10 NEW BEAUTIFUL BUG BOOKS
June bugs are just beginning to buzz. And this week, we are celebrating the beauty of all kinds of bugs. Some are quite astonishing. We begin with some gorgeous new books that will have you seeing bugs in a whole new light.
1. ART AND ARCHITECTURE OF INSECTS
“Art and Architecture of Insects,” by David M. Phillips, is a fascinating look at the anatomical structure of bugs. It includes 150 photographs of insect exoskeletons, all taken using an electron microscope. And they are truly beautiful.
We find genius in their designs. Some bugs have a wax surface that prevents moisture evaporation, others have antennae that sense molecules that no other animal can detect, some have feet that defy gravity.
ForeEdge (2014)
2. BUGS UP CLOSE: A MAGNIFIED LOOK AT THE INCREDIBLE WORLD OF INSECTS
Bugs are often too small to notice until you see their impact. Even though they make up 80% of the animal kingdom on this planet, we pay little attention unless we have to.
“Bugs Up Close: A Magnified Look at the Incredible World of Insects,” by Lars-Åke Janzon and photographer John Hallmén, is a book that brings you up close and personal so you can see their incredible beauty.
The book presents these tiny creatures as if they were giants. We see high resolution intricacies and details that are truly breathtaking.
Skyhorse Publishing (2014)
3. PLANET OF THE BUGS: EVOLUTION AND THE RISE OF INSECTS
Insects are exceptional masters of evolution, with each part of their anatomies a testament to some obstacle they once had to overcome. Their development spans millions of years, which Scott Richard Shaw lays out beautifully in his new book, “Planet of the Bugs: Evolution and the Rise of Insects.”
Shaw lays out the story in meticulous detail, covering a wide variety of insects from around the world. He explores how innovations such as their relatively small body size, wings, means of metamorphosis, and parasitic behavior have enabled insects to live in a vast variety of ecosystems and to survive catastrophes that other animals could not.
University Of Chicago Press (2014)
4. BEE TIME: LESSONS FROM THE HIVE
Many animals are social, but few species have quite developed societies as complex and admirable as the honeybee. In “Bee Time: Lessons from the Hive,” Mark L. Winston shares his reflections, looking back at his 30-year career studying bees.
Winston explains how bees process information, structure work, and communicate. He equates their hive mentality to humans. He examines how corporate boardrooms are using bee societies as a model to improve collaboration.
The relationship between humans and bees is mutually critical, however it is in danger as human impacts have greatly reduced bee populations.
“No other book celebrates the long relationship between humans and honeybees as powerfully, thoughtfully, and enchantingly as this one. Written in lyrical prose, Bee Time is a delightful and inspiring read.”
—Thomas D. Seeley, author of Honeybee Democracy
Harvard University Press (2014)
5. THE BOOK OF BEETLES: A LIFE SIZE GUIDE TO SIX HUNDRED OF NATURE GEMS
“The Book of Beetles: A Life-Size Guide to Six Hundred of Nature's Gems,” by Patrice Bouchard, presents a spectacular sampling of the more than 350,000 species of beetles on earth.
Check out the beauty and variety of beetle shapes and colors, as well as their important roles in their respective ecosystems.
Each beetle is presented along with its relevant distribution map, basic biology, conservation status, and information on cultural and economic significance. The life-size full-color photos will grab you and the enlarged images will fascinate you.
The book is not only an excellent reference, but a joy to peruse.
University Of Chicago Press (2014)
6. THE DRAGONFLY DIARIES: THE UNLIKELY STORY OF EUROPE’S FIRST DRAGONFLY SANCTUARY
“The Dragonfly Diaries: The Unlikely Story of Europe's First Dragonfly Sanctuary,” by Ruary Mackenzie Dodds, is part memoir part examination of this beautiful insect.
There are over 40 species of dragonflies in Britain alone. They are appreciated for their beauty as they dive, soar and flutter their iridescent wings. But they are endangered, thanks to human impact.
Because they are critical to water-based ecosystems, a public dragonfly sanctuary was established. This book chronicles the quest to capture the beauty and save Britain’s dragonflies.
Saraband (2014)
7. A STING IN THE TALE: MY ADVENTURES WITH BUMBLEBEES
“A Sting in the Tale: My Adventures with Bumblebees,”by Dave Goulson, founder of the Bumblebee Conservation Trust.
Goulson became interested in the now-extinct English short-haired bumble bee which once buzzed through the air in the marshlands in Kent. The species was found to still exist in New Zealand, descendants of a few pairs that were shipped over in the 19th century. Being one of the world’s most respected conservationists, naturally, Goulson wants to repatriate them in the UK.
