DARK BANQUET: BLOOD AND THE CURIOUS LIVES OF BLOOD-FEEDING CREATURES.
by Schutt, Bill
- Used
- Hardcover
- Condition
- Very Good+/Very Good+
- ISBN 10
- 0307381129
- ISBN 13
- 9780307381125
- Seller
-
Oakville, Ontario, Canada
Payment Methods Accepted
About This Item
New York: Harmony, 2088. 325 pp, 9 1/2" H. B&w drawings. "(Z)oologist Bill Schutt takes readers on an entertaining voyage into the world of some of nature's strangest creatures - the sanguivores. Using a sharp eye and mordant wit, (he) makes a remarkably persuasive case that vampire bats, leeches, ticks, bed bugs, and other vampires are as deserving of our curiosity as warmer and fuzzier species are - and that many of them are even worthy of conservation. He takes us from rural Trinidad to the jungles of Brazil to learn about some of the most reviled, misunderstood, and marvelously evolved animals on our planet: vampire bats. Schutt also tracks the history of medicinal leech use. Once employed by the tens of millions to drain perceived excesses of blood, today the market for these ancient creatures is booming once again - but for very different reasons. Among the other blood feeders we meet are bed bugs, or 'ninja insects' (and he) also details our dangerous and sometimes deadly encounters with ticks, chiggers, and mites (the latter implicated in Colony Collapse Disorder - currently devastating honey bees worldwide). Then there are the truly wierd - vampire finches. And if you thought piranha were scary, some people believe that the candiru (or willy fish) is the best reason to avoid swimming in the Amazon. Enlightening, alarming, and appealing to our delight in the bizarre, 'Dark Banquet' peers into a part of the natural world to which we are, through our blood, inextricably linked." Very light wrinkling at top/bottom of spine, tiny dent on bottom edge of rear board. Dust jacket has minor edge wrinkling.. Hard Cover. Very Good+/Very Good+. Illus. by Patricia Wynne..
Synopsis
For centuries, blood feeders have inhabited our nightmares and horror stories, as well as the shadowy realms of scientific knowledge. In Dark Banquet, zoologist Bill Schutt takes readers on an entertaining voyage into the world of some of nature's strangest creatures--the sanguivores. Using a sharp eye and mordant wit, Schutt makes a remarkably persuasive case that vampire bats, leeches, ticks, bed bugs, and other vampires are as deserving of our curiosity as warmer and fuzzier species are--and that many of them are even worthy of conservation.Schutt takes us from rural Trinidad to the jungles of Brazil to learn about some of the most reviled, misunderstood, and marvelously evolved animals on our planet: vampire bats. Only recently has fact begun to disentangle itself from fiction concerning these remarkable animals, and Schutt delves into the myths and misconceptions surrounding them. Examining the substance that sustains nature's vampires, Schutt reveals just how little we actually knew about blood until well into the twentieth century. We revisit George Washington on his deathbed to learn how ideas about blood and the supposedly therapeutic value of bloodletting, first devised by the ancient Egyptians and Greeks, survived into relatively modern times. Schutt also tracks the history of medicinal leech use. Once employed by the tens of millions to drain perceived excesses of blood, today the market for these ancient creatures is booming once again--but for very different reasons.Among the other blood feeders we meet in these pages are bed bugs, or "ninja insects," which are making a creepy resurgence in posh hotels and well-kept homes near you. In addition, Dark Banquet details our dangerous and sometimes deadly encounters with ticks, chiggers, and mites (the latter implicated in Colony Collapse Disorder--currently devastating honey bees worldwide). Then there are the truly weird--vampire finches. And if you thought piranha were scary, some people believe that the candiru (or willy fish) is the best reason to avoid swimming in the Amazon.Enlightening, alarming, and appealing to our delight in the bizarre, Dark Banquet peers into a part of the natural world to which we are, through our blood, inextricably linked.From the Hardcover edition.
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Details
- Bookseller
- Capricorn Books
(CA)
- Bookseller's Inventory #
- 29932
- Title
- DARK BANQUET: BLOOD AND THE CURIOUS LIVES OF BLOOD-FEEDING CREATURES.
- Author
- Schutt, Bill
- Illustrator
- Patricia Wynne.
- Format/Binding
- Hardcover
- Book Condition
- Used - Very Good+
- Jacket Condition
- Very Good+
- ISBN 10
- 0307381129
- ISBN 13
- 9780307381125
- Publisher
- Harmony
- Place of Publication
- New York
- Date Published
- 2088
- Keywords
- Blood, Blood-Feeding Creatures, Allergies, Antibiotics, Annelida, Arthropoda, Assassin Bugs, Bacteria, Bats, Bed Bugs, Birds, Deer Ticks, Bloodletting, Borrelia Burgdorferi, Brazil, Kim Brockmann, Catfish, Candirus, Chiggers, Circulatory System, Cliamte C
- Bookseller catalogs
- Natural History; Health & Medicine;
Terms of Sale
Capricorn Books
PAYMENT: ALL PRICES ARE IN $ U.S. We accept the following forms of payment: PayPal (PayPal e-mail is capricornbks@sympatico.ca) Canadian residents will be charged 5% GST on converted amount. SHIPPING: Shipping rates are based upon the weight of a standard size book (8vo) or a large format trade paperback up to 1kg (2.2lbs). Larger, heavier books will be shipped at cost. We will e-mail you a quote for your approval, before we ship. CANADA: Standard (via Expedited Parcel Post): 2 to 20 Business Days - $10.99 U.S. Expedited (via XpressPost): 2 to 3 Business Days - $20.99 U.S. U.S.A.: Standard (Surface Mail): 7 to 13 Business Days - $4.99 U.S. Expedited: 4 to 8 Business Days - $12.99 U.S. INTERNATIONAL : Standard (Tracked Mail): 18 to 25 Business Days - $200.00 U.S., Expedited (Xpress Mail): 13 to 15 Business Days - $300.00 U.S. RETURNS: Books may be returned if not as described within 10 days with prior notice. Please e-mail us prior to returning book - thank you.
About the Seller
Capricorn Books
Biblio member since 2003
Oakville, Ontario
About Capricorn Books
Welcome to Capricorn Books. We offer a wide range of used, out-of-print and antiquarian books in most subjects, for readers and collectors alike. Our business opened in 1995, and has been selling on the internet since 1999. We have a general stock with larger catalogues being History & Travel, Military History, Children's, Art & Antiques and Canadiana. All orders are processed promptly. Our goal is to ship your book(s) within 24 hours and notify you when we have done so - we always try to keep you informed. Enjoy your visit!
Glossary
Some terminology that may be used in this description includes:
- Good+
- A term used to denote a condition a slight grade better than Good.
- Spine
- The outer portion of a book which covers the actual binding. The spine usually faces outward when a book is placed on a shelf....
- Jacket
- Sometimes used as another term for dust jacket, a protective and often decorative wrapper, usually made of paper which wraps...
This Book’s Categories
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