A superb natural and
cultural history of bees - the only such book to celebrate their
full
diversity.
Thor Hanson is a biologist whose research and conservation
activities have taken him around the globe. His previous books
include The Impenetrable Forest, Feathers (longlisted for the
Samuel Johnson prize), and The Triumph of Seeds. He has appeared on
BBC Radio 4 and contributed to publications including BBC Wildlife
and the Huffington Post.
He lives on an island in the Pacific Northwest, USA.
[Thor Hanson] is a charmingly enthusiastic bee fanatic and his book
is a pleasure to read.
*Daily Mail*
Popular science at its most accessible: fun, fascinating and full
of engaging pen portraits of the scientists and bee enthusiasts he
meets in the course of his research
*Guardian*
Since finishing the book I can't walk past flowers without looking
for bees. Buzz is illuminating, inspiring and irresistible: in
short, the bee's knees
*Francis Wheen, Mail on Sunday*
Popular science at its intelligent best
*The Economist*
Entertaining, well-informed ... The real joy of the book is
Hanson's celebration of the range of lifestyles and extraordinary
capabilities that bees possess, other than honey production.
*Mark Cocker, New Statesman*
Hanson presents a smooth and accessible account of the insects that
provide a significant amount of what we eat, introducing their
fascinating diversity of behaviour. A reminder of why bees are
wonders that we must protect.
*BBC Wildlife*
Thor Hanson's new book, "Buzz", is a wonderful romp through the
world of "all-things bee", informative as well as thoroughly
entertaining. I particularly enjoyed the "Keeping Dumbledores"
chapter, a touching narrative of Thor and his son's trials and
tribulations as they attempt to get bumblebees (dumbledores being
an archaic name for them) to nest in old boots and other locations
in their back yard. Their repeated attempts are captivating, as
Hanson surreptitiously allows us to imagine how honeybees could
originally have been domesticated by earlier human generations.
*Chris Thomas, author of "Inheritors of the Earth: How Nature is
Thriving in a Time of Extinction" and President of the UK's Royal
Entomological Society*
Buzz is a must-read for anyone with an inkling of an interest in
the natural history of bees. Thor Hanson tells the story of bees,
right from the beginning, from their evolution to how ancient
civilizations recognised their importance to become honey hunters
and beekeepers. The book goes well beyond the story of honeybees
though, accounting for the lives of a multitude of species from
bumblebees to leaf-cutters, and the hugely important role they play
in pollinating our crops and wildflowers. Eloquent and captivating
throughout, Hanson writes in a way which is accessible for all; his
appendices, notes and glossary provide more detailed information
and are as highly recommended as the main text.
*Bumblebee Conservation Trust*
Thor Hanson is a gifted story teller and naturalist. In Buzz, he
takes us along on a wondrous, action-packed journey to discover the
secret lives of bees, flowers, and the unconventional men and women
who study them. This book really is the buzz about bees, and it's
destined to become a natural history classic.
*Stephen Buchmann, author of The Reason for Flowers*
Hanson is an insightful observer of evolution, at his most elegant
when digging deep into the science...[His] senses are, indeed,
sharp when observing the natural world.
*Wall Street Journal*
Thoroughly absorbing and entertaining
*Country Life*
For this natural history of the bee, biologist Thor Hanson wings
far beyond the hive to explore bee species from 'bumbles' to wool
carders... Apiology, Hanson reminds us, is not just about the
scientific buzz: bee behaviour has shed light on human issues from
addiction to collective decision-making.
*Nature*
Buzz is an engaging mix of science, history, anecdote and geeky
good humour. Hanson, an American biologist, wears his learning
lightly, getting the science across without being dull or
pedantic.
*Town and Country magazine*
This delightful and informative book is crammed with a wealth of
fascinating information about bees ... Everyone, from bee fans and
nonspecialists, to hobbyist beekeepers and professional
entomologists, will learn something about the bees from this
satisfying book.
*Forbes*
...An insightful read that cleverly melds nature, history and
apiology. Hanson dubs his pollinating protagonists 'hippie,
long-haired, flower-loving, vegetarian wasps' - with descriptions
like that, he might win over even the most hardened apiphobes.
*National Geographic*
Packed with knowledge, imparted in the most interesting way by the
biologist author, it is full of surprises. Even the chapter notes
are fascinating.
*Choice magazine*
Buzz shines the most brightly...when Hanson's own adoration of bees
comes through: he wanders around the landscape observing them and
musing about their natural history in ways that light up the
page...A rewarding choice for readers keen on science and
nature.
*NPR*
Charming...Hanson is an upbeat and often humorous guide...If you
have time to read one book on what is happening with modern bees,
you couldn't do better than Buzz.
*Science*
Timely...The core message of this charming book [is to] be
fascinated, and hopefully that will lead us to take action to
protect these marvelous and critically important insects.
*Los Angeles Review of Books*
Engaging.
*Scientific American*
Illuminating and inspiring
*Francis Wheen, Mail on Sunday, Books of the Year*
Thor Hanson is a magician at making entomology and taxonomy
exciting, highlighting the fascinating world of bees. Buzz hums
with science and history, exposing how bees have shaped our world.
A delightful, buzzworthy must-read!
*Daniel Chamovitz, author of What a Plant Knows*
This beautifully written natural history book, brought to us by a
graceful and talented author, packs surprise after surprise with
every turn of the page. Who knew bees were just evolved wasps? Or
that ancient Egyptians ferried bees up and down the Nile to
pollinate their crops? Don't pass this one up.
*Wendy Williams, author of The Horse*
Never highbrow or authoritative, Thor Hanson writes with the
infectious enthusiasm of one encountering wonders for the first
time; less a teacher than a fellow traveller on a shared voyage of
discovery. Surely among the finest nature writers of our
time-whatever subject Hanson turns his hand to, the result is
spellbinding.
*Katrina Van Grouw, author of The Unfeathered Bird and Unnatural
Selection*
This book is a joy. In it, Thor Hanson reminds us that the story of
bees is the story of the origin of societies, of sweetness and
collapse, of flowers and their sex, and if the humans who study all
of these things. It is a story of evolution and biodiversity, a
story that bears on much of the food we eat but also so very much
else. Buy it. Read it. Read it again. And when you do, you will
look out at the buzzing world anew.
*Rob Dunn, author of Never Home Alone and The Wild Life of Our
Bodies*
As he did for feathers and seeds, Thor Hanson has written a
wonderfully engaging work of natural history that will delight
readers with its elegant prose, surprising stories, and deep
humanity. Bees, so important to life on earth, are fortunate to
have someone as passionate and knowledgeable as Hanson tell the
tale of their evolutionary past, turbulent present, and precarious
future. After reading Buzz, you will look at bees with a profound
mixture of awe and gratitude.
*Eric Jay Dolin, author of Black Flags, Blue Waters, and
Leviathan*
An engaging, informative page-turner
*Brian Clegg, popularscience.co.uk*
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