Book review: A delightful guide to cultural entomology


By Dr. Tim Sandle
August 27, 2024


Butterly on a leaf. — Image by © Tim Sandle.

Imagine this scene: you are sitting in an intricately carved chair, rocking back and forth to the rhythm of music from a bygone era. Your clothes are comfortable and colourful, your hair is perfectly in place, and there are oil paintings and textiles on the walls. Wood furniture, trim, and floors glimmer with a waxen sheen. Everything around you is composed of or inspired by bugs.

Renowned entomologist Dr. Barrett Klein has been examining such a scene, focusing on the phenomenon of how humans and insects relate on a cultural level in her forthcoming new book, titled The Insect Epiphany: How Our Six-Legged Allies Shape Human Culture (Timber Press | Hachette; Oct 15, 2024, $35 hardcover). The book is a guide to cultural entomology.

Klein studied entomology at Cornell University and the University of Arizona, fabricated natural history exhibits at the American Museum of Natural History, worked with honeybees for his doctorate at the University of Texas at Austin.

In the book, Klein argues that our world, from the physical reality to the artistic conceptualisation, would look very different if we did not have insects. This is not because many are pollinators who play a crucial role in our environments, but also because insects inspire so many aspects of our culture.

Throughout the pages Klein celebrates biodiversity and the intersection of science and art and believes fully that embracing the beauty of insects can transform our lives and our world.

“The spellbinding diversity of insects is complemented by a diversity of humans and cultures,” Klein states in an advance of the text. This captures both her inspiration and innovation.

In the text, The Insect Epiphanyexplores the ways humanity has used insects’ bodies (as examples, for silk, pigments, food, medicine), how we try to recreate them (for flight technology, architecture, social structures), and how we mimic them (for fighting, yoga, music, fashion).

Throughout the book, the enormous impact insects have had on human civilization is highlighted by the use of over 100 images. These stretch from ancient etchings to avant-garde art, from bug-based meals to haute couture fashion, and everything in between.

“We can revel in knowing we are deeply connected to our multifarious and multifaceted neighbors. We can choose to celebrate insects, knowing that without them we would sacrifice significant aspects of our heritage, our humanity, and much of life as we know it.,” Klein observes.

Klein investigates mysteries of sleep in societies of insects, creates entomo-art, and the book captures his ongoing search for the curious connections that bind our lives with what he perceives as our six-legged allies.

The text celebrates the myriad ways insects have inspired many aspects of what makes us human, The Insect Epiphany is a insightful, captivating, and, to those who have not thought about the subject before or who are perhaps squeamish, a surprisingly delightful love letter to bugs.