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| Life on a Little Known Planet | 
| Author: Howard Ensign Evans
Publisher: The Lyons Press
Category: Book
List Price: $14.95
Buy Used: $1.91
You Save: $13.04 (87%)
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Avg. Customer Rating:  5 reviews
Sales Rank: 671611
Media: Paperback
Edition: 1st
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 330
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1.2
Dimensions (in): 8.9 x 6 x 0.8
ISBN: 1558212493
Dewey Decimal Number: 595.7051
EAN: 9781558212497
ASIN: 1558212493
Publication Date: August 1, 1993
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Condition: Please note! This is a much earlier printing, not the new and revised edition. Minor edgewear, some creasing to covers, sturdy body. Some highlighting to text. Remains a good reading copy. Different cover illustration.
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Book Description
This is the most comprehensive and interesting book on bugs written to date. Chapters include, "The Universe as Seen from a Suburban Porch," "Year of the Locust," and "Water Lizards and Aerial Dragons." Howard Ensign Evans does a remarkable job explaining the appetites, jobs, and dangers of every possible crawling, flying and leaping insect. Even the lowly mosquito deserves respect and has a reason for being here, according to Evans. A real treat for every listener.
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| Customer Reviews:
A Beautiful and Easy Introduction To The Insect World April 12, 2007
12 out of 13 found this review helpful
This book was written for general audience appeal and is approachable by all backgrounds and ages. In the first 11 chapters, Evans introduces readers to detailed explanations of many insect species with wit, humor and anecdotal information. Detailed line drawings give one a good view of insects that would normally require magnification to be seen in detail. Evans points out that even those bugs that are microscopic in size have very sophisticated attributes and can manage their affairs with very efficient capabilities.
The sad confrontations of bugs and uninformed humans is well covered, but Evans, while demonstrating a profound knowledge and admiration for just about all bugs and life itself, takes, in my opinion, a rather unfair poke at Rachel Carson's famous book, "Silent Spring". He comes off sounding like those in the pesticide industry or those who relied on their funding of research grants who attempted to debunk Carson's important work as "alarmist" and over-done. As we now know, Carson's work was proven correct and alarming and set the stage for an invigorated environmental movement world-wide.
Evans points out that "They [insects] are not only marvelous creatures in their own right; they may also teach us something about population control and the proper use of the Earth's resources."-pg 47. And, "As the anthroposphere [human saturated world] continues to encroach upon the biosphere, the museums will more and more assume the role of guardians of the world's treasures."-pg 285.
So this seems somewhat contradictory to his comments on pesticide use, but in all fairness, he also sees the wanton and reckless misuse of pesticides as very harmful to life.
The last two chapters give a very studied view of the collision-course that humanity is on with Earth's life support systems and in the end, it might be proven that those "pesky" bugs are far superior to humans in managing survival on a fragile and "Little-Known Planet"- Evans' call to expedite our research of the many awesome, yet unstudied life-forms that inhabit this planet before we inadvertently eradicate them with our paved-over human world.
For understanding and empathy for the insect world and the vitally important services that insect's provide, this book and Joanne Elizabeth Lauck's book, "The Voice of the Infinite In The Small: Re-Visioning the Insect-Human Connection" is highly recommended.
From Wasp Connoisseur to Witty Insect Informant March 8, 2007
3 out of 3 found this review helpful
I can find no other way to begin this review than to say that this book was amazing. A good read to be had by all. And when I say all I really mean it. Biology and non-biology alike will find something to gain from t his book. The author of this book, Howard Ensign Adams, has the ability to teach the non-biologist but the talent of enticing the biology undergraduate. His ability to merge these two extremes while keeping both groups content is amazing and in a lot of ways impossible yet he has managed to do it. Each chapter is another adventure in insect know-how with tidbits of information, interesting anecdotes, and, in many chapters, a general call for more research into the specific fields discussed.
This book is organized into thirteen amazingly interesting chapters. Each chapter touches on a particular subfield of the insect world with the exception of the first and last chapters. The first chapter discusses the author's reasons for writing the book as well as his personal sales pitch on the content of the book and its intentions. The reader must be aware that this book is not recently written but was published in 1966. This is made evident in the first chapter with his discussion of the space program and its future plans to put man on the moon. It's almost comical to read his discussion of this, a feat that seems like old news to anyone nowadays but to him is only a future possibility. It can be said, however, that the age of this book is not a handicap. Aside from the obvious limited technology present in his time, the science presented does not suffer. The observations and data that Evans presents and discusses are very sound in their scientific method and in their accuracy as far as I can tell from my limited exposure to the field.
