An honorary research associate at the Queen Victoria Museum and Art Gallery, Mr Douglas' new book Spiders of Tasmania will be officially launched on Saturday, July 27.

The book marks the second work by Mr Douglas focusing specifically on Tasmania's arachnid collection, with 260 spiders featured in total.

Featuring facts such as - Tasmania's largest arachnid the cave spider can grow to have an 18 centimetre legspan; and Tasmania is home to at least three different types of funnel web spiders - Mr Douglas said there were plenty of reasons to love spiders.

"I'd say there are very few people who actually like spiders," he said.

"Some respect them, some don't mind looking at them from a distance.

"But not too many people like getting up close and personal to them - except me.

"I just like the creatures. They are beautiful, they are interesting, they have an interesting characteristics and are just interesting creatures."

A retired teacher, Mr Douglas now works part-time at the museum focusing specifically on the Tasmanian arachnid collection.

After his first book - Webs: a guide to Tasmanian Spider - sold out after its release in 2014, he said he knew he would need to make another one.

Mr Douglas also saw it as an opportunity to share his life-long passion for spiders to a broader audience.

"I've always been interested in all types of creatures going back to my childhood," he said.

"We lived in desert and I spent a lot of time looking for various creatures that lived around me and identifying them.

"When I eventually retired, people began saying to me - 'why don't you write a spider book'."

Despite extensive research, Mr Douglas said he still believed there were more spiders to be found in Tasmania saying the exact figure would never be definitive.

Acknowledging his favourite spider family - the jumping spider, which are usually quite small - he said he hoped the book would help change some of the common misconceptions and fears surrounding the species, particularity among children.

"They have a lot of character and are really interesting to photograph," he said.

"When you get up close to them with a camera and have a look at the details on a spider, they really are quite amazing."

"I know spiders are not for everyone.

"But particularly, I'd like to see young people get interested in spiders and perhaps in the future, take that up as a profession or at least a hobby. As a citizen scientist or the like."