Cultural History of Insects in the Modern Age

A Cultural History of Insects in the Modern Age covers the period from 1920 to the present, a time of tremendous scientific advances in our understanding of insects and their place in the natural world. The age ushered in an optimism fueled by the power of science and technology to improve the human condition and included stunning achievements in managing insect pests in the first half of the century. Today, although insects are recognised as cultural symbols of natural harmony and as bellwethers of ecological damage, our irrational fears continue, transforming insects into metaphors of invasion, alienation, and decay across literature, art, music, film, and political rhetoric.

The six-volume set of the Cultural History of Insects presents the first comprehensive history from antiquity to today of all forms and aspects of human-insect interaction. The themes covered in each volume are insect knowledge; insects and disease; insects and food; insect products; insects in mythology and religion; insects as symbols; insects in literature and language; and insects in art.