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Lucy Moffatt
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Extraordinary Insects: Weird Wonderful Hardcover – April 4, 2019

4.6 out of 5 stars 561 ratings
A journey into the weird, wonderful and truly astonishing lives of the small but mighty creatures who keep the world turning.Out of sight, underfoot, unseen beyond fleeting scuttles or darting flights, insects occupy a hidden world, yet are essential to sustaining life on earth.Insects influence our ecosystem like a ripple effect on water. They arrived when life first moved to dry land, they preceded and survived the dinosaurs, they outnumber the grains of sand on all the worlds beaches, and they will be here long after us.Working quietly but tirelessly, they give us food, uphold our ecosystems, can heal our wounds and even digest plastic. They could also provide us with new solutions to the antibiotics crisis, assist in disaster zones and inspire airforce engineers with their flying techniques.But their private lives are also full of fun, intrigue and wonder musical mating rituals; house-hunting for armies of beetle babies; metamorphosing into new characters; throwing parties in fermenting sap; cultivating fungi for food; farming smaller species for honey dew and always ensuring that what is dead is decomposed, ready to become life once again.Here, we will discover life and death, drama and dreams, all on a millimetric scale. Like it or not, Earth is the planet of insects, and this is their extraordinary story.
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  1. Print length
    252 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publisher
    Mudlark
  4. Publication date
    April 4, 2019
  5. Dimensions
    5.55 x 1.22 x 8.74 inches
  6. ISBN-10
    000831635X
  7. ISBN-13
    978-0008316358
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From the Publisher

Ant with leaf (line drawing)

Locust eating fly (line drawing)

Butterflies (line drawing)

Insects in bark (line drawing)

Bees

Fruit flies

Mealworms

Dragonfly

About the author

Anne Sverdrup-Thygeson is a professor at the Norwegian University of Life Sciences (NMBU) in Ås, Norway, as well as a scientific advisor for the Norwegian Institute for Nature Research (NINA). She has a doctorate degree in conservation biology and lectures on nature management and forest biodiversity. Her research focuses on insect ecology. Anne has also studied history, and is interested in outreach activities; she runs a science blog and often appears on popular science radio and television programmes in Norway. Anne has also just become the first female scientist to be awarded the Bonnevie Award, for her excellent work teaching, presenting and writing about Biology. Extraordinary Insects is her first book.

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Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Mudlark; edition (April 4, 2019)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 252 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 000831635X
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0008316358
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.1 pounds
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.55 x 1.22 x 8.74 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.6 out of 5 stars 561 ratings

About the author

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Lucy Moffatt

Lucy Moffatt

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Lucy Moffatt is an award-winning translator working primarily from Norwegian to English, with a focus on literary projects, both fiction and non-fiction. Recent translations range from vintage crime fiction to a memoir on insomnia. Since translating the Sunday Times bestseller, 'Extraordinary Insects' by conservation biologist, Anne Sverdrup-Thygesen in 2019, she has gone on to translate Sverdrup-Thygeson's second popular science book for adults, 'Tapestries of Life'.

Lucy has also translated/co-translated a number of Mexican documentaries from Spanish to English, including multiple-award-winning "Tempestad" by Tatiana Huezo Sánchez.

In 2014, she won a John Dryden prize for her translation of a text by Hans Herbjørnsrud, "The Skeleton and the Anatomy Book". In 2020 she won NORLA's annual Translator's Award for her non-fiction translation work.

Customer reviews

4.6 out of 5 stars
561 global ratings

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Customers say

Customers find the book easy to read and understand, with one noting it serves as a good beginner's guide. Moreover, the book provides a comprehensive compendium of insect information, and customers appreciate its humorous tone.

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14 customers mention "Readability"12 positive2 negative

Customers find the book easy to read and understand, with one customer noting its engaging style.

"...Informative and well written to keep the audience's attention." Read more

"Great book. I think they changed the title and reissued it. I ordered it twice under different titles." Read more

"...I enjoyed all of the very unique and fascinating things I learned about insects and especially how we need insects and should be more proactive in..." Read more

"I really didn’t like insects, but this book was a fun read, and got me interested in them. I’ll admit I’m looking at them differently now...." Read more

13 customers mention "Insight"13 positive0 negative

Customers find the book fascinating and informative, serving as a compendium of information on insects, with one customer noting their essential role in our environment.

"Insects are essential members of our environment and appreciation for insects is something we should strive for...." Read more

"...I enjoyed all of the very unique and fascinating things I learned about insects and especially how we need insects and should be more proactive in..." Read more

"...didn’t like insects, but this book was a fun read, and got me interested in them. I’ll admit I’m looking at them differently now...." Read more

"This is a can’t-miss, humorous and madly interesting book on the world of insects...." Read more

3 customers mention "Humor"3 positive0 negative

Customers find the book humorous.

