深藍 Owen
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New books about the birds and the bees 有關鳥和蜂的新書
« on: May 30th, 2005, 8:09am » |
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Books exploring the sweet songs made by birds and the sweet honey made by bees are among the latest hardcovers.
One of three new books about birdsong is "The Singing Life of Birds: The Art and Science of Listening to Birdsong" (Houghton Mifflin). Donald Kroodsma, a longtime student of the subject, examines how, why, when and where birds sing. He tells why usually only the male sings, why some birds sing better than others, and why some birdsongs are especially complex, long or beautiful. Included is an audio CD with 98 birdsongs corresponding to those in the text.
In "Birdsong: A Natural History" (Scribner), author Don Stap follows Kroodsma from Maine to Costa Rica to listen to birds and record their music. Topics discussed en route include how birds learn their songs, why some birds have only one song and others have as many as 2,000, how songs vary within species, regional dialects, and the influence of birdsong on classical musicians.
In "Why Birds Sing: A Journey Into the Mystery of Bird Song" (Basic), David Rothenberg, a jazz musician, examines not only why birds sing but what their songs mean to other birds and to humans, and how birdsongs can be instinctive or learned. He points out that although males sing to defend territory or attract mates, they also sing when no females or male competitors are present--perhaps, he suggests, because they simply enjoy singing.
From the aviary to the apiary: Bee fanciers will get a buzz from four new titles that celebrate the lives of these amazing insects and the history of bees and honey.
"Robbing the Bees: A Biography of Honey--The Sweet Liquid Gold That Seduced the World" (Free Press) is beekeeper Holley Bishop's chronicle of 10,000 years of honey and its various and significant roles in medicine, religion, science, mythology and the arts. She visits a professional beekeeper in Florida and records his daily activities as he harvests 30 tons of honey a year.
In "Sweetness & Light: The Mysterious History of the Honeybee" (Harmony), Hattie Ellis travels the world, from New Zealand to Utah (the Beehive State), visiting people who have been inspired by bees and honey. She also explores how bees, honey, beeswax and the hive's honeycomb structure have influenced history, religion and the arts, and how bees communicate through lively, elaborate dance.
Beekeeping from Colonial times to today is reviewed in "Bees in America: How the Honey Bee Shaped a Nation" (University Press of Kentucky). Author and beekeeper Tammy Horn offers a cultural, social and technological history of beekeeping, from the time the practice was introduced into the New World by the British as a form of livelihood and sustenance to the present, when bees are used by the U.S. military as "bomb-sniffers."
In "Letters From the Hive: An Intimate History of Bees, Honey, and Humankind" (Bantam), by Stephen Buchmann with Banning Repplier, the authors focus on bees' link to humans; the role bees and the hive have played in art, literature, medicine, religion and cooking; and the importance to humans of conserving bees' environments. Also included are honey-based recipes.
Copyright 2005, Chicago Tribune. All Rights Reserved.
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