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The Hive: The Story of the Honeybee and Us

by Bee Wilson

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A cultural history of the hive and the ideas humans place within it

$20.17 USD
$33.62 USD $20.17 USD
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Paperback New English

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AlbakiReads Editorial

A cultural history of the hive and the ideas humans place within it

Bee Wilson traces the long human fascination with honeybees, from early depictions of honey gathering to modern beekeeping landscapes in Florida. The book treats the hive not only as a natural phenomenon but also as a powerful human symbol: a model onto which societies have projected beliefs about labor, order, religion, politics, and communal life. Historical figures and shifting ideas about bee society give the subject a broad cultural frame, while food and ritual show how bees have shaped everyday practices. Illustrated throughout, it presents the changing relationship between people and honeybees as a history of both nature and human imagination.

Good fit for readers who enjoy

  • Readers interested in honeybees and their place in human history
  • Fans of cultural histories connecting science, religion, and politics
  • Readers curious about food traditions, ritual, and beekeeping history

Themes

HoneybeesHuman-animal relationshipsHistory of scienceReligion and politicsFood and ritual

Based on publisher information and book metadata.

Book overview

Ever since men first hunted for honeycomb in rocks and daubed pictures of it on cave walls, the honeybee has been seen as one of the wonders of nature: social, industrious, beautiful, terrifying. No other creature has inspired in humans an identification so passionate, persistent, or fantastical.
The Hive recounts the astonishing tale of all the weird and wonderful things that humans believed about bees and their "society" over the ages. It ranges from the honey delta of ancient Egypt to the Tupelo forests of modern Florida, taking in a cast of characters including Alexander the Great and Napoleon, Sherlock Holmes and Muhammed Ali.
The history of humans and honeybees is also a history of ideas, taking us through the evolution of science, religion, and politics, and a social history that explores the bee's impact on food and human ritual.
In this beautifully illustrated book, Bee Wilson shows how humans will always view the hive as a miniature universe with order and purpose, and look to it to make sense of their own.

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