Book Review - The Little Book of Beetles - Princeton University Press

      Having enjoyed The Lives of Beetles (Princeton University Press) so much, and having consulted it a thousand times, I was delighted to see Arthur V. Evans as the author of this work in the "Little Book" series.        Scholarship would not be sacrificed, of that I was sure.

     As has been true of the other books in this series, I continue to marvel at the amount of knowledge that can be compressed into so small a volume. Furthermore, I am no less enchanted by the discriminating artwork produced by Tucge Okay. Never having known of her before this series, I now find myself already looking forward to the next book. This is the third "Little Book" that I have reviewed and I am truly impressed at the quality of the illustrations of widely different taxa - so far spiders, butterflies and beetles - with more to come. 

     The pictures convey animation; they invite participation rather than mere observation.

     As might be expected, the book covers all aspects of the lives of beetles - origins, anatomy, lifestyle, habitat, food, reproduction, and so on, but there is more than that. Facts are presented with an undercurrent of enthusiasm. Yes, Evans is dealing with science, but his own passion for these organisms is never far below the surface; text with a subliminal subtext almost.

     A detailed discussion covers the relationship of beetles to humans, both in antiquity and in the present day. Beetles have been both revered and reviled, considered holy and evil, and used as ornamentation by Mayans and ancient Egyptians. Even today, in Mexico, live beetles (seems particularly cruel to me) are used to create stylized jewelry, and there seems to be a bit of a resurgence in scarab brooches. The dazzling array of colours is an irresistible attraction.

     Citizen science can contribute a great deal to our knowledge of beetles around the world, and sections are devoted to photography and beetle collecting.

     Everyone can contribute to our expanding understanding of beetles, their distribution, their status (stable, endangered, critically endangered?), by uploading their pictures to platforms such as iNaturalist, where experts stand ready to help with identification.

     I can do no better than to leave you with Evans' final sentence in the Introduction, "It is my hope that The Little Book of Beetles will help inspire a new generation of naturalists and scientists."

     I think it will!

The Little Book of Beetles - Princeton University Press

Arthur V. Evans; illustrated by Tugce Okay

Hardcover - US$14.95 - ISBN: 9780691251776

160 pages - 3.75 x 6 inches (9.375 x 15 cm)

140 colour illustrations

Publication date: 02 April, 2024