The book is fairly easy to read and most biological terminology is explained. Pictures accompany most in-depth explanations and the captions are short and usually humorous in content. The book is both accessible to those of the non-science community in terms of its skill level and in terms of its lack of necessity for prior biology knowledge. The book is also effective in its intentions of making the reader aware of the world beneath our feet and within our homes. Interesting aspects of each topic are discussed in order to keep the attention of the reader and to provide enjoyment in what might be perceived by some to be a very boring topic.
There is an obvious bias present in the author's focus on insects and the beauty he finds within their appearances and habitats. However, he does make a point to provide a disclaimer in the introducing chapter in which he makes the reader aware of his past experiences and his current work in entomology, specifically wasps. Throughout the first chapter he emphasizes that although many might not find the field as interesting and as beautiful as he, it will benefit most to learn of the things he is about to put forth. He does ask for continued research in the field and attempts to downplay the importance of the space program by referring to society's need to explain the depths of the universe while forgetting what is not known about the world within our reach.
Each subject is explored to the furthest ability of the author. Where he is not knowledgeable he brings in outside data from other scientists in the field and uses anecdotal information to highlight the interesting aspects of entomological research. He also uses these instances to give evidence to his assertions by providing sound evidence of the research in the field of interest. For example, in his bedbug chapter, humorously titled "Bedbugs, Cone-nosed Bugs, and Other Cuddly Animals", Evans discusses the research of Sir Vincent Wigglesworth on the Rhodnius prolixus, Rhodnius bug for short. Evans also provides detailed drawings of Wigglesworth experiments and discusses their results in depth. This is the rule throughout his book when discussing anything scientific.
I would whole-heartedly recommend this book to anyone that can handle a bit of biological vocabulary and enjoys a good comedy. Howard Evans' style is witty yet informative. He puts forth the facts while adding incentive to read them. His prior work on wasps sneaks through every now and then and often he alludes to past selections or future topics that he has yet to delight you with. Overall his organization is clear and eloquent with each topic building on knowledge from the last. It is also noted on the cover that the author is also the writer of another entomological book called "Wasp Farm". I can say for myself that I have already made plans to stop by the library at some point this week to pick up this book to continue reading what I hope to be another great work by this amazing author. Even as I write this review I am making a mental list of friends and colleagues that I plan on recommending this book to, academic and non-academic alike.
The mystery and beauty of insects March 30, 2005
4 out of 5 found this review helpful
Man will go to great lengths and spend great sums of money and time on the search for life in outer space, but will not look at the magnificent life forms under his feet, those largely unknown creatures that still hold many secrets worth studying. That is the recurring theme of this book, first published in 1968, when the race to the moon was in full swing. Here, Evans, who was considered a leading authority on wasps, ventures into the worlds of various insects with which he seems intimately familiar, demonstrating along the way the significance of these often overlooked animals and the virtues of studying them.
The book is divided into thirteen chapters, most focusing on a single group of insects-springtails, dragonflies, butterflies, fireflies, crickets, flies, cockroaches, bedbugs, locust and wasps-most of them familiar to any reader. But each chapter goes much deeper into the intricacies of every one of those familiar insects than most people ever think about. Every chapter makes you want to go outside and observe those fascinating creatures and the behaviors Evans so knowingly describes. While repeatedly pointing out that very little is known about the biology and behavior of most species of insects (in fact he speaks of our "depth of ignorance" of this group), he proceeds to go into great detail into the mating habits, courtship, feeding, and other behaviors of select species in every group discussed, giving various examples of typical and atypical behavior. In the course of his vivid descriptions, Evans touches on many important aspects of insect biology, and biological concepts in general, from anatomy and physiology to evolution, sexual selection, endocrinology and more.
In his 83 years (he died in 2002), Evans had published numerous papers and books of both technical and popular nature. Along with "Wasp Farm", this is one of the most familiar of his popular books. It can serve as a good introduction for those already fascinated with insects, or convert those who weren't. After reading this book, you won't look at your backyard or the local park the same way. You'll be able to look at dragonflies and recognize a mating flight, scream at a cloud of midges and see them respond to sound, and look carefully at piles of snow for swarms of tiny, fascinating springtails. This book is suitable for anyone who is willing to kneel down and look beneath their feet, or at a plant stem, and wants to know what they're looking at. As an introduction to insect diversity it is a highly enjoyable book, even when the amount of detail into the intimate lives of some insects gets a little tedious. Evans writes in simple and straightforward language, avoiding technical terms as much as possible, and the pages are interspersed with simple but informative black and white illustrations, including some insect structures and major experiments.
