≡ [PDF] Life on a Little Known Planet A Biologist View of Insects and Their World Howard Ensign Evans 9781558212497 Books

Life on a Little Known Planet A Biologist View of Insects and Their World Howard Ensign Evans 9781558212497 Books

Download As PDF : Life on a Little Known Planet A Biologist View of Insects and Their World Howard Ensign Evans 9781558212497 Books

Life on a Little Known Planet A Biologist View of Insects and Their World Howard Ensign Evans 9781558212497 Books

Years ago when I happened to take an entomology class in college, this was one of the textbooks for the class. I can remember starting to read this book like most other boring college textbooks - when suddenly, about page 9 (in my edition) I ran across a sentence that caused me to bolt awake and re-read the previous 9 pages. This author not only had an interesting and fact filled book, but he had a sense of humor as well! This became one of my favorite books - and I was disappointed when I lost my copy many years ago. But thanks to Amazon.com I now have this book in my possession again! And I would highly recommend this book to anyone that enjoys science and especially insects. Sure, it is a little dated... but it is still a good read.

By the way, the sentence that so stunned me all those years ago is found on page 21 of this edition. After listing a host of creatures that were sent into space on Biosatellite II... the author states:

"Tsk, tsk, not a single yellow-headed pickleworm, the species that surely holds the secret to life in space."

And the book is filled with much, much more. Purchase it and enjoy yourself as Howard Evans opens a little window of knowledge about life on this little known planet.


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Life on a Little Known Planet A Biologist View of Insects and Their World Howard Ensign Evans 9781558212497 Books Reviews

I love this boook!!!!! Its easy to read, yet it goes into enough depth that you really learn about the insects. There's a whole chapter just on fireflies for example. Its the kind of book you can just pick up, read a chapter and say - wow, that's neat. (At least that's what i say) then I'll be outside and I'll be able to see whatever it is that I read about and understand so much more. So basically, the content is fantastic and the writing is so accessible that its not at all intimidating but also not patronizing. Its just very straightforward and so informative. I've learned so much. Its one of my favorite books and I wasn't even that into bugs before this. You won't go wrong with this one!
Wonderful.
A
H. E. Evans is a master writer who shares his love and wide knowledge of insects and entomology. He writes in a popular style that makes the reader want to head outside and start looking for themselves. This book and another Ensign book - The Man Who Loved Wasps - should be on the bookshelf of any and everyone who loves insects.
This book is a treasure trove of information on insects but more important is the commentary by the author on topics relevant to the mid to late 1960's. Many if not all subjects are relevant today although there may not be much mass media coverage or discussion. Reflecting on it after I finished, I feel it may have been written as a masterful and interesting rebuttal to 'Silent Spring'. Written from the perspective of a scientist using facts instead of emotions.
This book was written for general audience appeal and is approachable by all backgrounds and ages. In the first 11 chapters, Evans introduces readers to detailed explanations of many insect species with wit, humor and anecdotal information. Detailed line drawings give one a good view of insects that would normally require magnification to be seen in detail. Evans points out that even those bugs that are microscopic in size have very sophisticated attributes and can manage their affairs with very efficient capabilities.

The sad confrontations of bugs and uninformed humans is well covered, but Evans, while demonstrating a profound knowledge and admiration for just about all bugs and life itself, takes, in my opinion, a rather unfair poke at Rachel Carson's famous book, "Silent Spring". He comes off sounding like those in the pesticide industry or those who relied on their funding of research grants who attempted to debunk Carson's important work as "alarmist" and over-done. As we now know, Carson's work was proven correct and alarming and set the stage for an invigorated environmental movement world-wide.

Evans points out that "They [insects] are not only marvelous creatures in their own right; they may also teach us something about population control and the proper use of the Earth's resources."-pg 47. And, "As the anthroposphere [human saturated world] continues to encroach upon the biosphere, the museums will more and more assume the role of guardians of the world's treasures."-pg 285.

So this seems somewhat contradictory to his comments on pesticide use, but in all fairness, he also sees the wanton and reckless misuse of pesticides as very harmful to life.

The last two chapters give a very studied view of the collision-course that humanity is on with Earth's life support systems and in the end, it might be proven that those "pesky" bugs are far superior to humans in managing survival on a fragile and "Little-Known Planet"- Evans' call to expedite our research of the many awesome, yet unstudied life-forms that inhabit this planet before we inadvertently eradicate them with our paved-over human world.

For understanding and empathy for the insect world and the vitally important services that insect's provide, this book and Joanne Elizabeth Lauck's book, "The Voice of the Infinite In The Small Re-Visioning the Insect-Human Connection" is highly recommended.
Years ago when I happened to take an entomology class in college, this was one of the textbooks for the class. I can remember starting to read this book like most other boring college textbooks - when suddenly, about page 9 (in my edition) I ran across a sentence that caused me to bolt awake and re-read the previous 9 pages. This author not only had an interesting and fact filled book, but he had a sense of humor as well! This became one of my favorite books - and I was disappointed when I lost my copy many years ago. But thanks to I now have this book in my possession again! And I would highly recommend this book to anyone that enjoys science and especially insects. Sure, it is a little dated... but it is still a good read.

By the way, the sentence that so stunned me all those years ago is found on page 21 of this edition. After listing a host of creatures that were sent into space on Biosatellite II... the author states

"Tsk, tsk, not a single yellow-headed pickleworm, the species that surely holds the secret to life in space."

And the book is filled with much, much more. Purchase it and enjoy yourself as Howard Evans opens a little window of knowledge about life on this little known planet.