Fireflies, Honey and Silk

1. Auflage 2009
ISBN: 978-0-520-25883-9
Verlag: University of California Press

Buch, Englisch, 248 Seiten, Cloth Over Boards, Format (B × H): 162 mm x 219 mm, Gewicht: 448 g

The ink our ancestors wrote with, the beeswax in altar candles, the honey on our toast, the silk we wear. This enchanting book is a highly entertaining exploration of the myriad ways insects have enriched our lives–culturally, economically, and aesthetically. Entomologist and writer Gilbert Waldbauer describes in loving, colorful detail how many of the valuable products insects have given us are made, how they were discovered, and how they have been used through time and across cultures. Along the way, he takes us on a captivating ramble through many far-flung corners of history, mythology, poetry, literature, medicine, ecology, forensics, and more. Enlivened with personal anecdotes from Waldbauer's distinguished career as an entomologist, the book also describes surprising everyday encounters we all experience that were made possible by insects. From butterfly gardens and fly-fishing to insects as jewelry and sex pheromones, this is an eye-opening ode to the wonder of insects that illuminates our extraordinary and essential relationship with the natural world.

Autoren/Hrsg.

Waldbauer, Gilbert

Weitere Mitwirkende

Nardi, James

Fachgebiete

• Naturwissenschaften Biowissenschaften Tierkunde / Zoologie Wirbellose (Invertebrata) Insekten (Entomologie)

Inhaltsverzeichnis

List of Illustrations

Note

Introduction

I. Insects People Like

II. The Silk We Wear

III. Dyeing the Cloth

IV. Baubles, Bracelets, and Anklets

V. Candles, Shellac, and Sealing Wax

VI. Paper and Ink

VII. Butterflies in Your Tummy

VIII. Satisfying the Sweet Tooth

IX. Cures and Nostrums

X. Insect Pets and Performers

Epilogue. The Ecological Context

Selected References

Acknowledgments

Index

Über Autor(innen)

Gilbert Waldbauer is Emeritus Professor of Entomology at the University of Illinois. He is the author of many books on insects including Insights from Insects, What Bad Bugs Can Teach Us, The Handy Bug Answer Book, and A Walk Around the Pond: Insects in and over the Water.