Overview

New photographic technologies reveal insects as never seen before. Insects are the largest and most diverse group of animals, yet their world is often hidden. This spectacular book provides a rare and intimate view of the bizarre beauty of many overlooked creatures and their habitats. Michael Chinery describes the natural science of insects -- their life cycles, camouflage and defense, predators and prey, and habitats. Over 250 spectacular color photographs, many taken in the wild by the author, use scanning electron micrograph (SEM) technology at super-magnifications and high speed to show in astonishing detail the fantastical shapes and remarkable lives of insects from around the world. Examples are: The stalk-eyed insect, with branch-like eye stems, each as long as its body and holding an eye at the tip An aphid in flight with its neon-orange eyes aglow The long, sickle-shaped jaws of a soldier army ant, used by some South American native groups to suture wounds The secret of one butterfly's beautiful colors as revealed in its cheese-grater wing scales The laughing face of a hornet. Amazing Insects is an outstanding reference, engrossing in its detail and remarkable in its wide coverage.

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9781554073528

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Reviews

Informative text describing the everyday lives and behaviors of insects with stunning photographs that capture their bizarre beauty. Extremely beautiful photography. -- Lois Cooper Muskoka Today (Gravenhurst ON) (11/13/2008)

Informative text describing the everyday lives and behaviors of insects with stunning photographs that capture their bizarre beauty. Extremely beautiful photography.--Lois Cooper Muskoka Today (Gravenhurst ON) (11/13/2008)

A must-have.... striking photographs covering camouflage, life cycles and extreme close-ups you won't soon be able to forget. This beautifully printed photographic celebration...deserves to gain Chinery -- and his subject matter -- a much wider fan base. For an interesting perspective on hundreds of six-legged organisms, Amazing Insects: Images of Fascinating Creatures by Michael Chinery is a must-have. Information is accompanied by striking photographs covering camouflage, life cycles and extreme close-ups you won't soon be able to forget. Stunning, high magnification photographs and clear explanatory text... This beautifully printed photographic celebration, featuring more than 250 pictures, deserves to gain Chinery -- and his subject matter -- a much wider fan base.... Chinery's easygoing, friendly captions provide accessible inforomation. Amazing Insects is an introduction to insect biology, featuring many striking photographs...Most of the information is conveyed through short blurbs accompanying large photographs. The photographs range from electron micrographs that show fascinating details at a very fine scale, to wonderful stop-action shots of insects in flight, to landscape-size shots of giant termite mounds. The text is short, but sufficient to carry basic information. The images, many taken by the author, show the reader the amazing adaptability and diversity of insects. This book is suited to any audience. Everyone from young children to professional entomologists will appreciate the images collected here. The imagery and undeniable beauty of this outstanding book, with its hundreds of photographs by an assortment of talented photographes who have contributed their skills, represents the best in the science of insects. We are the beneficiaries of their combined efforts, of the many technicians who are included in [the] rare book of miraculous photos.--Joan Sutter Shelf Life (09/01/2008) Informative text describing the everyday lives and behaviors of insects with stunning photographs that capture their bizarre beauty. Extremely beautiful photography.--Lois Cooper Muskoka Today (Gravenhurst ON) (11/13/2008)

Author Information

Michael Chinery is a leading writer on insects. He studied zoology, geology, botany and anthropology at Cambridge University and has been involved in the television series BBC Wildlife. His many books include Collins Field Guide to Insects. He lives in England.

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