In addition to providing insight into the lives of the most common and familiar insects that share the world with us, Evans also introduces his readers to the more unusual species, known mostly to specialists. We learn of the microscopic parasitic wasp Trichogramma evanescens that lays her eggs inside other insects' eggs, sometimes many tiny adult wasps emerging from one moth egg. Or the peculiar habits of springtails, which do not have external genital organs and therefore do not mate at all, where the male leaves his drops of semen scattered around females on little stalks, and has to depend on chance that she will stumble on one.
Every detailed account of a particular species brings home the point that every species is unique, and has to be studied separately, because making generalizations from one species to another can be dangerous. Each insect is incredibly specialized to do only what is necessary for their immediate survival and reproduction, so that each species of insect has only a limited set of responses to a limited set of stimuli. As Evans puts it, every insect is adapted to doing "some things extremely well, and most things not at all". But he continues: "However, so many different kinds of insects have evolved that collectively they can do almost anything not requiring them to reason or to learn very much." Indeed, insects are so diverse that every species has the potential of teaching us something, if only we care to look.
The first chapter and the last two are more general, about people, insects, their relationships and their place in nature. In a chapter devoted to the human impact on nature-that of pesticides, introduced species, biological control, pollution, loss of habitats-Evans laments the loss of natural diversity in favor of human developments in an increasingly crowded planet and emphasizes the importance of preserving what is left, for its own sake as well as for the possibility of things we may still learn from the most obscure creatures. An intelligent application of biological control requires an in-depth knowledge of all the organisms involved and their web of interactions with the biological and physical aspects of their environment; the next medical breakthrough may lie in the hormonal regulation of a soil dwelling arthropod. But to reap these rewards requires an enormous amount of "basic research," curious inquiry into the basic biology of numerous organisms, not driven by immediately foreseeable benefits. It is precisely this type of research that Evans sees as being in danger in a world of "cost-benefit analysis" and "mission-oriented research".
Evans' writing is filled with humor, and he has a knack for summarizing many profound ideas into a witty one-liner. Unfortunately, in discussions of mating practices his brand of humor occasionally turns corny and cringe inducing, perhaps a telling sign of the fact this was written almost 40 years ago. On these occasions he tends to make analogies to human behavior, making statements and innuendo that to a modern reader accustomed to a politically correct world might seem insensitive if not downright sexist. But this in no way diminishes the quality of the content, as he describes the lives of insects with great knowledge and enthusiasm. His fascination with the living world, especially insects, is of the kind many people lose when they enter the adult world. The overarching theme, and his main argument throughout the book (if there is one), is that a lot of good can come from the study of insects and that people should devote more time to this greatly underestimated endeavor. There should be no urgency to look for life in outer space when the greatest mysteries of life on earth are still unsolved. By the end of the book we are left to share his hope that there will be enough curious minds, given enough funds, to pursue those mysteries.
WOW What a great book! August 6, 2001
8 out of 8 found this review helpful
I love this boook!!!!! Its easy to read, yet it goes into enough depth that you really learn about the insects. There's a whole chapter just on fireflies for example. Its the kind of book you can just pick up, read a chapter and say - wow, that's neat. (At least that's what i say) then I'll be outside and I'll be able to see whatever it is that I read about and understand so much more. So basically, the content is fantastic and the writing is so accessible that its not at all intimidating but also not patronizing. Its just very straightforward and so informative. I've learned so much. Its one of my favorite books and I wasn't even that into bugs before this. You won't go wrong with this one!
A bug book for all people. October 8, 1997
34 out of 37 found this review helpful
Howard Ensign Evans combines all the elements of a great writer (by any standard) in his 1966 book, Life on a Little-Known Planet. He has an easy and conversational style as he takes you across time and the globe investigating the secret life of insects. My day to day contact with cockroaches, crickets, house flies, and dragonflies has become less of an irritation and more an opportunity to explore these ancient creatures. I have read and reread this book whole and in sections always finding Mr. Evans amusing, thought provoking, and readable. As a former elementary teacher, this book worked its way on to the playground and into my classroom replacing fear and disgust with knowledge and respect.
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