THE COCKROACH PAPERS: A COMPENDIUM OF HISTORY AND LORE
Book ID/图书代码： 13560015B79916
English Summary/英文概要： Skittering figures of urban legend—and a ubiquitous reality—cockroaches are nearly as abhorred as they are ancient. Even as our efforts to exterminate them have developed into ever more complex forms of chemical warfare, roaches’ basic design of six legs, two hypersensitive antennae, and one set of voracious mandibles has persisted unchanged for millions of years. But as Richard Schweid shows in The Cockroach Papers, while some species of these evolutionary superstars do indeed plague our kitchens and restaurants, exacerbate our asthma, and carry disease, our belief in their total villainy is ultimately misplaced.
Traveling from New York City to Louisiana, Mexico, Nicaragua, and Morocco, Schweid blends stories of his own squirm-inducing roach encounters with meticulous research to spin a tale both humorous and harrowing. As he investigates roaches’ more nefarious interactions with our species—particularly with those of us living at the margins of society—Schweid also explores their astonishing diversity, how they mate, what they’ll eat, and what we’ve written about them (from Kafka and Nelson Algren to archy and mehitabel). Knowledge soon turns into respect, and Schweid looks beyond his own fears to arrive at an uncomfortable truth: We humans are no more peaceful, tidy, or responsible about taking care of the Earth or each other than these tiny creatures that swarm in the dark corners of our minds, homes, and cereal boxes.
Chinese Summary/中文概要： 城市中窜来窜去的蟑螂，无处不在，而人们对蟑螂深恶痛绝的态度一如既往。尽管我们努力试图消灭蟑螂，但蟑螂的基本形态（六条腿、两根高灵敏度的触须、贪婪的上颚）几百万年来不曾发生改变。然而，作者Richard Schweid在《蟑螂百科》一书中论述道：尽管这些进化高手中的某些品种的确危害人类的厨房、餐厅、传播疾病，但我们对蟑螂的恶劣行径也存在着一定的误解。
从纽约到路易斯安那、摩洛哥，作者结合了亲身经历的故事和蟑螂的遭遇，通过一丝不苟的研究，编织出了幽默而又痛心的故事。他调查了蟑螂与我们人类恶毒的互动——尤其是那些生活在社会边缘的人群——同时还探索了蟑螂的多样性，它们是如何交配的，它们食用什么，以及我们对蟑螂的报道。了解的越多，对蟑螂的敬佩之情与日俱增，作者克服了自身的恐惧，得出了一个令人难以置信的结论：我们人类并不比那些在阴暗的角落里到处乱窜的小生物更和平、更整洁、更有责任照顾这个地球或照顾彼此。（LYR）
Awards/获奖情况：“自然进化成功故事，无坚不摧的蟑螂在Schweid的笔下有了新的诠释……倘若无可选择，就憎恨蟑螂，把它们踩在脚底下；但蟑螂是久经考验的，Schweid说的很清楚，谁笑到最后还不一定呢。”（Kirkus）
“Nature’s evolutionary success story, the indestructible cockroach, gets the full treatment in Schweid’s zesty survey of roach fact and fancy. . . . Loathe cockroaches if you must, grind them underfoot. But it is the time-tested roach, Schweid makes clear, who will have the last laugh.”(Kirkus)
About the Author/作者介绍： Richard Schweid是一名记者兼纪录片制片人，现居巴塞罗那。他曾发表过很多著作，包括《来世：寻求永生》，近期的作品有《章鱼》。
Richard Schweid is a journalist and documentarian living in Barcelona. He is the author of many books, including Hereafter: Searching for Immortality, Eel, and, most recently, Octopus.
Format:
Rights Status/版权销售情况：Simplified Chinese/简体中文：AVAILABLE
Complex/Traditional Chinese/繁体中文：AVAILABLE
Sales in other countries/其他国家销售情况：
原文第一章内容：暂无
手稿：暂无
大纲：暂无