Category Archives: literature
The Insect Stampede of Salsa Invertebraxa
Add this to the list of bug books I would love to paw through: Mozchops is a concept artist and illustrator who has taken his talents into the realm of graphic novels, and crafted a story around his epic insect … Continue reading
Stridulation Friday presents: Insect Poetry
This charming stop-motion film was created by members of Will Vinton Studios during a haitus in the Summer of 2000. Directed by Marilyn Zornado, it features the poetry of the late Meme Marie Meyers. I especially love the fun … Continue reading
Posted in film, literature
Tagged Marilyn Zornado, Meme Marie Meyers, paintbetty, stop-motion
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The Insect Book of Utamaro
Whilst hunting down information online (for an entirely different post on Japanese insect art), I found several delicately beautiful images by the famed ukiyo-e artist Utamaro, all tantalizingly referred to as pages from a 1788 work entitled “Picture Book of … Continue reading
The Insect Art of Kurimoto Tanshū
The 19th century court physician Kurimoto Tanshu (栗本丹洲) (also known as Kurimoto Masayoshi) was also an accomplished naturalist, and in 1811 compiled the beautiful 3-volume work entitled Senchu-fû, which roughly translates as the Thousand Insects Manuscript. Its pages are packed … Continue reading
Posted in art, literature
Tagged beetle, flea, Japan, Kurimoto Tanshu, Louse, mosquito, Philipp Franz von Siebold, wasp, 栗本丹洲
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Attracted To Light
The above pictures are part of a glorious item that I would love to have clutched between my tarsal claws. It is a grand art book called “Attracted To Light“, by Mike and Doug Starn. It’s full of moths, of … Continue reading
Insects At The Movies: Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind
For movies in which insects save the day, it doesn’t come more dear to my heart than the animated film Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind by Hayao Miyazaki, based on his epic concurrent post-apocalyptic manga series. In 1986, … Continue reading
“An October Spirit Embiggens The Smallest Insect”
October is a great time for the staff here at the Endless Swarm. It’s the one time the rest of the world seems to pay attention to the world of the unloved invertebrate. Entomological festivals get scheduled, museums dust off … Continue reading
Posted in literature, wtf
Tagged aranea, earwig, giant, girlofindustry, J.H. Kerner-Greenwood, lacewing, The Strand
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The Curse of Fear
One of my favorite kinds of literary formats in high school was (and still is) the Science Fiction Anthology. A grab-bag of styles and ideas, I never knew what to expect. Greedily pulling down every Nebula Awards, Science Fiction Hall … Continue reading
Wicked Bugs
Though I try to resist picking up every “collection of insect factoid” book that gets published, I couldn’t resist grabbing Wicked Bugs: The Louse That Conquered Napoleon’s Army & Other Diabolical Insects by Amy Stewart. Unlike most factoid-books I own … Continue reading
Time out for Chewing Lice!
Several plates from “Das Buch Der Welt”, an 1845 tome by Carl Hofmann. The context-free plates were found here, along with other pretty butterflies and beetles. I am of course fondest of the plate depicting several Mallophaga, or chewing lice. … Continue reading
