Amazon.com Review
A companion volume to the Miramax documentary of the same name, Microcosmos is "a natural fairy tale," an insect's-eye view of the world. The text tends toward the poetic and metaphorical, likening the ripening of a cocoon to computer assembly language, examining the flight patterns of mosquitoes, veering into discussions of why it is that flowers are beautiful. (The French authors have a wonderful answer: "Flowers are beautiful quite simply to seduce insects.") The book's greatest strength is in its superb photographs, which capture the minutest details of an insect's wanderings.
From Booklist
Nuridsany and Perennou, the biologists-filmmakers-directors of last year's celebrated documentary feature Microcosmos, have written a companion book that in some ways is more compelling than their film. The authors both hold master's degrees in biology and condense their expertise into a plain-language description of insect fundamentals: anatomy, life cycle, behavior, and the unique relationship between insects and plants. The text surrounds 90 close-up color photos of insects, including many images from their film. The epilogue, "Creation of a Film," describes cameras and microphones the filmmakers invented to better film their tiny subjects, including a 660-pound robotic camera for studio work and the Flying Cam--a 35mm camera mounted to a remote-controlled helicopter for filming dragonflies in flight. A must read for nature buffs and photographers alike. Ted Leventhal
