Fabre's Book of Insects [Paperback]

Jean Henri Fabre (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 6, 1998

Great French entomologist's charming essays on insect life combine scientific rigor with the style of a literary classic. Beautifully written passages reveal the intricate, fascinating worlds of the beetle, cicada, praying mantis, glow-worm, wasp, grub, cricket, locust, and other creatures as they hunt, build nests, feed families, and more. Rare volume will delight any naturalist.

Editorial Reviews

Language Notes

Text: English (translation)
Original Language: French

Product Details

• Paperback: 128 pages
• Publisher: Dover Publications (February 6, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0486401529
• ISBN-13: 978-0486401522
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.4 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #755,942 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #7 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > Science > Biological Sciences > Biology > Entomology
  • #28 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > Science > Biological Sciences > Animals > Insects & Spiders
  • #32 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > Professional & Technical > Professional Science > Biological Sciences > Biology

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

28 of 28 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Beautifully Written, October 25, 2004

By 

Josephine (New Orleans, LA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Fabre's Book of Insects (Paperback)

It seems unfair to give this book such a low rating due to a lack of illustrations. If you have any curiosity toward insects, I highly recommend this book. While some insect books come from more of an anatomical point of view (and yes, with many illustrations), this book takes you through an intimate and fascinating account of the lives of these amazing creatures, such as: the sacred beetle, praying mantis, psyches, locusts and more. The author will open up a whole other world to you with a gentle view toward insects and with vivid and illustrative language.

12 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Personal tribute to Henri Fabre, August 7, 2006

By 

Luis Eades (Boulder, Colorado) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Fabre's Book of Insects (Paperback)

Since I was a student in the late 1940s Henri Fabre has been one of my heroes. I have had his book of collected observations on the intimate lives of insects since that time. The book was so over used that it badly needed replacing,and I was very pleased to see that it is still in print. It was my pleasure, in 1983, to visit Fabre's House and property in Provence, now a small museum. The museum retains atmosphere of a private place - I and my wife were the only visitors at the time; his desk, microscope and the big black hat remain in the room where he did many of his observations; as do, in a large glass case, the very large collection of natural objects (unrelated to insects) that he amassed in the course of his long life. In a lower floor are exhibited the many letters he received from admiring scientists, including Darwin.

41 of 66 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars NO ILLUSTRATIONS!!!, January 20, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Fabre's Book of Insects (Paperback)

Warning, there is not one picture in this book save a crappy watercolored cricket on the cover. There was an earlier edition with exquisite illustrations, so I thought I'd take a chance with this one. *sound of gameshow buzzer* I'm sorry, no pictures. Anyway it is a good book, I enjoyed it. It's not a scientific description of insects and their habits, it's a regular guy's observations of and adventures with the insect world throughout his life and it's pretty interesting. It was Surrealist director Luis Bunuel's favorite book, although his copy had illustrations!!!