The Compleat Cockroach: A Comprehensive Guide to the Most Despised (And Least Understood) Creature on Earth (Paperback)

by David G. Gordon (Author), jim hays (Illustrator) "COCKROACHES HAVE FLATTENED, oval-shape bodies, down-turned heads, long antennae, and, in most species, two pairs of wings..." (more)
Key Phrases: roach species, cockroach nymphs, wood cockroach, United States, New York, Natural History (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review
"Ask yourself how you feel about cockroaches. Do you shiver at the mere mention of their name? Could you kill one with your bare hand? Would you rather not be talking about this?" Even if the answer to all these questions from David George Gordon's The Compleat Cockroach is "EEUGHH" (meaning "yes, indeed"), you might want to get this book for your lawyer, landlord, or 10-year-old. Strong-stomached adults will find it a trove of information on every aspect of cockroach biology, control strategies, literary cockroaches, and cockroach song and dance--not to mention cockroaches in art, as pets, or (gulp) as cuisine.

From Publishers Weekly
"Salted cockroaches are said to have an agreeable flavour, which is apparent in certain popular sauces." Well, maybe not that popular. This quote from an 1886 book on The Structure and Life History of the Cockroach is part of The Compleat Cockroach, David George Gordon's look at the biology, behavior, sociology and culture (Kafka, Don Marquis, Donald Harrington, Daniel Evan Weiss) of blattids. And for those less interested in the lives of cockroaches, there's also an extensive section on exterminating them.
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 178 pages
• Publisher: Ten Speed Press; 1st edition (September 1, 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0898158532
• ISBN-13: 978-0898158533
• Product Dimensions: 8.6 x 8.6 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #663,558 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Foe or friend? Maybe the cockroach will inherit the earth., January 9, 1997

By A Customer

We are out numbered. For every one of us, there are 10 of them. The subject is cockroaches -- blattaria -- la cucaracha. Instead of screaming and running for a can of Raid, consider reading biologist David George Gordon's extremely entertaining, sometimes humorous and definitely fascinating work "The Compleat Cockroach: A Comprehensive Guide to the Most Despised (and Least Understood) Creature on Earth. He prophetically invites readers to "step into a world that, until now, you've only stepped on," and then delivers page after page of facts on cockroach anatomy, behavior, speciation, control, culture as well as the creature's influences on rock music, literature, film and fine art. Gordon offers insight into the numerous unique adaptations that have allowed these animals to survive for more than 340 million years, with his whimsical writing being a nice plus. One might wonder just how unusual of a fellow the author is, for he previously penned "Field Guide to the Slug." If the sight of Never mind that the sight of a roach crawling across a kitchen floor mades most people nauseated. There's more to the pest than one would imagine. Cockroaches, when eaten, have a falvor similar to shrimp. They are very vain beings, continuously licking their legs and antennae to beautify themselves, in a manner very similar to a cat washing its paws. They are far less finicky than cats about eating, however, consuming everything from paper, woolen clothes, sugar, flesh and lemons to bottle corks, bat guano, oil, cheese and their own shed skins. The battle against the cockroach will be eternal, since adult females produce up to 30 young, usually in November. Adult males commonly cohabit with adolescent females, waiting patiently, the author claims, for the young virgins to mature. But after mating, the male, being the traditional cad, leaves the burrow in search of a new partner. Most notably, the cockroach is probaly the only insect with its own anthem, the familiary "La Cucaracha," which was penned in 1910 by the followers of Francisco "Pancho" Villa at the start of the Mexican Revolution. The word cucaracha, however, pertains to the slang definition of "dried up old maid," which was also the nickname of Villa's rival, General Venusitano Carranza. By the last chapter, the reader may have a modified opinion of the much dreaded cockroach. This reader will think twice before calling the exterminator.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Horrible little beasts, by fermed, May 7, 2000

By	Fernando Melendez "fermed" (San Diego, California USA) - See all my reviews

It takes a combination of strength of character, sheer curiosity and a touch of madness to spend hard earned dollars on a book devoted to blattaria, which is the family name of cockroaches. Most people have an absolute and total abhorrence towards these little beasties: they believe that no cockroach, not even a dead cockroad, can possibly be a good cockroach.

Once the initial repulsion to the book and its title has been overcome, it does not mean one is going to love the critters, or even tolerate them in one's life space; but a reluctant amazement about these complex and bizarre creatures is likely to develop. If one's only interest on the subject is how to be rid of them, this book reviews the history of the attempts to exterminate them and the modern methods now in use. But perhaps you would like to become a collector, or a breeder...no? Well, if you change your mind you will find the addresses of others interested in catching, swapping or breeding the insects. Reading the 170 odd pages of this book will not make you a scientific expert on blattaria, but it pretty well guarantees that you will not be lost for words at the next cocktail party. If the subject of cockroaches happens to come up.

The book contains a good index, a section on cockroach supplies and resources (food, rubber cockroaches, museums of cockroaches) and a 5 book non-fiction bibliography.The book's title reflects precisely its contents, and for that reason, as well as the other attributes mentioned, it earns my five stars.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A good psychological book for people, who dislike cockroache, April 24, 2000

By	C. Köln - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This book is very fantastic. All about history,species, humor, songs,art, museums etc. It describes the cockroaches so clearely and exact, that you are never afraid of them! I was shocked by the first big American Cockroaches on the Azores, where I am regulary for holidays. I bought this book for psychological therapy at my own. I was impressed by the humorfully title. It is only a pity, that there are only small black and white photos on it. If you want to understand "uggly" animals by a book of them to understand them more.