Synopses & Reviews
From a world-renowned expert on mosquitoes and a prize-winning reporter comes a fascinating work of popular science a comprehensive study of the insect itself, its role in history, and its threat to mankind.
From its irritating whine to the sting and itch of its bite, the mosquito ranks near the bottom of mankinds list of favorite creatures. But these tiny insects, once merely a seasonal annoyance, now are capturing headlines worldwide as new information emerges about the diseases they carry, their migratory population, and their growing resistance to pesticides.
Harvard professor Andrew Spielman has dedicated his life to understanding this insect, a passion that makes him the perfect guide to their amazing world and the perfect author of this lively, accessible book that offers an intriguing and horrifying mosquito-eye view of nature and man. He explains where mosquitoes breed, and how they die, showing us their natural foes and man-made enemies while explaining the myriad diseases they bring to all corners of the world. Spielman offers colorful examples of how the mosquito has insinuated itself into human history, from the defeat of Sir Francis Drakes fleet to the death of thousands of Frenchmen working on the Panama Canal to the recent widespread West Nile panic in New York City. Filled with little-known facts and illuminating anecdotes that bring this tiny being into larger focus, Mosquito offers fascinating, alarming, and convincing evidence that the sooner we get to know this little creature, the better off well be.
Review
"Mosquito expert Spielman tells us, in this creepily fascinating book, that there are more than 2,500 kinds of those tiny, annoying, and extremely deadly creatures....This is truly an unexpected delight, an informative, entertaining, and sometimes skin-crawly book that should appeal to anyone with a taste for popular science." Booklist
Review
"The little buzzer's surprisingly fascinating story from the dangers of its bite to the hazards it faces in its short life." Town & Country
Review
"If you have never read a book on entomology, be sure to start with this one." The Economist
Review
"[The] combination of wry humor and a surprising veneration for the insect makes Mosquito: A Natural History of Our Most Persistent and Deadly Foe a delightful and riveting tale, even when the authors break down biological and anatomical mechanisms. Spielman and D'Antonio also illuminate the history of mosquito-borne disease and the masterful evolutionary process that enables the mosquito to survive expensive and elaborate attempts to wipe it out. Mosquito is a must-read, especially this summer, when you could easily have 10,000 of these predators buzzing, hovering and dive-bombing all over your backyard or picnic site." Suzy Hansen, Salon.com
Synopsis
Now in paperback--a fascinating work of popular science from a world-renowned expert on mosquitoes and a prize-winning reporter.In this lively and comprehensive portrait of the mosquito, its role in history, and its threat to mankind, Spielman and D'Antonio take a mosquito's-eye view of nature and man. They show us how mosquitoes breed, live, mate, and die, and introduce us to their enemies, both natural and man-made. The authors present tragic and often grotesque examples of how the mosquito has insinuated itself into human history, from the malaria that devastated invaders of ancient Rome to the current widespread West Nile fever panic. Filled with little-known facts and remarkable anecdotes that bring this tiny being into larger focus, Mosquito offers fascinating, alarming, and convincing evidence that the sooner we get to know this pesky insect, the better off we'll be.
About the Author
Andrew Spielman, Sc.D., is the worlds foremost expert on mosquito-borne illness. At age 70, he is the senior specialist in tropical illness at Harvard University and the national medias most-sought expert on everything related to mosquitoes, from West Nile to Eastern Equine Encephalitis. He appears regularly on every major television network, on NPR, and in dozens of newspapers and magazines.