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Here are a few comments about some books in my library:

Hoelldobler and Wilson's The Ants is the best ant book out there and if you only buy one book, that should be it. It costs a lump of money, and if that discourages you, consider Hoelldobler and Wilson's Journey to the Ants, which is less technical and more accessible to the average reader. It it also much cheaper. If spending a lump of money doesn't bother you, buy both.

Barry Bolton's Identification Guide to Ant Genera of the World (1994) is already a little dated due to taxonomic changes promulgated mainly by Bolton himself, but it is still the best starting point for identifying ant specimens. I use this more than any other ant book.

Wilson's Pheidole in the New World (2003) is a massive reference that is limited to one genus and is mainly directed at identification keys and descriptions of individual species. If you work through Bolton's Identification Guide and discover that of all the ant genera in the world, your specimen is a Pheidole from North or South America, you might turn to Wilson's book to key it further. In general, I wouldn't recommend Pheidole in the New World to anyone who was not very serious about studying these ants.

Walther Tschinkel's The Fire Ants (2006) differs from Wilson's book in that it describes more about behavior, evolution, and ecological significance of its subject ants. It is still pretty technical, but it is likely a better choice for the non-specialist. Despite being technical, it is well-written and contains amusing anecdotes, and even liberal arts majors like me can understand most of it. It is vastly superior to Taber's Fire Ants.

Hansen and Klotz's Carpenter Ants of the United States and Canada( 2005) and Taber's The World of the Harvester Ants (1998) are okay references. They have identification keys and some information on the biology of these ants.

Deborah Gordon's Ants at Work (1999) is about Pogonomyrmex harvester ants, but it doesn't catalog species or provide any useful help in identifying them. Rather, it is a study of how ants, with no leaders or anyone in charge to direct them, organize themselves to perform all the duties of an ant colony. The book has some pretty decent relevance to Complexity Theory if that interests you. It is a fascinating book and should make you think.

Gotwald's Army Ants: The Biology of Social Predation(1995) goes into great and sometimes technical detail about the biology and behavior of army ants, especially those of genus Dorylus.

Agosti, Majer, Alonso, and Schultz's Ants: Standard Methods for Measuring and Monitoring Biodiversity (2000) is a good reference for collecting, labeling, and specimen preparation. It is available to download at antbase.org/databases/publications_files/publications_20330.htm.

Erich Hoyt's The Earth Dwellers (1996) is about ants (and ant scientists). It is written by a journalist for the general reading audience. This might be the book you buy for someone who is isn't interested in ants but you think ought to be.

H