A Cultural History of Insects in the Age of Industry

A Cultural History of Insects in the Age of Industry covers the period from 1820 to 1920, a time of great technological innovation and intensified trade. As urban populations spread so did pollution, squalor, and disease - and so did education and scientific knowledge. The expeditions of nineteenth century naturalists such as Charles Darwin and Alfred Russel Wallace fed the natural history collections of museums. At the same time, with the formation of new scientific groups and societies, professional entomology emerged as a specific branch of science. Knowledge of insect diversity accelerated whilst the increasing demands on agricultural production foregrounded the work of entomologists on pest control. The six-volume set of the Cultural History of Insects presents the first comprehensive history from antiquity to today of all forms and aspects of human-insect interaction. The themes covered in each volume are insect knowledge; insects and disease; insects and food; insect products; insects in mythology and religion; insects as symbols; insects in literature and language; and insects in art.

List of contents

Series Preface
List of Illustrations

Introduction: Origins, Transformations, Impacts, Carol M. Anelli & Susan W. Fisher
1. Insect Knowledge: The Discovery and Description of Insect Diversity, Norman F. Johnson and Andrew Polaszek
2. Insects and Disease: A Formidable War Alliance, Melissa K. Miller and Gary L. Miller
3. Insects and Food: A Global View of Edible Insects, Florence Vaccarello Dunkel
4. Insect Products: Apiculture, Sericulture, and Other Insect-Derived Commodities, Walter S. Sheppard and Carol M. Anelli
5. Insects in Mythology and Religion: Natural Theology, Megan E. Meuti and Susan W. Fisher
6. Insects as Symbols: Making Meaning with Insects in the Nineteenth Century, Adam Dodd
7. Insects in Literature and Language: "Crawling at your feet, you may observe a Bread-and-Butterfly", Rosalind White
8. Insects in Art: The Age of Industry, Deirdre Prischmann-Voldseth

Notes
Bibliography
Contributors' List
Index

About the author

Carol Anelli is Professor of Entomology at The Ohio State University, USA.
Susan W. Fisher is Professor Emerita at The Ohio State University, USA.

Product details

• Authors: Carol Anelli, Susan Fisher, Ian C Beavis, Gene Kritsky
• Assisted by: Gene Kritsky (Editor), Gene Kritsky (Editor of the series)
• Publisher: Bloomsbury Academic
• Languages: English
• Product format: Hardback
• Released: 19.02.2026
• EAN: 9781350003149
• ISBN: 978-1-350-00314-9
• No. of pages: 288
• Dimensions: 170 mm x 246 mm x 20 mm
• Series: The Cultural Histories Series
• Subjects: Humanities, art, music > Art > Plastic arts; Natural sciences, medicine, IT, technology > Biology > Zoology; SCIENCE / Life Sciences / Zoology / Entomology, HISTORY / Social History, NATURE / Animals / Insects & Spiders, SCIENCE / Natural History, SOCIAL SCIENCE / Anthropology / Cultural & Social, History of Medicine, History of Science, Social and cultural history, History of engineering and technology, Social and cultural anthropology, Environmentalist thought and ideology, Zoology: invertebrates, Animals and society / Animal rights - issues and debates