Broadsides from the Other Orders: A Book of Bugs

Be the first to write a review

Overview

Did you know that for every pound of human beings in the world there are estimated to be three hundred pounds of bugs? That 25 percent of all animal species are beetles? That dragonflies can fly sixty miles per hour? That there may be fifty million midges in a single swarm? Whether or not you are curious about insects, Broadsides from the Other Orders is a bewitching mixture of facts of nature and perceptive reflections. The author of A Country Year and A Book of Bees now turns her attention to butterflies, ...
See more details below
Available through our Marketplace sellers.
See All Options
Other sellers (Hardcover)
  • All (58) from $1.99   
  • New (6) from $9.42   
  • Used (52) from $1.99   
Close
Sort by
Page 1 of 1
Showing All
Note: Marketplace items are not eligible for any BN.com coupons and promotions
$9.42
Twin City Books Plus
Seller since 2013

Feedback rating:

(0)

Condition:

New — never opened or used in original packaging.

Like New — packaging may have been opened. A "Like New" item is suitable to give as a gift.

Very Good — may have minor signs of wear on packaging but item works perfectly and has no damage.

Good — item is in good condition but packaging may have signs of shelf wear/aging or torn packaging. All specific defects should be noted in the Comments section associated with each item.

Acceptable — item is in working order but may show signs of wear such as scratches or torn packaging. All specific defects should be noted in the Comments section associated with each item.

Used — An item that has been opened and may show signs of wear. All specific defects should be noted in the Comments section associated with each item.

Refurbished — A used item that has been renewed or updated and verified to be in proper working condition. Not necessarily completed by the original manufacturer.

New
"New book, I ship 5-6 days a week."

Ships from: Maple Grove, MN

Usually ships in 1-2 business days

  • •Standard, 48 States
  • •Standard (AK, HI)
  • •Express, 48 States
  • •Express (AK, HI)
$13.50
Sequitur Books
Seller since 2007

Feedback rating:

(369)

Condition: New
Hardcover and dust jacket. Good binding and cover. Clean, unmarked pages. Ships daily.

Ships from: Boonsboro, MD

Usually ships in 1-2 business days

  • •Canadian
  • •International
  • •Standard, 48 States
  • •Standard (AK, HI)
  • •Express, 48 States
  • •Express (AK, HI)
$30.50
woodysbooks
Seller since 2009

Feedback rating:

(4039)

Condition: New
Excellent customer service. May ship from alternate location depending on your zip code and availability. Satisfaction guaranteed!!

Ships from: Martinez, CA

Usually ships in 1-2 business days

  • •Standard, 48 States
  • •Standard (AK, HI)
$45.00
bluehouse
Seller since 2013

Feedback rating:

(39)

Condition: New
Brand new.

Ships from: acton, MA

Usually ships in 1-2 business days

  • •Standard, 48 States
$48.00
KAKBooks
Seller since 2005

Feedback rating:

(38)

Condition: New
1993 Hard cover NEW, Hardcover edition. ISBN 0679400621 New in fine dust jacket. NEW, Hardcover edition. ISBN 0679400621 NEW, Hardcover edition. ISBN 0679400621 NEW, Hardcover ... edition. ISBN 0679400621 Read more Show Less

Ships from: San Marino, CA

Usually ships in 1-2 business days

  • •Canadian
  • •International
  • •Standard, 48 States
  • •Standard (AK, HI)
  • •Express, 48 States
  • •Express (AK, HI)
$50.00
bluehouse
Seller since 2013

Feedback rating:

(39)

Condition: New
Brand new.

Ships from: acton, MA

Usually ships in 1-2 business days

  • •Standard, 48 States
Page 1 of 1
Showing All
Close
Sort by
Sending request ...

More About This Book

Overview

Did you know that for every pound of human beings in the world there are estimated to be three hundred pounds of bugs? That 25 percent of all animal species are beetles? That dragonflies can fly sixty miles per hour? That there may be fifty million midges in a single swarm? Whether or not you are curious about insects, Broadsides from the Other Orders is a bewitching mixture of facts of nature and perceptive reflections. The author of A Country Year and A Book of Bees now turns her attention to butterflies, midges and gnats, ladybugs, daddy longlegs, black flies, so-called killer bees, water striders, silverfish, katydids, dragonflies, gypsy moths, syrphid flies, and camel crickets. Aside from the fact that among themselves entomologists call all of them bugs, these insects have little in common; each is unique, plays a distinct role in its own ecosystem, and is as interesting to read about as is the most complex human being. A poll once revealed that 90 percent of all Americans profess to hate bugs, but Sue Hubbell writes with such wonder, affection, authority, and wit about these tiny creatures that any reader of this book will become absorbed by them as well. Her enchantment with them, and with the scientists who study them, some of whom we meet here, is further evidence that, in the words of The New York Times Book Review, "the real masterwork that Sue Hubbell has created is her life."
Read More Show Less

