The Beekeeper's Bible: Bees, Honey, Recipes & Other Home Uses (The Backyard Naturalist Series)

My husband and I were lucky enough to capture and hive a swarm this spring, launching us unexpectedly into beekeeping. My sister has kept bees, and we'd always thought of doing it, but to "bee" (sorry, I have a problem with bee puns) thrust into it so suddenly meant we had a lot to learn, and very fast.We immediately started learning all we could about beekeeping and how to keep our bees happy and healthy. We rented all the books we could find on bees (yes, even children's books) from our library. When we finally rented The Beekeeper's Bible, however, we knew we had found something special. We knew we couldn't just read this one, and return it to the library. Oh no, this one had to become a part of our own library. We bought it right away.I'll start with the superficial: this book is beautiful. The cover is old fashioned, delightful, and charming artwork. This is no lightweight, either. When they call this book a "bible", it's because it literally is bible-sized. Heavy, thick, complete. It would do some serious damage if you threw this book at someone! Inside the covers, it's just as impressive. The pages are glossy, color printed with photos and images on nearly every page. Those who like their picture books will love this one, but there is plenty of literature here to give you quite the education.That's where I'll go next, the information. This book is rich and complete on all things bees, truly a wealth of information. From the history of beekeeping, to the breeds, styles of hives, and a million other things to learn to the honey recipes, crafts, and then some. This thick book is chock full of information. Those who are actually apiarists (beekeepers) will have the necessary information at their fingertips, but this book would also be a fascinating read for those who've never kept bees and never will. (Although don't be surprised if, after flipping through some of it's pages, if you suddenly want to keep bees, too!) It's true, honeybees are absolutely fascinating creatures, there is a great deal to be learned here.If you keep bees, or plan to, I tell you: you MUST own this book. If you are simply interested in learning more: definitely read this book. If you're looking for a gift for someone who enjoys homesteading, farming, keeping chickens, etc: this will make the perfect gift. This is one book that can't just be returned to the library, it had to be added to our collection.

The Beekeepers Bible is absolutely a beautiful, informative and just a wonderful book to read. We bought 2, one for our family and one for a wedding gift. This is a book worth purchasing!

Purchased as a gift and he loved it. Lots of information inside. Definitely a great book for beekeepers!

The Beekeeper's Bible is a wonderful book packed with information about beekeeping history, how to keep bees, and a whole section of honey recipes in the back. The cover does not make the book justice. The book contains 411 pages and lots of beautiful color photos and valuable information for all beekeepers, new and experienced. I highly recommend this book for anybody interested in honey bees or products of the beehive.

Read it in 2 days cover to cover. I wasn’t as interested in the religious and ancient info about bees. But it had a lot of good stuff for beekeeping and recipes for honey. Well made, good images, lots of content. Well worth the money for any beekeeper or person just interested in bees.

This book looks like it’s jam packed with info! Such beautiful illustrations and I cannot wait to read it! I’m glad I chose this book over the others I saw.

I knew nothing about beekeeping before getting this book. I thought I would one day get a few hives, and this book served as a great introduction to beekeeping, giving me an overview of the history of beekeeping, bees themselves, and beekeeping. I no longer think I’ll get hives, now that I see how much is involved in the process! Still, it’s a nicely organized, very attractive book with great illustrations. It’s a bit clunky, and I found some parts tedious, but I liked it.I’m not knowledgeable enough to say whether or not this is a good reference work for someone who’s actually going to keep bees or for someone who already has hives. But, if you’re like me and just want to learn more about the topic, I found this to be a great introduction, and it’ll make a great coffee table book.

This book is awesome!I love all the little illustrations and how much information is in it. It's easy to follow and all the history is fun to read.

Due to a mix-up I got this book, as well as the Collins version of the same book, around the same time!As with the Collins book this version provides a great informative read, with lots of great information on the history of bees, the management and keeping of them, and the things you can/make with the products of the hives.It's only drawback - and why it's not 5 star - Americanisation!! The American spelling for words like colour (color) personally drives me nuts, and every time I come across one it stands out like a sore thumb! Also, if you are going to do any of the recipes you'll need to have a 'cup/measures' conversion table with you, because all the recipes use american measures (and on that score I think the Collins version also wins, since it gives various different conversions in the recipes, including the american ones!)

Love this book! Super informative and beautifully designed

Very well written, interesting and thorough.

That was a gift for a good good friend of mine and she loved it to bits. She doesn't speak fluent English but she loves it nevertheless. I was tempted to keep it for myself

I am very glad I have ordered this book and I can only recommend it to anyone. It is very well written, good for beginners as well as experienced beekeepers. So many text and pictures and there is huge amount of data inside. I am so happy that I have added it to my collection.