Mosquito: The Story of Man's Deadliest Foe [Paperback]

Andrew Spielman Sc.D. (Author), Michael D'Antonio (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 15, 2002 | ISBN-10: 0786886676 | ISBN-13: 978-0786886678

Now in paperback -- a fascinating work of popular science from a world-renowned expert on mosquitoes and a prize-winning reporter.

In this lively and comprehensive portrait of the mosquito, its role in history, and its threat to mankind, Spielman and D'Antonio take a mosquito's-eye view of nature and man. They show us how mosquitoes breed, live, mate, and die, and introduce us to their enemies, both natural and man-made. The authors present tragic and often grotesque examples of how the mosquito has insinuated itself into human history, from the malaria that devastated invaders of ancient Rome to the current widespread West Nile fever panic. Filled with little-known facts and remarkable anecdotes that bring this tiny being into larger focus, Mosquito offers fascinating, alarming, and convincing evidence that the sooner we get to know this pesky insect, the better off we'll be.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"...right book...for a broad audience: clear, authoritative...and right to the point on the insect's enormous importance to humanity." -- Edward O. Wilson, Pulitzer Prize-winning author of On Human Nature and The Ants

"Absorbing." -- Newsday

"Marvelous." -- Malcolm Gladwell, The New Yorker

About the Author

Andrew Spielman, Sc.D., is one of the world's foremost authorities on mosquitoes and the infections they transmit. He is Harvard University's senior investigator in tropical disease.

Michael D'Antonio shared the Pulitzer Prize in journalism as part of a Newsday reporting team. He has written five acclaimed nonfiction books, including Atomic Harvest and Tin Cup Dreams.

Product Details

• Paperback: 272 pages
• Publisher: Hyperion (May 15, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0786886676
• ISBN-13: 978-0786886678
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.6 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #468,791 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Great Read!, June 10, 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: Mosquito: The Story of Man's Deadliest Foe (Paperback)

This book is a must for students of history and disease,
natural history, and popular history. It is especially timely in
light of the spread of the West Nile virus and can help the
reader to understand humanity's long struggle with disease
and the agents that can carry it. Well-written and informative, it reads more like a novel and is the very best
kind of popular history. Buy it - you'll like it!

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars A good introduction for the layperson, August 31, 2008

By 

P. Mann (Los Angeles) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Mosquito: The Story of Man's Deadliest Foe (Paperback)

Certainly, this book is not for the professional entomologist, but I am not an entomologist and found the book to be a relatively effective history of the mosquito, malaria and other diseases, and human understanding of this insect. Like other reviewers, I did think there was a bit much repetition, but the reading is easy, and it's certainly possible to skip over a paragraph here or there until new territory is reached.

There is brief treatment of the life cycle of the mosquito before the book settles into its primary topic, disease and its transmission. Discussions of DDT, West Nile virus, and methods of (attempted) mosquito eradication were, to me, informative, and I do believe I know significantly more now than I did before reading this book.

4.0 out of 5 stars Don't Squash That Skeeter Just Yet, October 20, 2008

By 

Sam I Am (los angeles) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Mosquito: The Story of Man's Deadliest Foe (Paperback)

Dr. Spielman is described as a world-renowned expert on mosquitoes. Better him than me, I say. If you can get into this kind of subject, the book is an interesting read, and you'll never again look at a skeeter in quite the same way. Read this weird book to learn about how mosquitoes are born, how they live, love (okay it's not exactly love), and die.