The Cockroach Papers

A Compendium of History and Lore

Richard Schweid

$24.95

Paperback

Not in-store but you can order this
How long will it take?

Availability Information

We source books from suppliers in Australia and overseas. For books we don't currently have in stock, the time it takes to get them from our suppliers can vary widely - from a few days to a few months - so we check each book with each supplier to determine the expected time it will take to be supplied to us.

We then advise you accordingly. If the time taken to get any book is too long for you, you can let us know and we will cancel or adjust your order, and refund as required.

To find out the anticipated arrival time for specific items prior to ordering, please contact us by phone or email:

Phone +61 2 9264 3111, or 1800 4 BOOKS (1800 4 26657) if outside Sydney:
option 1 Abbey's Bookshop (Crime, History, Science, Kids & more) • info@abbeys.com.au
option 2 Language Book Centre (ESL & Foreign Languages) • language@abbeys.com.au
option 3 Galaxy Bookshop (Sci-fi, Fantasy, Romance, Graphic Novels) • sf@galaxybooks.com.au

QTY:

English

University of Chicago Press
04 June 2015

Wildlife: butterflies, other insects & spiders

Series: Emersion: Emergent Village resources for communities of faith

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.

By: Richard Schweid
Imprint: University of Chicago Press
Country of Publication: United States
Edition: First Edition, Enlarged
Dimensions: Height: 22mm, Width: 14mm, Spine: 1mm
Weight: 284g
ISBN: 9780226260471
ISBN 10: 022626047X
Series: Emersion: Emergent Village resources for communities of faith
Pages: 208
Publication Date: 04 June 2015
Audience: General/trade , ELT Advanced
Format: Paperback
Publisher's Status: Active

Richard Schweid is a journalist and documentarian living in Barcelona. He is the author of many books, including Eel and Octopus, both published by Reaktion Books, and, most recently, Hereafter: Searching for Immortality.

Reviews for The Cockroach Papers: A Compendium of History and Lore

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) Schweid blends both roach fact and fiction into an engaging, perceptive profile of our strange, and occasionally literal, bedfellows. (Discover)