"I approached Clark et al.'s book, then, probably not as a member of its main target audience.I had no intention of putting any of the detailed protocols for different sampling gears into practice2, but read it rather as someone hoping to get a feel for the labour that has gone into the data I analyse, and thus of its potential and limitations for macroecological research. Even viewed from this somewhat oblique angle, the book stands up very well"—Thomas J. Webb, Department of Animal and Plant Sciences, The University of Sheffield on behalf of Frontiers of Biogeography, Summer 2017"The editors are to be congratulated on producing a most helpful synthesis, with well-illustrated and extensively referenced chapters, that show the range of methods now available to explore this vast frontier"—David L. Hawksworth, Biodiversity and Conservation, Summer 2019