| View Larger Image | The Compleat Cockroach: A Comprehensive Guide to the Most Despised (And Least Understood) Creature on Earth | Paperbackby David G. Gordon (Author), jim hays (Illustrator)
| List Price: | $12.95 | |
| | Binding: | Paperback | | Publisher: | Ten Speed Press | | Edition: | 1stst Edition | | Page Count: | 178 Pages | | Publication Date: | January 01, 1996 | | Sales Rank: | 408,579th |
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EDITORIAL REVIEWS |
Product Description
everything you ever wanted to know, and then some, about the different types of cockroaches |
Amazon.com Review
"Ask yourself how you feel about cockroaches. Do you shiver at the mere mention of their name? Could you kill one with your bare hand? Would you rather not be talking about this?" Even if the answer to all these questions from David George Gordon's The Compleat Cockroach is "EEUGHH" (meaning "yes, indeed"), you might want to get this book for your lawyer, landlord, or 10-year-old. Strong-stomached adults will find it a trove of information on every aspect of cockroach biology, control strategies, literary cockroaches, and cockroach song and dance--not to mention cockroaches in art, as pets, or (gulp) as cuisine. |
CUSTOMER REVIEWS (Average Customer Rating: 4.5 based on 10 reviews)
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An excellent comprehensive guide...from the educational point of view! by Lee Say Keng (Singapore)  5 Stars
March 19, 2006
Recently, I conducted a spring cleaning of my personal library & found a number of interesting books (some seemingly trivia, some really nonesensical) which I have totally forgotten about.
This is one of those books, seemingly trivial in content & yet educational in scope. Here, from this one amazing volume, I did not realise that I could learn so much about what I have always considered to be Planet Earth's most hated creature!
The author, a biologist by training, thinks otherwise & sets out to change my belief. According to him, cockroaches are intelligent, hard-working, & well-groomed (Can you believe that?), as well as being one of the oldest & most successful beings on Planet Earth (340 millions old, & able to withstand a nuclear blast!).
I have even learned from the author that they have made appearances on the Apollo XII command vehicle.
This book really tells it all:
- the life history of the cockroach, including what they eat (just about anything), where they live (everywhere from tropical cabes to microwave ovens), & the steamy details of their sex lives (antenna fencing, anyone?);
- cockroaches in human culture - from La Cucaracha to Joe's Apartment (the song & dance routines), & even cuisine (they are three times as protein rich as chicken & taste like shrimp (Can you believe that?);
- home cockroach control - what works, what doesn't, & why;
& much, much more...
Since young, I have always been fascinated by nature history as I grew up in a 'kampong' (a local term for village) on the southern end of the Malaysian peninsula, heavily surrounded by forests and grasslands. [In the 1950's, these were the battlegrounds of the communist insurgents during British Crown rule]. I recall it was the subtitle of the book, which goes like this 'Step into a World That Until Now You've Only Stepped on' that finally sealed my decision to buy the book during the mid-90s.
I really enjoy reading this book again! On the whole, & in conclusion, I would like to rate this book to be an excellent comprehensive guide!
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PSOCID CORNER by GIL BLOOM (BIG Apple NY)  3 Stars
December 18, 2000
Greetings and salutations once again , before I get to this issue's review I just wanted to say thanks to those of you who have sent in comments or suggestions. At first I was going to review "The Roaches Have No King " by Daniel Evan Weiss A good book but definitely not for children of all ages. It tells the story from the roaches perspective and in fact is narrated by two roaches Numbers and Bismarck. Other roaches are named Ajax , Argo and Julia Childs , which gives you an idea of the wit. Although the book gets your attention if you are terminally proper or sans an open sense of humor you might want to skip it. Ergo I have decided to send you to a book which is kind of like a web site for "roachabilia" it's also how I learned of the a fore mentioned novel. The book is "The Compleat Cockroach" by David George Gordon. I originally met Dave Gordon at a NY Entomological Society meeting back in 1997. At the time he was on a book tour and following his presentation I picked up a copy or four. The book opens with a well presented biology lesson of the insects 340 million year presence. While we have for the most part developed a negative view of roaches we are reminded of some of the other roles they play , such as the removal and recycling of dead plant and animal life in forests. Their vital niche in the food chain as well as their role as pollinators in rain forests and desert areas. With this information in mind we begin to understand how roaches enter the field as key cultural entomological figures. With a presence so varied and international their interactions and escapades easily enter human culture. Several quick references would be, "Metamorphosis" by Franz Kafka ( yes I know it's probably a beetle but everyone else thinks it a roach) , Don Marquis's famous "Archy" circa 1920 and of course the Mexican revolution song entitled "La Cucaracha". Several years ago a friend of mine had this song played at my birthday party in a Mexican restaurant by a miriachi band , boy did I get some weird looks but everyone knew the words even the little guys under the table. Most recently the MTV movie "Joe's Apartment" demonstrated that roaches out sing and dance Disney's cricket. In addition Mr. Gordon tackles the topics of observation and control dating back to ancient Egypt to some modern methods or fiasco you may recall with the use of fungi (Bio-Path). This book is fascinating with tid bits and references galore. I urge you to pick up a copy , you probably won't put it down. You will also find yourself repeating the phrase " I didn't know that" several times. Well with a good book to read let me take the opportunity to wish you all A Happy and Healthy Holiday season and oh yeah enjoy the roach nog.
