The Book of the Spider: A Compendium of Arachno-Facts and Eight-Legged Lore Book

"Nothing pleases me more than to come upon an impressive orb-web with a large spider sitting head-down in the middle," Paul Hillyard writes in the preface to this charming collection of spider legends and observations. And while many of us may not share his desire to get really close to arachnids, even a certified spider-hater can find something interesting in The Book of the Spider--if only confirmation that they are worthy objects of horror. Gruesome reports of 30-foot webs and gangrenous spider-bites are countered by legends of luck-bringing and facts about ecological usefulness. Hillyard not only describes the major types of spiders and their incredible habits, he reports on spiders in art, mythology and religion. There's even (shudder) a recipe for barbecued blue-legged tarantula, served al fresco! If you love spiders, you must have this entertaining, informative book to add to your store of arachnid facts--you'll be the life of the party. If you run in fear from our eight-legged friends, cure your phobia by reading all the way to the last chapter, entitled "From Arachnophobia to the Love of Spiders." Then you, too, will come to appreciate the old English nursery rhyme: If you wish to live and thrive/Let the spider run alive. --Therese Littleton Read More