#607
Title: The Dangerous World of Butterflies: The Startling Subculture of Criminals, Collectors, and Conservationists
Author: Peter Laufer
Publisher: The Lyons Press
Year: 2009
288 pages
This was emptier and less engaging than I expected, and not to the general standard of the genre. It was uneven, with some sections very good and others simply insufficient. Like Blechman's Pigeons: The Fascinating Saga of the World's Most Revered and Reviled Bird, this is a natural and cultural history by an outsider without much background in the topic, with a tone that is more puzzled than affectionate. The puzzlement isn't as funny to the reader as Laufer seems to think. The tone crept toward disdainful at times, with a whiff of contempt for people Laufer repeatedly calls "butterfly huggers." People who know nothing about butterflies might enjoy this; don't give it to your lepidopterist friend, because it is likely to annoy her.
Title: The Dangerous World of Butterflies: The Startling Subculture of Criminals, Collectors, and Conservationists
Author: Peter Laufer
Publisher: The Lyons Press
Year: 2009
288 pages
This was emptier and less engaging than I expected, and not to the general standard of the genre. It was uneven, with some sections very good and others simply insufficient. Like Blechman's Pigeons: The Fascinating Saga of the World's Most Revered and Reviled Bird, this is a natural and cultural history by an outsider without much background in the topic, with a tone that is more puzzled than affectionate. The puzzlement isn't as funny to the reader as Laufer seems to think. The tone crept toward disdainful at times, with a whiff of contempt for people Laufer repeatedly calls "butterfly huggers." People who know nothing about butterflies might enjoy this; don't give it to your lepidopterist friend, because it is likely to annoy her.
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