The late Dr Martin R. Filmer enjoyed a life-long interest in wildlife, and for a number of years served on the committee of the Witwatersrand Bird Club. Discovering an interest in spiders, Dr Filmer pursued his interest academically, and decided to write on the topic to make the study of these intriguing animals more easily accessible to the general public. Despite devoting most of his time to the study of spiders, Norman Larsen still describes himself as a naturalist, with his knowledge ranging from tiny arthropoda to large mammals. Norman is also a skilled photographer, and is an Associate Arachnologist at the Iziko South African Museum.