Reddit mentions of Biology of Spiders

Get on google scholar and see what kind of research interests you. See what academic journals show up in your searches -- browse a whole journal and see what else grabs you. There's venom biochemistry, silk, ecology, conservation, behavior, genetics, neuroscience, taxonomy (describing new species, sorting species into genera and families) ... read Foelix and see what you like. Follow your nose, and reach out to researchers doing stuff you think is cool, whom you could contact for advice and/or a job in their lab. Most researchers are flattered when someone takes interest in their work, and are happy to mentor.

Zoo positions are scarce. Arachnids tend not to require much care, so the keeper/curator positions are usually broader (entomology).

http://www.amazon.com/Biology-Spiders-Rainer-Foelix/dp/0199734828

Take a look at Rainer Foelix's Biology of Spiders:

https://www.amazon.com/Biology-Spiders-Rainer-Foelix/dp/0199734828

It's very in-depth, and covers all spiders with a special section on Theraphosidae.

Maybe you could start by keeping one as a pet like everyone else lol. It's honestly a lot like having a fish. If you're feeling really bold you could try reading the short communications or other papers on the American Arachnological Society website. Good starter books:

1. (easiest to read) http://www.amazon.com/Arachnids-Jan-Beccaloni/dp/0520261402/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1317949575&sr=8-1
   
   
2. (slightly harder) http://www.amazon.com/Biology-Spiders-Rainer-Foelix/dp/0199734828/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1317949592&sr=1-1
   
   3)(really hard spider identification book that goes through collection methods, microscope use and more)http://www.amazon.com/Spiders-North-America-Identification-Manual/dp/0977143902/ref=pd_sim_b5

> /u/kona_worldwaker: Do they see 8 images of what they look at or does each eye see an 8th of what they see all together?

> Do they see in color?

> I know in general spider vision is considered poor, but what does this mean? Blurry? No depth perception?

A lot of this information comes from Biology of Spiders, and I would encourage you to get a copy of this book if you want to learn more about spider anatomy, physiology, and behavior.

In short, how well spiders can see depends on species. Not all spider eyes are created the same. As noted in Biology of Spiders, "the efficiency of any eye is determined by the design of its optics and by the structure of the retina."

Most spiders don't rely heavily on vision but tactile and chemical cues. For example, web dwelling spiders like orbweavers, cobweb spiders, and funnel weavers can only see differences in light levels, which helps them entrain their circadian rhythms to the day/night cycle. Their eyes don't form clear images, and they rely mostly on the vibrations transmitted through their webs to know what is going on around them.

Hunting spiders (such as jumping spiders and wolf spiders) tend to have better eyesight, which is usually indicated by the presence of two large median eyes. The input of these two eyes is probably merged into one image, with the slight difference between the eyes helping with depth perception. (Just as we see only one image even though we have two eyes.) The other six eyes, which are much smaller, do things like sense motion and light levels.

Jumping spiders have the best vision of any spider. Not only do they see in color and have binocular vision for gauging distance, but they can see ultraviolet and polarized light. However, even they can only see sharp images within a relatively short distance (we're talking inches, not feet).

I'll recommend you Biology of Spiders by Rainer F. Foelix.
It's pretty broad treatment of everything spider, and includes a little bit of everything, such as anatomy, metabolism, web structure, reproduction, ecology and systematics.
It's roughly around 300 pages in a average sized paperback and even though such books can sometimes be rather dry reading material, I don't think that's the case at all with this one. I found it engaging without being tough to read.