Editorial Reviews

Publishers Weekly - Publisher's Weekly
At last, a readable book about insects! Beekeeper Hubbell ( A Country Year ) discourses on familiar, if not widely loved, creatures. Midges, silverfish, katydid s and water striders, among others, come into her purview and occasion talks with scientists (she notes that she has never had a short conversation with an entomologist). Hubbell reports on her participation in an annual butterfly count in Wyoming and tells of collecting camel crickets in the Ozarks. Examining the commerce in pest-eating ladybugs, ordered from California by gardeners across the U.S., she explains that these insects will usually fly away when transported to a different locale. A chapter on bravo bees (aka ``killer bees'') suggests they have been unjustly maligned and that many actually invigorate strains of the American bees. Illustrations. Author tour. (Apr.)
Library Journal
Bugs are a creepy subject to most readers, but former librarian, beekeeper, and amateur entomologist Hubbell, author of A Country Year ( LJ 4/1/86), A Book of Bees , ( LJ 3/1/89), and On This Hilltop ( LJ 8/1/91) knows how to make them endearing as well as interesting. Whether she is describing first-hand observations of the camel crickets she raises in her terrarium, reporting on her travels to mountain meadows to do field work in the company of leading experts on butterflies, or trekking through Sierra Nevada canyons with furtive professional ``buggers'' who gather ladybugs from secret breeding spots, Hubbell reveals a sense of humor and spirit of adventure that makes entomology come alive for the general reader. In prose that is reminiscent of Diane Ackerman's The Moon by Whale Light ( LJ 10/15/91), Hubbell debunks myths and makes us appreciate how much is yet to be learned about creatures that outnumber humankind 300 pounds to one. Recommended for popular natural history collections.-- Laurie Tynan, Montgomery Cty.-Norristown P.L., Pa.
School Library Journal
YA-Hubbell is sure to earn new fans with this peek into the mysterious world of 13 common bugs, from ladybugs to dragonflies. The author writes like Streisand sings: with blazing clarity and purity that knocks you out. The book contains more than enough technical information to be useful to biology students, while at the same time will hold the interest of the merely curious. Much of the media hysteria over killer bees and gypsy moths will be discounted after reading the sensible chapters on these two beasties. After reading Broadsides, readers will never squash a bug again-not, at least, without due consideration first.-Judy McAloon, Potomac Library, Prince William Public Library System, VA
Donna Seaman
Beekeeper and acclaimed nature writer Hubbell shares her enthusiasm for all manner of bugs in this conversant, merry, and richly informative survey of the insect world. Hubbell knows that few share her fondness for bugs; in fact, an old Anglo-Saxon definition of "bug" includes reference to a terror, ghost, or devil. But she reminds us that to the immense and miraculously diverse population of bugdom, which boasts lineages stretching back millions of years, human beings are merely a "young, trial species." Having put us in our place, Hubbell proceeds to dazzle us with observations and anecdotes about the brief lives of butterflies and midges, the troubles caused by black flies, exactly how ladybugs are "harvested" in the Sierra Nevadas, and the sources for names such as katydid and dragonfly. We are told in no uncertain terms that "killer" bees are not monstrous but lively and should be called bravo bees and that the sensory systems of the despised yet frisky silverfish are quite remarkable. Hubbell also profiles various pioneering or poetic entomologists and tells, with laconic humor, the story of how the gypsy moth ended up in America. Precise and charming, Hubbell shares her deep delight in the "otherness" of insects and may even inspire a few converts.
Kirkus Reviews
More delightful nature writing from the author of A Book of Bees (1988) and A Country Year (1986). This time, Hubbell pulls off a tour de force, managing to turn those horrid creatures—bugs—into beings not only fascinating but even lovable. Rather than survey the entire range of the little beasts, she focuses on ten favorites, and on the entomologists who study them—who sometimes seem as peculiar as their subjects. First up: butterflies. A wise choice, everyone loves them. Hubbell revels in the Xerces Society's annual Fourth of July butterfly count and befriends a lepidopterist who uses a net named Martha. On to moths and flies, silverfish and katydids. Odd facts gather like ants around a sugar cube: 25% of all animal species are beetles; dragonflies zoom at 60 mph; there may be 50 million midges in a single swarm. Odd scientists pop up too, like the daddy longlegs specialist who can identify individual species of this abused arachnid (young boys like to pluck off its legs) simply by smell. But best here is the hands-on adventure, as when Hubbell goes ladybug-harvesting with the pros and rounds up millions of the critters in one day, or travels to Medford, Massachusetts, to track down the house from which the first gypsy moth escaped to devastate America's trees. She confesses to spending "unconscionable amounts of time" watching water striders walk on water, and allows that she is perhaps the only person who keeps camel crickets as pets. Just a few bugs come off as villains—above all, the black fly, which causes river blindness in Africa, although Hubbell reports that this pest may soon be eradicated: a legal, and much applauded, deliberate extinctionof a species. Hubbell at her best, abuzz with brightness. (Fifty-six terrific, prickly b&w line drawings of creepy-crawlies)
Read More Show Less

