New
A fascinating, entertaining dive into the long-standing relationship between humans and insects, revealing the surprising ways we depend on these tiny, six-legged creatures.
Drawing on research in laboratory science, agriculture, fashion, and international cuisine, Edward D. Melillo weaves a vibrant world history that illustrates the inextricable and fascinating bonds between humans and insects. Across time, we have not only coexisted with these creatures but have relied on them for, among other things, the key discoveries of modern medical science and the future of the world’s food supply. Without insects, entire sectors of global industry would grind to a halt and essential features of modern life would disappear. Here is a beguiling appreciation of the ways in which these creatures have altered–and continue to shape–the very framework of our existence.
About the Author:
EDWARD D. MELILLO is professor of history and environmental studies at Amherst College. He is the author of Strangers on Familiar Soil: Rediscovering the Chile-California Connection (2015), which won the Western History Association’s 2016 Caughey Prize for the most distinguished book on the American West. He was awarded the Mellon New Directions Fellowship in 2017. He received his PhD and his MPhil from Yale University and his BA from Swarthmore College. He grew up in Falmouth, Massachusetts, and now lives in South Hadley, Massachusetts.
The Butterfly Effect by Edward D. Melillo, read by Kaleo Griffith
The Butterfly Effect: Insects and the Making of the Modern World by Edward D. Melillo Reviews:
“Melillo is a witty and eloquent guide through the fraught terrain of human-insect interactions, able to write as lucidly about the white-eyed mutant fruitfly as the four movements of Serenade in A . . . [He] is at his most inspiring, however, when he exalts the scientists who have rejected the view that there’s little in the world of insects to remind us of our own.”—Christopher Irmscher, The Wall Street Journal
“Hard to put down, The Butterfly Effect is a masterful revelation of our interwoven existence with the world of insects and far deeper than most would possibly imagine. Part humanist, historian and scientist, Edward Melillo writes with charm and depth. A must read for anyone with curiosity and interest in how the world works and how seriously our existence is intertwined.”—Thomas E. Lovejoy, co-author of Biodiversity and Climate Change
Own this book? See if Mybookcart is buying The Butterfly Effect: Insects and the Making of the Modern World. Sell your book for cash.
