The Life of the Grasshopper

"Its undoubtedly the best book that has ever been written on the subject, is full of charm, and keeps the attention of the reader closely held as the best novel ever written... The author describes in chapter after chapter the different kinds of grasshoppers, all of which he has observed with infinite patience, and so great is the attraction of the book, and the interest of its details, that those who take it up will be sorry when they come to the end." -- Daily Telegraph "The patience and the nicety of Mr. Fabre's observations are indeed amazing. His eyes see, and they see magical marvels." -- Daily Express Considered "The Homer of Insects," Fabre's work laid the foundation for virtually all subsequent work in the field of entomology. Jean-Henri Fabre (1823-1915) is well known for his popularization of insect natural history, especially in the ten volumes of Souvenirs Entomologiques. Although a reclusive amateur, with no scientific training, he was an acute observer of insect behavior. He combined his observations (most made in his own backyard) with a humanistic writing style that made his books popular, at least later in his life; during most of his life, the successive volumes of Souvenirs Entomologiques attracted only mild attention. Fabre was 84 when the last volume appeared, and soon afterward he was "discovered." He was elected to numerous scientific societies, provided a government pension, and even the President of France came to visit him.