A Sting in the Tale (The Birds and the Bees)

Author(s): Dave Goulson

Natural History

The Birds and the Bees series was designed for Vintage Classics by Timorous Beasties, the Scottish studio famous for their designs inspired by the natural world. As a small boy, Dave Goulson was obsessed with wildlife - from his childhood menagerie of exotic pets to his ill-fated experiments with taxidermy. But it was the bumblebee that fascinated him the most. Once commonly found in the marshes of Kent, the short-haired bumblebee was driven to extinction in Britain by intensive farming practices. With ground-breaking research into these curious creatures, A Sting in the Tale tells the story of Goulson's passionate drive to reintroduce them to their native land. SHORTLISTED FOR THE 2013 SAMUEL JOHNSON PRIZE.

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The Birds and the Bees series from Vintage Classics - beautiful editions of the finest British nature writing

"[Goulson's] book is not only enormously informative, but also hugely entertaining: its light touch and constant humour make cutting-edge research a pleasure to read about... For anyone interested in the natural world, this is essential reading." -- Michael McCarthy Independent "Goulson reminds himself that he 'began studying bumblebees not because they are important pollinators but because they are fascinating, because they behave in interesting and mysterious ways, and because they are rather loveable.' It's worth reading A Sting in the Tale for the same reasons." -- Hannah Rosefield Literary Review "A worthy book of the year." -- Mary Beard Observer "Goulson has plenty of wondrous biological stories to tell, as well as the tale of his own struggle to return the short-haired bumblebee to Britain." -- Patrick Barkham Guardian "This isn't one of those natural science books that simply tells you things - it admits how much we don't know." -- Mark Mason Spectator

Dave Goulson studied biology at Oxford University and is now Professor of Biological Sciences at the University of Sussex. He has spent the last 20 years studying bumblebees, and has published over 200 scientific articles on their biology. He founded the Bumblebee Conservation Trust in 2006. A Sting in the Tale was published by Jonathan Cape in 2013 and was shortlisted for the Samuel Johnson Prize. A Buzz in the Meadow was published in 2014.

General Fields

  • : 9781784871116
  • : Vintage Publishing
  • : Vintage Classics
  • : 0.241
  • : November 2016
  • : 178mm X 129mm X 19mm
  • : United Kingdom
  • : December 2016
  • : books

Special Fields

  • : Dave Goulson
  • : Paperback
  • : Paperback
  • : Dec-16
  • : Dec-16
  • : English
  • : English
  • : 595.799
  • : 595.799
  • : 320
  • : 320