I can not recommend any general text about ants as a substitute for Wheeler's 1910 classic "Ants - Their structure, development and behavior." True, there are Wilson's "Social Insects" and Hölldobler and Wilson's "Ants," but Wheeler is still the classic in English. The original 1910 volume was reprinted in 1926 and 1960. Luckily for us, The Biodiversity Heritage Library has permission from Columbia University Press to distribute a free electronic copy on the internet. Other mrymecological works, in fact most, by Wheeler are available from antbase. Get yourself a hand lens and a pair of forceps. Ants are where it's at.