The book tells about this quest as well as many other stories from Goulson’s childhood to the present day.
Picador (2014)
8. BUG MUSIC: HOW INSECTS GAVE US RHYTHM AND NOISE
When cicadas emerge from their 17-year long naps, they make a powerful noise. Crickets do it every night. Many insects hum, click, buzz, and thrum to a rhythm related to time of day, year or longer cycles.
“Bug Music: How Insects Gave Us Rhythm and Noise,” by David Rothenberg, explores the relationship between humans and the sounds of insects as well comparisons between human and animal music.
He shows how insects have influences in both classical and modern music. He likes to play his saxophone while jamming with crickets.
"Rothenberg raises thoughtful questions about the nature of music and our ability to communicate with other species. The author's wide-ranging musical interests--from Renaissance madrigals and John Cage to electronica and katydids--together with his playful, almost romantic approach to the subject helps engage general readers, balancing the book's more technical material."-- Publishers Weekly
"A wonderful amalgam of what we appreciate about insects...not just the scientific part but also the aesthetic part, the part where we're connecting to another organism."
—The Wall Street Journal
"Bug Music is a glorious compendium of trivia, poetry, music, recipes, facts, legends and personal anecdotes...How could anyone fail to love a book filled with such obscure and fascinating details?"
—The Globe and Mail
"Bug Music is a cool groove of biology, music, and human culture from an interspecies musician and scholar fully in tune with nature. It is engaging, wide-ranging, and profound in suggesting that the thrum of insects is a primordial musical beat. This book is for everyone who has ever marveled at nature or delighted in the sounds of her insect choirs, and especially for those who have done neither."
—John Marzluff, author of Dog Days, Raven Nights and Gifts of the Crow
St. Martin's Press (2013)
9. THE BEETLE BOOK
“The Beetle Book,” written and illustrated by Steve Jenkins, is another brilliant examination of the vast world of beetles. Filled with astonishing facts, like: One out of ever four living things is a beetle.
Check out the quarter pound goliath beetle and the nine inch long titan beetle, preferably not too close to bedtime.
"Jenkins' splendid array of beetles will surely produce at least one budding coleopterist...distinguished both as natural history and work of art"
—Kirkus, starred review
"Jenkins brings his signature style to the world of beetles...As always, the design of the book is exemplary."
—Horn Book
"A richly varied and visually riveting introduction to beetles, both familiar and strange."
—Booklist, starred review
HMH Books for Young Readers (2014)
10. BUTTERFLY PEOPLE
“Butterfly People: An American Encounter with the Beauty of the World,” by noted historian William Leach, is a labor of love. It is the product of Leach’s life-long love affair with butterflies. And it explores the historical love affair that the American people have had with these magnificent bugs.
In addition to an examination of the natural history of butterflies, Leach focuses on the correspondence and scientific writings of pioneering lepidopterists, written as they combed the planet for exotic species.
The book is filled with 32 pages of full-color inserts and black-and-white illustrations throughout.
“Butterfly People is the most exciting butterfly book I have read in years: open it anywhere, and the pages spread to reveal stories, spangles, and mysteries as beguiling as any butterfly's pattern.”
—Robert Michael Pyle is the author of The Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Butterflies .
“This research is illuminating: it’s fascinating.”
—Washington Post
Pantheon (2013)
BUG BINGO
Why not? It’s a bingo game with beautiful illustrations of 64 species of bugs from around the world.
Bug Bingo
Laurence King Publishing (2014)
Read more about Beautiful Bugs, as it relates to Arts/Design, Nature/Science, Food/Drink, Place/Time, Mind/Body, and Soul/Impact.
Enter your own images and ideas about Beautiful Bugs in this week’s creative Photo Competition. Open for entries now until 11:59 p.m. PT on 06.08.14. If you are reading this after that date, check out the current BN Creative Competition, and enter!
Photo Credits:
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Photo: By David M. Phillips. Book louse under an electron microscope.
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Image: Courtesy of ForeEdge. Art and Architecture of Insects.
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Image: Courtesy of Skyhorse Publishing. Bugs Up Close.
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Image: Courtesy of University of Chicago Press. Planet of the Bugs.
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mage: Courtesy of Harvard University Press. Bee Time: Lessons from the Hive.
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Image: Courtesy of University of Chicago Press. The Book of Beetles.
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Image: Courtesy of Saraband. The Dragonfly Diaries.
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Image: Courtesy of Picador. A Sting in the Tale.
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Image: Courtesy of St.Martin’s Press. Bug Music.
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Image: Courtesy of HMH Books for Young Readers. The Beetle Book.
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Image: Courtesy of Pantheon. Butterfly People.
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Courtesy of Laurence King Publishing. Bug Bingo.
