amoebae that have a flagellum! And now I know. The testate amoebae drawings are beautiful to say the least and must have taken hours and hours of close drawing. The intricate markings on the tests (shells) make these tiny animals artist/builders in their own right.

            This publication is a must for all amateur and professional freshwater microscopists and it is an invaluable tool for high school and university students and as such should be on their lists for reading and using in classrooms. I highly recommend it and it will be on my bookshelf above my microscope together with David’s previous publications.

Michael Dingley, N.S.W. Australia.

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I've just finished reading David Seamer's newest book, "An Illustrated Guide to the Freshwater Amoebae". It's a very impressive addition to his two previous volumes, "An Illustrated Guide to the Freshwater Ciliates from Australia" and "An Illustrated Guide to the Freshwater Flagellates".

These guides are much more approachable than reference works written for researchers. By his description, David set out to create illustrated guides for the identification of protozoa for amateurs, students, and educators, not exhaustive descriptions and keys for classification and speciation. In that he has done a masterful job. The drawings are clear, showing the important characteristics, and the descriptions are concise and to the point.

They will make a fine addition to the library of anyone who enjoys studying freshwater microorganisms.

Tom Jones
CA, USA

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I want to congratulate with you for your work on the Amoebas. I'm not "into" microrganisms (for me it's an hobby, cause I'm a botanist), but it's a pleasure to see that kind of work published.

Gianluka Giorgio
Milano, Italy.

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The Illustrated Guide to the Freshwater Amoebae arrived. It's MAGNIFICENT!

From Sam Bowser
New York, USA.

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Despite the obstacles from the postal service, I received an excellent book by David Seamer "An Illustrated Guide to the Freshwater Amoebae". A magnificent guide for microscopists, and not only for beginners. The drawings in this guide reflect author's perception of simplest creatures, which is especially valuable. Due to the underlining of microorganisms characteristic features, the identification of the species is greatly facilitated. In addition to provided information, you also receive purely aesthetic satisfaction from the images of these mysterious animalcules.
Thank you so much David!

We look forward to see continuation fo the series!

From Sergey Lysak
Kiev, Ukraine.

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