SPINELESS WONDERS: STRANGE TALES FROM THE INVERTEBRATE WORLD
Book ID/图书代码： 13006007B10330
English Summary/英文概要： Leeches, fire ants, dragonflies and mosquitoes; slime eels, giant squids, earthworms and fleas--this gallery of creepy-crawlies is enough to give anyone nightmares. Yet in his new book, Spineless Wonders, author Richard Conniff succeeds in making his subjects interesting if not exactly attractive. Conniff, a journalist, knows all too well that most people do not share his admiration for the invertebrates of the world, and so he sets out to demonstrate just what marvels of engineering they really are. From discussions of just how these creatures are made and how they survive, he goes on to tell stories about the people who study them. From the scientist who ate the only known specimen of a new species to the leech-farmer in Wales, Conniff paints a vivid picture of invertebrates and the people who love them, making even that slime eel seem almost appealing.
Chinese Summary/中文概要： 顾名思义，无脊椎动物不长有脊椎、通常还具有毒性，不过，动物世界中超过99.5%的物种，都是由这群无脊椎类生物所构成。比如水蛭、火蚁、蜻蜓、蚊子、黏鳗、大乌贼、蚯蚓还有跳蚤 -- 一提到这些匍匐扭动、满地乱爬的东西，就算身为有椎动物的我们，往往也禁不住浑身哆嗦。
是故，记者出身的理查德•康尼夫深知，大多数人绝不会象他那样对它们心怀好感，所以，他灵机一动，转而通过本书向我们展示出这些动物令人惊叹的精湛绝技。无椎动物往往有着不可思议的生存及适应能力，以跳蚤为例，在跳跃方面，它简直具有无与伦比的天赋，这并非因为它生有强而有力的肌肉组织，而恰恰是得益于其极具弹性的跳跃机能。
除此之外，你还会见识到一群无椎动物领域的科学达人，不仅可爱，还很搞怪 -- 有把唯一的新物种标本吞入口中的，还有在威尔士一门心思养殖水蛭的；借助康尼夫绘声绘色的叙述，无论是对无椎动物本身，还是那些于其乐此不疲的人们，本书都会令人耳目一新 -- 你会发觉，原来黏鳗也是如此迷人！
(AW)
Awards/获奖情况：Richard Conniff’s purpose in Spineless Wonders is not to convince us that repulsive creatures like the housefly and the slime eel, a primitive invertebrate, are lovable. But with wit and elegance he persuades the queasiest reader to share his fascination with the extravagant variety of invertebrates and their strategies. ---The New York Times Book Review, Milton Garrison
About the Author/作者介绍： Richard Conniff’s work takes him from the executive suite to a casual swim with piranhas in the Amazon, from tea in the member’s dining room at the House of Lords to the driver’s seat in a demolition derby. He won the 1997 National Magazine Award for his writing in Smithsonian and the 1998 Wildscreen Prize for Best Natural History Television Script for the BBC show Between Pacific Tides. His previous books include The Natural History of the Rich: A Field Guide and he has also written for Atlantic Monthly, The New York Times Magazine, Time, and National Geographic.
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Rights Status/版权销售情况：Simplified Chinese/简体中文：AVAILABLE
Complex/Traditional Chinese/繁体中文：AVAILABLE(到期可授)
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