Synopses & Reviews
"Ants
are the most warlike of all animals, with colony pitted against colony,"
writes E.O. Wilson, one of the world's most beloved scientists, "their
clashes dwarf Waterloo and Gettysburg." In Tales from the Ant World,
two-time Pulitzer Prize-winner Wilson takes us on a myrmecological tour
to such far-flung destinations as Mozambique and New Guinea, the Gulf
of Mexico's Dauphin Island and even his parent's overgrown backyard,
thrillingly relating his nine-decade-long scientific obsession with over
15,000 ant species.
Animating his scientific observations with illuminating personal
stories, Wilson hones in on twenty-five ant species to explain how these
genetically superior creatures talk, smell, and taste, and more
significantly, how they fight to determine who is dominant. Wryly
observing that "males are little more than flying sperm missiles" or
that ants send their "little old ladies into battle," Wilson eloquently
relays his brushes with Fire, Army, and Leafcutter ants, as well as more
exotic species. Among them are the very rare Matabele, Africa's
fiercest warrior ants, whose female hunters can carry up to fifteen
termites in their jaw (and, as Wilson reports from personal experience,
have an incredibly painful stinger); Costa Rica's Basiceros, the slowest
of all ants; and New Caledonia's Bull ants, the most endangered of them
all, which Wilson discovered in 2011 after over twenty years of
presumed extinction.
Richly illustrated throughout with depictions of ant species by
Kristen Orr, as well as photos from Wilsons' expeditions throughout the
world, Tales from the Ant World is a fascinating, if not
occasionally hair-raising, personal account by one of our greatest
scientists and a necessary volume for any lover of the natural world.
Review
"The world-renowned ant
expert cleans out his desk, which — no surprise — contains many gems....scraps of autobiography and anecdotes on his
favorite insect....the content and quality of the writing is
consistently top-notch." Kirkus Reviews (Starred Review)
Review
"Wilson's passion for his
subject, for the scientific method, and for the natural world comes
through clearly in this enjoyable survey."
Publishers Weekly
Review
"...an
accessible natural history on an often-misunderstood insect...Wilson's modest, conversational tone in this brief look at
his lifetime of appreciating nature's small wonders, whether found in
the backyard — or in the home." Library Journal
About the Author
Edward O. Wilson is the author of more than thirty books, including
Anthill, a novel, and
The Meaning of Human Existence, a finalist for the National
Book Award. The winner of two Pulitzer Prizes, Wilson is a professor
emeritus at Harvard University and lives with his wife, Irene, in
Lexington, Massachusetts.