An Obsession With Butterflies: Our Long Love Affair With A Singular Insect - Hardcover

Russell, Sharman Apt

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0738206997 ISBN 13: 9780738206998

Publisher: Basic Books, 2003

Synopsis

Sharman Apt Russell again blends her lush voice and keen scientific eye in this marvelous book about butterflies. From Hindu mythology to Aztec sacrifices, butterflies have served as a metaphor for resurrection and transformation. Even during World War II, children in a Polish death camp scratched hundreds of butterflies onto the walls of their barracks. But as Russell points out in this rich and lyrical meditation, butterflies are above all objects of obsession. From the beastly horned caterpillar, whose blood helps it count time, to the peacock butterfly, with wings that hiss like a snake, Russell traces the butterflies through their life cycles, exploring the creatures' own obsessions with eating, mating, and migrating. In this way, she reveals the logic behind our endless fascination with butterflies as well as the driving passion of such legendary collectors as the tragic Eleanor Glanville, whose children declared her mad because of her compulsive butterfly collecting, and the brilliant Henry Walter Bates, whose collections from the Amazon in 1858 helped develop his theory of mimicry in nature. Russell also takes us inside some of the world's most prestigious natural history museums, where scientists painstakingly catalogue and categorize new species of Lepidoptera, hoping to shed light on insect genetics and evolution. A luminous journey through an exotic world of obsession and strange beauty, this is a book to be treasured by anyone who's ever watched a butterfly mid-flight and thought, as Russell has, "I've entered another dimension."

About this title

About the Author:

Sharman Apt Russell is the author of several books, including Hunger and Songs of the Fluteplayer , which won the Mountains and Plains Booksellers Award. She has written for publications including Discover and Nature Conservancy , and currently contributes to OnEarth , the magazine for the National Resource Defense Council. Russell teaches creative writing at Western New Mexico University and at Antioch University in Los Angeles, California. She lives in Silver City, New Mexico.

Review:

"A masterful blend of science, natural history, mythology, and literary skill...intriguing...[A] contemplative gem. " -- Bloomsbury Review July/August 2003

"A singular work of art, with its smooth, ethereal prose and series after cascading series of astonishing lore." -- San Diego Union Tribune 6/15/03

"An exquisitely buoyant ode to butterflies, Sharman Apt Russell provides a captivating blend of science, history, and wonder...fascinating" -- Boston Herald 6/08/2003

"Elegant, beautifully written...At last, butterflies have a work that is worthy of their beauty and grace." -- Curled Up with a Good Book 5/16/03

"Evocative...Offers a short but engrossing tour of [butterflies'] fascinating world. Readers be warned: The obsession is contagious." -- Wall Street Journal 6/08/2003

"It's a trip through the world of an insect that has fascinated the human species for millennia." -- Albuquerque Journal 6/01/03

"Readable, informative, and at times poetic." -- Boston Globe 6/17/03

"Russell speaks clearly and enticingly...Highly enjoyable...piques and prods the reader into wanting to know much more." -- Kirkus Reviews 5/1/03

"This collection of essays provides lyrical accounts of Lepidoptera's own obsessions-eating, mating, and migrating." -- Seed May/June 2003

"This enchanting little book is an extraordinary mating of exciting, sure-footed science and inspired prose poetry." -- Burlington Free Press 8/10/03

About this edition

• Publisher: Basic Books
• Publication date: 2003
• ISBN 10: 0738206997
• ISBN 13: 9780738206998
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 256