The Life and Love of the Insect

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The Life and Love of the Insect enters into a hidden realm with 18 illustrated essays, rendered in lively, poetic language. Whether extolling the maternal instincts of the Sacred Beetle or chronicling the protracted and ultimately fatal mating ritual of the Languedocian Scorpion, Fabre consistently engages readers with his earnest yet playful delight in sharing fascinating aspects of the insect world. French entomologist Jean Henri Fabre (1823–1915) is considered the father of modern entomology and was hailed by Darwin as "an incomparable observer." Chiefly self-educated, he devoted most of his life to the observation of insects as they hunted, mated, built nests, and guarded their young. Fabre's lack of a formal education may have contributed to his sprightly style, in which he combines careful, informed observations with an infectious enthusiasm for discovering creatures that are usually shunned or unnoticed.