The bee is not a domestic animal, yet our
relationship with this creature is one of the
longest-standing between humanity and any other species.
Since the earliest times the unique manufacturing and
architectural abilities of the bee and its remarkable
social organization have been regarded as miraculous.
Because of this ancient relationship, bees always carry
profound cultural meanings which can tell us much about
who we are. Bees are also the subject of an enormous
body of legend throughout the temperate world; no less
extraordinary is the natural history of the bee, and the
ways in which its biological and social organization
have been adapted and encouraged by mankind in search of
honey.Claire Preston's ''Bee'' follows the natural and
cultural history of our relationship with the bee and
the development of these legends, from ancient political
descriptions of the bee to Renaissance debates about
monarchy, and the accompanying scientific discoveries
about insects, to the modern conversion of the virtuous,
civil bee into the dangerous swarm of the Hollywood
horror flick, and finally to the melancholy recognition
that the scientific study of bee behavior gives us a
warning to beware our own awful technologies of
destruction. Written in a lively, engaging style, and
containing many fascinating bee facts, anecdotes,
fables, and images, Bee is also a wide-ranging,
highly-illustrated meditation on the natural and
cultural history of this familiar and much-admired
insect. It will appeal to a wide audience: those who
work with bees and in honey production; those who
appreciate this industrious creature and its intricate,
miniature society; and, those too who have an interest
in the way animals such as the bee have woven themselves
into the fabric of our culture. |
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