Synopses & Reviews
Review
'This is a fascinating and readable account of one of the great, overlooked mysteries of life.' and#8212; Simon Barnes, The Times
Review
". . . [a] remarkable history of evolutionary innovations in silk spinning by spiders. . . effective and entertaining."--Quarterly Review of Biology
Review
". . . an ideal introduction to spiders and a tempting peek at the field of silk research that. . . will leave the reader forever fascinated and enthused by these wonderful web weavers."--BioScience
Review
Library Journal bestseller in Zoology/Botany. BioScience
Review
"This wonderful book cures arachnophobia for any lucky reader. Brunetta and Craig combine superb scholarship with engaging writing, providing a compelling introduction to evolution in action through the lens of spiders and their silks."—Simon Levin, Princeton University, author of Fragile Dominion Library Journal
Review
"From black widows to balloon-riders and bola-swingers, spider evolution depends critically on a few proteins in silk. Brunetta and Craig weave genetics and behavior into a silky-smooth portrait of this fascinating group."—Richard Wrangham, Harvard University, author of
Catching Fire: How Cooking Made Us Human Simon Levin
Review
“Spider Silk—a wonderful, charismatic natural history of spiders—will truly inspire all readers who may never before have appreciated this unique group of organisms.”—Margaret Lowman, author of Life in the Treetops: Adventures of a Woman in Field Biology and of Its a Jungle Up There: More Tales from the Treetops Richard Wrangham
Review
"In
Spider Silk, Leslie Brunetta and Catherine Craig offer a history of this marvelous stuff that readers will find surprisingly compelling—for not only the astonishing complexity of spider silk itself, but also the many uses that spiders have created over the ages. It is, in other words, the epitome of evolutionary innovation."—Carl Zimmer, author of
Parasite Rex and
The Tangled Bank: An Introduction to Evolution Meg Lowman
Review
'The book is full of amusing facts and observations. Definitely for the general reader with a keen interest in natural history.' — Tibor Fischer, Sunday Telegraph Carl Zimmer
Review
“This is a compelling and immensely readable account that engages the reader from start to finish and that I found difficult to put down.” -Tim R. New,
Journal of Insect Conservation Tibor Fischer - The Sunday Telegraph
Review
'This is a compelling and immensely readable account that engages the reader from start to finish…A helpful index is also included, and a series of colour plates illustrate some of the book's subjects and themes…This well-produced book is a valuable and enjoyable contribution to fostering awareness of spider evolution…Buy it for your own interest, or as a gift for your favourite arachnophobe - you might just make a convert!' Tim R. New, Journal Of Insect Conservation (Australia) Tim R. New - Journal of Insect Conservation
Review
"
Spider Silk weaves together principles of genetics, biochemistry and evolution to explain the diversity and function of spiders silks. This book is a model for next generation biology texts."—Cynthia Sagers, University of Arkansas
Tim R. - Journal of Insect Conservation (Australia)
Review
"The language is lively and a passion for the subject shines through."—Sue Howarth, The Biologist Vol.57 No.3 Cynthia Sagers
Review
"Supremely absorbing book."—Ben Hoare, BBC Wildlife Magazine Sue Howarth - The Biologist Vol.57 No.3
Review
Recipient of the 2011 "Highly Recommended Book Award" presented by the Boston Authors Club Ben Hoare - BBC Wildlife Magazine
Review
Finalist for the ForeWorld Reviews 2010 Book of the Year Award in Nature Boston Authors Club Highly Recommended Book - Boston Authors Club
Review
Selected as a Choice Outstanding Academic Title for 2011 in the Zoology category. 2010 Book of the Year Award in Nature - ForeWord Magazine
Review
Named the Silver Winner for the 2010 ForeWord Book of the Year Award in the Nature category Boston Authors Club Highly Recommended Book - Boston Authors Club
Review
"Spider Silk is an educational, thoughtful, fun and compelling read. Each chapter presents the reader with a logical progression of the spider species evolution - from early common ancestors millions of years ago to spiders we come into contact with everyday… After reading this book, it is hard not to stop and marvel at the complexity of spiders and their webs. Rachael A. Carmen, Springer Choice Outstanding Academic Title - Choice
Review
"Well written....Very readable."—Ruth Grierson, Mount Desert Islander Rachael A. Carmen - Springer Journal
Synopsis
Spiders, objects of eternal human fascination, are found in many places: on the ground, in the air, and even under water.Leslie Brunetta and Catherine Craig have teamed up to produce a substantive yet entertaining book for anyone who has ever wondered, as a spider rappelled out of reach on a line of silk, How do they do that?
The orb web, that iconic wheel-shaped web most of us associate with spiders, contains at least four different silk proteins, each performing a different function and all meshing together to create a fly-catching machine that has amazed and inspired humans through the ages.Brunetta and Craig tell the intriguing story of how spiders evolved over 400 million years to add new silks and new uses for silk to their survival toolkit and, in the telling, take readers far beyond the orb. The authors describe the trials and triumphs of spiders as they use silk to negotiate an ever-changing environment, and they show how natural selection acts at the genetic level and as individuals struggle for survival."
About the Author
Leslie Brunetta is a freelance writer whose articles have appeared in the New York Times, Technology Review, and the Sewanee Review; on NPR; and elsewhere. Catherine L. Craig is an internationally recognized evolutionary biologist, arachnologist, and authority on silk.