Living Jewels: The Natural Design of Beetles. This item is unavailable.Living Jewels: The Natural Design of Beetles

Attractive, affordable, and adorable, these miniature versions of popular Prestel titles are the perfect gifts.

They’re packed with color, yet small enough to fit into a pocket or purse. They’re as inviting to the eye as they are to the wallet. And there are titles to suit every occasion, taste, and interest. Like all of Prestel’s products, these "Minis" feature amazing artwork of all kinds, elegantly designed and packaged. Whether it’s a birthday, anniversary, holiday, or just time for a pick-me-up, these miniature treasures prove that little things mean a lot.

As the authors explain in their introduction, beetles were deified in Ancient Egypt, used for necklaces and brooches by the Amazonian Indians of Peru, and worn live, tethered to gold chains, by fashionable ladies in Victorian times. Today beautiful beetles are so much in demand by international collectors that the governments of Malaysia, Indonesia, and New Guinea have begun major insect breeding programs to supply the growing market. The photographs shown here provide ample evidence of why beetles have been such a valuable commodity to such various cultures.