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Vincent Dethier, Crickets and Katydids, Concerts and Solos (Harvard University Press, 1992) For his final book, published just a year before his death, the esteemed entomologist Vincent Dethier decided to revisit the very beginning of his long and distinguished career: the summer he spent working as a field assistant for renowned physicist George Pierce before beginning graduate studies at Harvard University. The work took him to the country town of Franklin, N.H., where Dethier's task was to "collect, identify and care for as many kinds of crickets, locusts and katydids as could be found." As with his earlier work, To Know a Fly, Dethier downplays technical details in favor of communicating the simple joy of indulging in a curiosity about nature. You'll learn a little bit about the specifics of how grasshoppers, locusts and the like compose their melodies — but such information is only incidental to the storytelling. Just as a young Dethier had to learn to tune his ear to detect the subtle differences among each insect song, the author wants his readers to develop a similarly careful attunement to the intricacies of the natural world surrounding us. Despite his lofty credentials — bachelor's and doctorate degrees from Harvard, and memberships in prestigious societies like the National Academy of Sciences — Dethier's humble narratives about his research make it relatable to any nature enthusiast, experts and amateurs alike. Indeed, as he writes in the book's preface, "These are pleasures that can be shared vicariously." Although the various appendices include physiological diagrams and descriptions of the songs produced by each species studied, Crickets and Katydids is not a field guide. Rather, this book — recipient of the 1993 John Burroughs Medal for Writing in Natural History — is more of a memoir, with details of each specimen's discovery found alongside anecdotes of encounters with the town locals. Frequently waxing rhapsodic, Dethier transports the reader to the lazy days and nights of a summer in the countryside, when the noises of automobiles and other machinery subside in order for the natural chirps and trills of the titular characters to emerge. MORE: Reflection on Dethier’s Work, esp. Crickets and Katydids Bio of Dethier from UMass Neuroscience and Behavior Program Excerpted book reviews from the publisher’s website List of John Burroughs Medal recipients |
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