Preview

Berenbaum, M.R. 1993. Ninety-Nine More Maggots, Mites, and Munchers. University of Illinois Press, Champaign. 304 pp.

May R. Berenbaum's initial collection of insect cameos, Ninety-nine Gnats, Nits, and Nibblers, was praised by Library Journal as an "illuminating book that may turn the disgust with which many people greet these fascinating creatures to curiosity and admiration."

This companion volume runs the gamut from the regrettably familiar, including mosquitoes, ticks, cockroaches, and what the author describes as "other arthropodan indignities, " to the bizarre and obscure, creatures such as sheep keds, mantispids, and reindeer throat bots. Berenbaum's aim is to bring science as painlessly as possible to those who thirst for knowledge about the little beings they encounter in their homes, gardens, and backyards - or on their bodies - but who have neither the patience nor the expertise to track down and read scientific texts. Combining a naturalist's keen observation of the subject with witty wordplay and amazing anecdotes, Berenbaum has provided a uniquely informative and entertaining book, useful not only for the scientific novice but also for entomologists who need a handy guide for their own use or for use in teaching, especially in introductory classes.