Fireflies, honey, and silk /Gilbert Waldbauer ; with illustrations by James Nardi.
- Berkeley : University of California Press, (c)2009.
- 1 online resource (xi, 233 pages)
Includes bibliographies and index.
Insects people like -- The silk we wear -- Dyeing the cloth -- Baubles, bracelets, and anklets -- Candles, shellac, and sealing wax -- Paper and ink -- Butterflies in your tummy -- Satisfying the sweet tooth -- Cures and nostrums -- Insect pets and performers -- Epilogue : the ecological context.
The ink our ancestors wrote with, the beeswax in altar candles, the honey on our toast, the silk we wear. This enchanting book is a highly entertaining exploration of the myriad ways insects have enriched our lives--culturally, economically, and aesthetically. The author, an entomologist and writer describes in colorful detail how many of the valuable products insects have given us are made, how they were discovered, and how they have been used through time and across cultures. Along the way, he takes us on a ramble through many far flung corners of history, mythology, poetry, literature, medicine, ecology, forensics, and more. Enlivened with personal anecdotes from his distinguished career as an entomologist, the book also describes surprising everyday encounters we all experience that were made possible by insects. From butterfly gardens and fly-fishing to insects as jewelry and sex pheromones, this is an eye-opening ode to the wonder of insects that illuminates our extraordinary and essential relationship with the natural world.