In the preface to this book, author Keith Delaplane says of his first book on beekeeping, “Its pages opened to me a golden world of honey bees and beekeeping and guided my stumbling steps that first spring season. My story is but one of thousands who have passed through the door opened by Dadant’s little book .” That “little book” was the 1968 edition of Charles P. Dadant’s 1917 classic First Lessons in Beekeeping. Dadant’s book and its succeeding editions have been America’s first stop for beginning beekeepers for over 90 years. For the latest edition, Delaplane honors the tradition of sticking to the basics, while fully engaging the new realities of beekeeping in the 21st century. Here in this book is everything you need to know to become a successful beginning beekeeper.