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Terrific for Research as well as Light Reading 5 Stars
October 05, 2000
I thought this book was TERRIFIC! It was alot of fun to read. The style was casule and informative. Read it, you'll learn all you ever need to know about cockroaches. Not only does it give you the basics on anatomy, behavior and reproduction of these creatures. The book provides a more complete picture of these 340 million year old pests and their role in human art, culture, society, and (alas) cuisine. Funny, fast paced, great for a report.
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Terrific for Research as well as Light Reading 5 Stars
October 05, 2000
I thought this book was TERRIFIC! It was alot of fun to read. The style was casule and informative. Read it, you'll learn all you ever need to know about cockroaches. Funny, fast paced, great for a report.
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Conquer your Blattariaphobia by Laure-Madeleine (NYC) 5 Stars
July 30, 2000
"The Complete Cockroach," by biologist David George Gordon, is an exceptional reference on cockroaches: from etomology to popular culture. Two pages are devoted to "Kafka on Cockroaches" (129-30); students found this information useful when writing on "The Metamorphosis."
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SIMILAR PRODUCTS |
| The Cockroach Papers: A Compendium of History and Lore
by Richard Schweid (Author)
What has six legs, skulks around late at night, and likes to sniff out the hidden crevices, the dank corners, and the dark recesses? The cockroach, of course. The cockroach is a bug of great design. Most of its contemporaries from the Carboniferous period - around 300 million B.C. - are extinct, but cockroaches live on reproducing inside our walls and traveling the world as stowaways aboard ships. In The Cockroach Papers, readers learn more than they ever wanted to know about this...
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| Eat-a-bug Cookbook: 33 ways to cook grasshoppers, ants, water bugs, spiders, centipedes, and their kin
by David George Gordon (Author)
Gordon, a naturalist and author of the popular "Compleat Cockroach", has researched the practice of eating bugs and presents the results with relish . . . or at least a light cream sauce. Recipes include Really Hoppin' John (grasshoppers add extra kick), Pest-O (common garden weevils in a creamy basil sauce), and Fried Green Hornworm. Full-color photos.
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| Cockroaches: Ecology, Behavior, and Natural History
by William J. Bell (Author), Louis M. Roth (Author), Christine A. Nalepa (Author), Edward O. Wilson (Foreword)
The cockroach is truly an evolutionary wonder. This definitive volume provides a complete overview of suborder Blattaria, highlighting the diversity of these amazing insects in their natural environments. Beginning with a foreword by E. O. Wilson, the book explores the fascinating natural history and behavior of cockroaches, describing their various colors, sizes, and shapes, as well as how they move on land, in water, and through the air. In addition to habitat use, diet, reproduction, and...
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| The Superorganism: The Beauty, Elegance, and Strangeness of Insect Societies
by Bert Hölldobler (Author), E. O. Wilson (Author)
The Pulitzer Prize-winning authors of The Ants render the extraordinary lives of the social insects in this visually spectacular volume. The Superorganism promises to be one of the most important scientific works published in this decade. Coming eighteen years after the publication of The Ants, this new volume expands our knowledge of the social insects (among them, ants, bees, wasps, and termites) and is based on remarkable research conducted mostly within the last two decades. These...
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| Creepy Crawly Cuisine: The Gourmet Guide to Edible Insects
by Julieta Ramos-Elorduy Ph.D. (Author)
An introduction to the world of edible insects, complete with recipes and color photographs. * Includes an historical look at the use of edible insects in * indigenous cultures. * Provides information on where to obtain insects and how to store and * prepare them. Includes over 60 gourmet recipes, complete with * stunning color photographs. The most wholesome source of protein on earth cannot be found in any supermarket in the United States, but it can be found right in your backyard!...
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