Product Details

  • ISBN-13: 9780679400622
  • Publisher: Random House Publishing Group
  • Publication date: 6/8/1993
  • Edition description: 1st ed
  • Pages: 288

Table of Contents

Introduction
Ch. I Order Lepidoptera: Butterflies 3
Ch. II Order Diptera: Midges and Gnats 21
Ch. III Order Coleoptera: Ladybugs 38
Ch. IV Order Opiliones: Daddy Longlegs 59
Ch. V Order Diptera: Black Flies 74
Ch. VI Order Hymenoptera: Bravo Bees 90
Ch. VII Order Hemiptera: Water Striders 106
Ch. VIII Order Thysanura: Silverfish 124
Ch. IX Order Orthoptera: Katydids 134
Ch. X Order Odonata: Dragonflies 153
Ch. XI Order Lepidoptera: Gypsy Moths 171
Ch. XII Order Diptera: Syrphid Flies 198
Ch. XIII Order Orthoptera: Camel Crickets 217
Bibliography 241
Index 253
Read More Show Less

Customer Reviews

Be the first to write a review
( 0 )
Rating Distribution

5 Star

(0)

4 Star

(0)

3 Star

(0)

2 Star

(0)

1 Star

(0)

Your Rating:

Review Guidelines
Add Recommendations
Your Name: Create a Pen Name or

Barnes & Noble.com Review Rules

Our reader reviews allow you to share your comments on titles you liked, or didn't, with others. By submitting an online review, you are representing to Barnes & Noble.com that all information contained in your review is original and accurate in all respects, and that the submission of such content by you and the posting of such content by Barnes & Noble.com does not and will not violate the rights of any third party. Please follow the rules below to help ensure that your review can be posted.

Reviews by Our Customers Under the Age of 13

We highly value and respect everyone's opinion concerning the titles we offer. However, we cannot allow persons under the age of 13 to have accounts at BN.com or to post customer reviews. Please see our Terms of Use for more details.

What to exclude from your review:

Please do not write about reviews, commentary, or information posted on the product page. If you see any errors in the information on the product page, please send us an email.

Reviews should not contain any of the following:

  • - HTML tags, profanity, obscenities, vulgarities, or comments that defame anyone
  • - Time-sensitive information such as tour dates, signings, lectures, etc.
  • - Single-word reviews. Other people will read your review to discover why you liked or didn't like the title. Be descriptive.
  • - Comments focusing on the author or that may ruin the ending for others
  • - Phone numbers, addresses, URLs
  • - Pricing and availability information or alternative ordering information
  • - Advertisements or commercial solicitation

Reminder:

  • - By submitting a review, you grant to Barnes & Noble.com and its sublicensees the royalty-free, perpetual, irrevocable right and license to use the review in accordance with the Barnes & Noble.com Terms of Use.
  • - Barnes & Noble.com reserves the right not to post any review -- particularly those that do not follow the terms and conditions of these Rules. Barnes & Noble.com also reserves the right to remove any review at any time without notice.
  • - See Terms of Use for other conditions and disclaimers.
Search for Products You'd Like to Recommend

Recommend other products that relate to your review. Just search for them below and share!

Create a Pen Name

Your Pen Name is your unique identity on BN.com. It will appear on the reviews you write and other website activities. Your Pen Name cannot be edited, changed or deleted once submitted.

 
Your Pen Name can be any combination of alphanumeric characters (plus - and _), and must be at least two characters long.

Continue Anonymously
    If you find inappropriate content, please report it to Barnes & Noble
    Why is this product inappropriate?
    Comments (optional)