Promotional Information

A fascinating look at the insect world found in one field in France - and how important that world is to all of us.

About the Author

Dave Goulson is Professor of Biology at University of Sussex. He has published more than 300 scientific articles on the ecology and conservation of bumblebees and other insects. His books include the Sunday Times bestsellers, The Garden Jungle and A Sting in the Tale, which was also shortlisted for the Samuel Johnson prize and has been translated into fifteen languages. Goulson founded the Bumblebee Conservation Trust in 2006, a charity which has grown to 14,000 members. His awards include- Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council's Social Innovator of the Year (2010); Zoological Society of London's Marsh Award for Conservation Biology (2013); the British Ecological Society Public Engagement Award (2014); Zoological Society of London's Clarivate Award for Communicating Zoology (2020). In 2015 he was named number 8 in BBC Wildlife Magazine's list of the top 50 most influential people in conservation. In 2018, 2019 and 2020 he was named as a Highly Cited Researcher by Thompson ISI. He is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh, a trustee of Pesticide Action Network, and an Ambassador for the UK Wildlife Trusts.

Reviews

Wonderfully entertaining... Engages the reader as much with the eloquence of its argument as with the charm of its humour -- Mark Cocker * Mail on Sunday *
Goulson writes with infectious enthusiasm... A lively and important read. -- Ian Critchley * Sunday Times *
Had me exclaiming with delight... Goulson's book is juicy and delicious, layered with flavours and steeped in culture * Daily Telegraph *
Buy this book, give it as a present. It is required reading for being a human in the 21st century. -- Matthew Cobb, professor of zoology at the Univerity of Manchester * New Scientist *
A gripping account of the importance of insects to our environment.... Goulson has an easy-going style and an enthusiastic yet rigourous approach to material that could seem dry ... Goulson's patient attempts to establish a link between [bees' colony collapse disorder and a new class of insecticide] become as gripping as any forensic thriller. -- Suzi Feay * Financial Times *
For those who think of science as being dry and boring this book will be a revelation. Goulson's book is juicy and delicious, layered with flavours and steeped in culture. -- Nicola Davies, 5 stars * Daily Telegraph *
Glorious... The real pleasure of reading this book is hearing the hum of biodiversity rising from every page. -- Damian Whitworth * The Times *
A wonderfully entertaining one-man campaign... A blend of scientific evidence and amusing travelogue that engages the reader as much with the eloquence of its argument as with the charm of its humour. -- Mark Cocker, 5 stars * Mail on Sunday *
An inspirational case for awareness and appreciation of the teeming diversity. -- John Akeroyd * Spectator *
Urgent and impassioned. -- Max Liu * Independent *
Witty, clever and richly informative. -- Mark Cocker * New Statesman *
Will make you glad that British universities are full of slightly fruity, quietly impassioned academics devoting their life to the smallest of creatures on Earth. * Big Issue *
Much more than a series of romantic wildlife walks... A trove of elegant and fascinating ecological tales. -- Richard Jones * BBC Wildlife *
Absolutely captivating. * Independent *
Biology is beautiful, as told in these pages. -- Gerald Isaaman * Camden Review *
A latter-day Gerald Durrell, Goulson fairly buzzes with enthusiasm, recounting numerous hilarious wildlife encounters with great literary flair, whilst retaining a scientist's meticulous eye for detail and a conservationist's concern for the future of the planet. * Good Book Guide *
'[Goulson's] heartfelt call for us to cherish the nurture of nature is as sweet as honey. -- Lain Finlayson and Kate Saunders * Saga Magazin *