annieb123
Written on Mar 21, 2021
Empire of Ants is a beautifully illustrated and fascinating look into the world of ants by Drs. Susanne Foitzik and Olav Fritsche. Originally released in German in 2019, this English language translation is due out 6th April 2021 from the Experiment. It's 352 pages and will be available in hardcover, audio, and ebook formats.
The book is layman accessible, and I found it a fascinating read. It's well annotated (and the chapter notes and index make for fascinating further reading) but doesn't get bogged down in overly academic language. This is popular science writing - not a "how-to" guide for collection or specimen study. The authors do present a broad range of species and behaviors. It's clear they're both knowledgeable and respectful of their subjects. There are a handful of popular science and zoology writers who have the gift of writing layman accessibly and engagingly on their topics of expertise. We can add Drs. Foitzik and Fritsche to the list. The translation work is seamless and was completely invisible from my side. The chapter notes and bibliography are for papers and research presented in English (most science writing is in English these days).
Five stars. Heartily recommended for readers of science, ecology, and similar subjects.
Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.