Reviews
"As inventive and wide ranging and full of astonishing surprises as the vast insect world itself. Raffles takes us on a delirious journey, zooming in and out from the microscopic to the global, from the titillating to the profound, from Niger to China, from one square mile above Louisiana to the recesses of his own mind." -The New York Times, Science Times "Sure to amuse, educate, raise our hackles, unveil our guilt, and leave us to ponder just who we think we are anyway. For inquisitive adults seeking a mind trip outside the box." -Library Journal, starred review "Raffles' eclectic examination of our diverse reactions to bugs, ranging from scholarly and aesthetic awe to revulsion or phobia, is an enthralling hodgepodge of historical fact, anthropological observation, and scientific insight." -Publishers Weekly, starred review "In any competition for the strangest delights of this publishing year, nothing is likely to beat this A to Z investigation of bug-world . . . . It's a revelation of the world of our fellow creatures . . . by a writer whose style is equal to his huge and strange task." -Buffalo News "Sings with scholarship, deft writing, and an authentic fascination with the six-legged creatures that have so long roamed the Earth." -Seed Magazine "Hugh Raffles's work stands alone for what it says both about its subject and about us. After reading Insectopedia, it's hard to look at a cricket, a bumblebee, and a human being the same way ever again. I adored the book. -Neil Shubin, author ofYour Inner Fish "Art, science, beetles, beauty, miracles, manias, and more-the world itself, dazzling, gleams freshly through Raffles' insect-eyed lens. Every page delighted me." -Andrea Barrett, author ofShip Fever(National Book Award winner) andThe Voyage of the Narwhal, "Beautifully lyrical." The Boston Globe "Unique beyond imagination. Bizarre. Endlessly interesting, a book that cannot be categorized. This book insists you learn its unexpected facts because you cannot put it down…You will never forget having read this book. You will never forget where you put it either, since you have dog-eared it for displays of another astounding fact when your friends come to visit." Decatur Daily "As Raffles shows our nearby neighbors to be at once dangerous and beautiful, common and incomprehensible, he refracts a world that is newly fascinating." Audubonmagazine.com "Compulsively readable, equal parts anthropology, travel, philosophy, history and science…Insectopediawill stir your imagination." valeaston.com, "Plant Talk" "As inventive and wide ranging and full of astonishing surprises as the vast insect world itself. Raffles takes us on a delirious journey, zooming in and out from the microscopic to the global, from the titillating to the profound, from Niger to China, from one square mile above Louisiana to the recesses of his own mind." -The New York Times, Science Times "Sure to amuse, educate, raise our hackles, unveil our guilt, and leave us to ponder just who we think we are anyway. For inquisitive adults seeking a mind trip outside the box." -Library Journal, starred review "Raffles' eclectic examination of our diverse reactions to bugs, ranging from scholarly and aesthetic awe to revulsion or phobia, is an enthralling hodgepodge of historical fact, anthropological observation, and scientific insight." -Publishers Weekly, starred review "In any competition for the strangest delights of this publishing year, nothing is likely to beat this A to Z investigation of bug-world . . . . It's a revelation of the world of our fellow creatures . . . by a writer whose style is equal to his huge and strange task." -Buffalo News "Sings with scholarship, deft writing, and an authentic fascination with the six-legged creatures that have so long roamed the Earth." -Seed Magazine "Hugh Raffles's work stands alone for what it says both about its subject and about us. After reading Insectopedia, it's hard to look at a cricket, a bumblebee, and a human being the same way ever again. I adored the book. -Neil Shubin, author ofYour Inner Fish "Art, science, beetles, beauty, miracles, manias, and more-the world itself, dazzling, gleams freshly through Raffles' insect-eyed lens. Every page delighted me." -Andrea Barrett, author ofShip Fever(National Book Award winner) andThe Voyage of the Narwhal "Arbitrariness is part of this book's extremely peculiar charm.Insectopediaqualifies as food for thought…this is a collection of imaginative forays into what, for most readers, will be terra incognita."-The New York Times,daily review "As inventive and wide ranging and full of astonishing surprises as the vast insect world itself." The Mercury News "Provocative…Insectopediaopens up a can of worms and it's doubtful they can be herded back in." Santa Cruz Sentinel "Unusual and most engaging." The Seattle Times "Vivid and fascinating…this book will challenge your view of insects and make you see these wonderful creatures from a new perspective." New Scientist "An outrageously well-written piece of nonfiction that reads like literary fiction…the prose is strikingly beautiful and riotously varied. Raffles can whip up a historical piece of science reporting with elegant diction and admirable pacing." Bookotron.com "A, "Raffles' eclectic examination of our diverse reactions to bugs, ranging from scholarly and aesthetic awe to revulsion or phobia, is an enthralling hodgepodge of historical fact, anthropological observation, and scientific insight." -Publishers Weekly, starred review "Art, science, beetles, beauty, miracles, manias, and more-the world itself, dazzling, gleams freshly through Raffles' insect-eyed lens. Every page delighted me." -Andrea Barrett, author ofShip Fever(National Book Award winner) andThe Voyage of the Narwhal