"This is a can’t-miss, humorous and madly interesting book on the world of insects...." Read more

"Fun and interesting read..." Read more

"Funny, informative, thought-provoking..." Read more

NO IMAGES! Written for children
1 out of 5 stars
NO IMAGES! Written for children
I got tgis book book because I wanted a detailed reference about insects with images.If you are looking for that, you will be very disappointed.It also came damaged which puts another layer on the bummerSo I thought I'll read a bit so see if it is at least a good read. To me it is written with an audience of children in mind. So all together this is a complete failAnd again that with the images is really bugging me, because there is such a gorgeous image on the cover and if you write a book about insects there should be more images than very very view black and white drawn images
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Top reviews from the United States

  • pbhagyam
    5.0 out of 5 stars Exceptional book
    Reviewed in the United States on December 8, 2023
    Verified Purchase
    Insects are essential members of our environment and appreciation for insects is something we should strive for. Informative and well written to keep the audience's attention.
    Helpful
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  • John M. Snyder
    5.0 out of 5 stars Great
    Reviewed in the United States on February 25, 2025
    Verified Purchase
    Great book. I think they changed the title and reissued it. I ordered it twice under different titles.
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  • Luralynn Lombardi
    4.0 out of 5 stars Fun and interesting read
    Reviewed in the United States on August 13, 2019
    Verified Purchase
    I have always been fascinated by insects. this book was very interesting and was easy to read. It wasn’t full of super scientific terminology or explanations. While there was some, it was easy to read and understand. I enjoyed all of the very unique and fascinating things I learned about insects and especially how we need insects and should be more proactive in protective all of them.
    7 people found this helpful
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  • Rachel Gollub
    5.0 out of 5 stars Made me like insects
    Reviewed in the United States on May 7, 2021
    Verified Purchase
    I really didn’t like insects, but this book was a fun read, and got me interested in them. I’ll admit I’m looking at them differently now. The style was engaging, and the stories were amazing. I got the recommendation for this book from ARNE & CARLOS.
    2 people found this helpful
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  • Ms.Chris
    5.0 out of 5 stars YES
    Reviewed in the United States on July 25, 2024
    Verified Purchase
    Go addition to your library!
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  • Z Dawit
    5.0 out of 5 stars Utterly spellbinding
    Reviewed in the United States on July 11, 2021
    Verified Purchase
    This is a can’t-miss, humorous and madly interesting book on the world of insects. The power of nature has molded them into finely tuned machines that are the best at whatever they specialize in-pollination, carrion disposal,
    plant decomposition-you name it there is an insect for that. It’s absolutely mind blowing. Highly recommended.
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  • Dennis Henn
    3.0 out of 5 stars They are everywhere
    Reviewed in the United States on April 27, 2021
    Verified Purchase
    Plenty of interesting material to draw from. My only complaint is this read like a children’s book. From vectors of disease to instruments of healing to our hope for a future where ocean plastic is processed, insects do it all. They may be the only multi-cell life form to survive us.
    3 people found this helpful
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  • Kindle Customer
    5.0 out of 5 stars I NEVER would have picked this up on my own....
    Reviewed in the United States on February 10, 2021
    Verified Purchase
    A book about insects? When my book club chose this book, I almost just decided to skip it. I'm glad I didn't. Who would have guessed that this book is well-written, fun to read, and informative at the same time? I was happily surprised and enjoyed the read.
    3 people found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

  • astrograph
    5.0 out of 5 stars Fascinating insights into the world of insects ...which is our world.
    Reviewed in Germany on November 17, 2019
    Verified Purchase
    Reading "Extraordinary Insects" I learned about some fascinating insects like the sloth moth and the tree lobster, and was intriguied by one my favourite herbs: Oregano. The information in this book will change the way you look at insects and spiders.
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  • Avid Reader
    5.0 out of 5 stars outstanding book
    Reviewed in Australia on July 9, 2023
    Verified Purchase
    This is an excellent book. Good knowledge, witty writing, I thoroughly recommend this book. I listened to the audible version and that was incredibly well read, really brought the book to life.
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  • jfmdac
    5.0 out of 5 stars Very informative and entertaining.
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on October 31, 2023
    Verified Purchase
    The only thing about this book that I didn't like was the authors' overuse of humour to get their points across. I don't mind a bit of a chuckle when reading serious stuff, but it almost got to the point of being over the top. That said, I learned a huge amount, insects not having been high on my naturalistic radar until now, but this has certainly changed my viewpoint considerably. I was impressed enough to buy another book by this team, Tapestries of Life, and am gradually getting through it. It's written in the same style, but is also full of useful information.
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  • FERNANDO Z V MELLO
    2.0 out of 5 stars pocket book for the price of table book
    Reviewed in Brazil on August 3, 2024
    Verified Purchase
    no problem with contents...
    Report
  • Grodgeman
    3.0 out of 5 stars Focus on the hard facts and ignore the style
    Reviewed in France on August 6, 2021
    Verified Purchase
    Interesting content spoilt by the poor choice of a jocular often tasteless style seemingly aimed at “wonderful” students and other adolescents. Deserved a more academic and dignified style. Or the problem is in the translation with insects “kicking the bucket” and their sex life “hotting up”. If one does manage to ignore the manner of presentation and focus on the facts the book does indeed offer very interesting information.
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