| Journey to the Ants: A Story of Scientific Exploration | 
 enlarge | Authors: Bert Hölldobler, Edward O. Wilson
Publisher: Belknap Press
Category: Book
Buy New: CDN$ 34.71
New (7) Used (4) from CDN$ 34.71
Avg. Customer Rating:  10 reviews
Sales Rank: 459004
Media: Hardcover
Pages: 304
Shipping Weight (lbs): 2.2
Dimensions (in): 9.3 x 8.1 x 1.2
ISBN: 0674485254
Dewey Decimal Number: 595.796
EAN: 9780674485259
ASIN: 0674485254
Publication Date: August 5, 1994
Availability: Usually ships within 1 - 2 business days
Condition: NOT SHIPPED FROM CANADA. Shipped from U.S. Takes 10-14 working days for delivery. Brand new item. Over 3.5 million customers served. Code: H20081202163610P
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| Editorial Reviews:
From Amazon.com
"Look to the ant, thou sluggard, consider her ways and be wise," says the proverb. Bert Hölldobler and E.O. Wilson have joined together to tell how they took this advice and to share the fruits of their wisdom. As Nature said, they "have done for ants what Levi's did for denim." Not just a good-parts version of their magisterial, Pulitzer-winning The Ants, Journey is also a double autobiography--the history of how early enthusiasm developed into an enormously fruitful scientific collaboration. "We, having entered our bug period as children, were blessed by never being required to abandon it," the authors write. Their devotion to their chosen field shines through. Journey to the Ants gives an outstanding overview of the enormous variety and fascination of myrmecology, from the primitive bulldog ants of Australia to the complexities of weaver ant societies, slave-making ants and agriculture, army ants, and the social parasites concealed within anthills. There is an appendix with practical instructions for collecting individual ants or whole colonies, dead or alive. Hölldobler and Wilson clearly want other children to follow in their footsteps, growing from simple bug love to insights into evolution and society. --Mary Ellen Curtin
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| Customer Reviews: Read 5 more reviews...
An excellent introduction August 25, 2006
I must agree with another reviewer that this book is not for children. It is liberally sprinkled with such foreign phrases as vade mecum and pas de deux and at times gets confusing in that the authors mix third person narrative with first person--sometimes in the same sentence! The book is an excellent companion for a teacher interested in inspiring students to take an interest in myrmecology. It is beautifully illustrated, chock full of facts and diagrams and has a very practical appendix on collecting and studying ants. I would say that the book is ideally suited to intelligent senior high school students and adults curious about the thriving world of ants and what skills and thought processes are required to study them and, consequently, science in general.
Interesting and fun, but not for kids... February 24, 2004
I read someone say that this book could be for kids. While I suppose that kids could read it, some of it would certainly be over their heads like the jokes: "When Marx came up with his theories, he just had the wrong species" (referring to the Marxist behavior of ants.)
Anyway, this book is fun and interesting and EO Wilson has a talent for telling good stories. Ants are simply fascinating creatures and this will leave you wanting to read more about them.
 fascinating journey April 23, 2001
What a fantastic journey this book was! The myriad adaptations that these creatures have made to various different challenges is truly fascinating. The photos of different ant species and the many detailed behaviours are very exciting. I would recommend this book to anyone with the slightest bit of curiosity. My only complaint (and certainly not a criticism) is that the writing in this book is clearly aimed at a 12-14 age level. Others may find the descriptions of behaviours and experiments a tad facile...
A magnificent pilgrimage through time and space January 26, 2001
There are only a few writers who truly capture the natural world's complex structure, presenting it in a readable manner. Edward Wilson is one of these. Here, he's joined by Bert Holldobler in picturing one of our world's more enigmatic creatures - the ants. This book is a joy to read, whether you seriously study evolution or simply want a grander picture of life's mysteries. This book is a collector's item in reviewing what is known about ants and calling on students to consider how much remains to be studied.The ants are one of the dominant forms of life on this planet. They've spread to nearly every environmental niche, adapting their habits and colony structure successfully. Wilson and Holldobler willingly convey their awe at this variety to anyone wishing to share it. Among the amazing accounts they relate, perhaps two stand out. The finding of the earliest known fossil specimens by a New Jersey family, and the night-foraging ants of Australia. Holldobler and Wilson's journeys have taken them to remote sites around the planet. They have a fine sense of how to bring the reader into their camps and excursions, sharing their discoveries and their tribulations. Along the way, we learn how ants form their colonies, breed, forage, make war and enslave or absorb their fellows or other creatures. "Ants all look the same to the naked eye" they state, then show what a fallacy it is to continue believing that outlook. Beginning as solitary ground wasps, the ants have become one of the most complex social creatures in life. Their colonies range from simple bivouacs to huge structures. They can remove tonnes of soil to build a nest or range over extensive territories, terrifying even people with waves of migrating insects. Anyone seeking to understand even a little of the diversity of life should own this book.
Great teaching aid for non-science teachers. July 17, 1999
This book is easy to read. Could easily be used by elementary, middle school, and secondary school teachers to prepare a number of interesting lessons and scientific projects. Not only can insects (ants in particular, of course) but society, community, non-linguistic communication, evolution, and putting the universe into a size perspective provides many areas for class discussion. "Ants are oblivious to human existence." An incredible statement that will spark great conversation. Ants do not even know we are here! And they wont miss us when we are gone. After we have destroyed our natural habitat, they will continue to live in their microwildernesses. Text also provides a brief chapter on how to collect and observe ants and ant colonies. I am a language teacher but found reading this text simple and interesting.
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