SKU: 73148669302

Honeybee Democracy by Thomas D. Seeley

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Honeybee Democracy by Thomas D. Seeley"A wonderful book, beautifully written and illustrated, about humanitys greatest friend among the insects. The honeybee is important not only for its role in agriculture but for what it has taught us concerning the fundamental nature of complex social organization. Seeley, its leading authority, here presents it to a broad readership, with scientific exactitude written in lyrical prose." Edward 0. Wilson Harvard University "Seeley presents an engaging

"A wonderful book, beautifully written and illustrated, about humanity’s greatest friend among the insects. The honeybee is important not only for its role in agriculture but for what it has taught us concerning the fundamental nature of complex social organization. Seeley, its leading authority, here presents it to a broad readership, with scientific exactitude written in lyrical prose."

– Edward 0. Wilson – Harvard University

"Seeley presents an engaging story of honeybees, hives, and scientific investigators to illustrate how choices are made through self-organization in hives, human brains, and even town meetings. Honeybee Democracy offers practical lessons told through vivid language." 

– Jeffrey D. Schall, E. Bronson Ingram Professor of Neuroscience, Vanderbilt University

"Honeybee Democracy is a pleasure to read. Seeley conveys the bee scientist's love and respect for the honeybee, the ingenuity necessary for uncovering the secrets of honeybee life, and the fun that is had in doing so. In an era increasingly dominated by big science and its technology, this book reminds us that a common insect and a few ingenious researchers, armed with equipment obtainable from the local shopping mall, can lead us into a remarkable world." 

– Francis Ratnieks, University of Sussex

"Honeybee Democracy is a sheer delight. Seeley, a superb scientist and a gifted communicator, shares fascinating learning and lessons from his splendid work with these remarkable insects. His enthusiasm is infectious and he persuasively shows that there is a great deal humans can gain from studying swarm: smarts. I love this book and recommend it highly." 

– Michael J. Mauboussin, author of Think Twice: Harnessing the Power of Counterintuition

Honeybees make decisions collectively—and democratically. Every year, faced with the life-or-death problem of choosing and traveling to a new home, honeybees stake everything on a process that includes collective fact-finding, vigorous debate, and consensus building. In fact, as world-renowned animal behaviorist Thomas Seeley reveals, these incredible insects have much to teach us when it comes to collective wisdom and effective decision making. A remarkable and richly illustrated account of scientific discovery, Honeybee Democracy brings together, for the first time, decades of Seeley’s pioneering research to tell the amazing story of house hunting and democratic debate among the honeybees.

In the late spring and early summer, as a bee colony becomes overcrowded, a third of the hive stays behind and rears a new queen, while a swarm of thousands departs with the old queen to produce a daughter colony. Seeley describes how these bees evaluate potential nest sites, advertise their discoveries to one another, engage in open deliberation, choose a final site, and navigate together—as a swirling cloud of bees—to their new home. Seeley investigates how evolution has honed the decision-making methods of honeybees over millions of years, and he considers similarities between the ways that bee swarms and primate brains process information. He concludes that what works well for bees can also work well for people: any decision-making group should consist of individuals with shared interests and mutual respect, a leader’s influence should be minimized, debate should be relied upon, diverse solutions should be sought, and the majority should be counted on for a dependable resolution.

An impressive exploration of animal behavior, Honeybee Democracy shows that decision-making groups, whether honeybee or human, can be smarter than even the smartest individuals in them.

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SKU: 73148669302

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Reckless Reader
Fort Morgan, US
★★★★★ 5
Spectacular Albeit Unknown History of Race Relations
Format: Hardcover
This is a great piece of historiography about something few know about at all --- slavery in New York City in the 18th century. How about a slave "rebellion" in New York City, how about more people burned at the stake than in the Salem witchcraft trials, how about dark byways and highways of old New York, barely transformed from its days as New Amsterdam, dark plots in dank places, shrill frightened tyrants overreacting with bloody retribution, burned ruins of an early African American village in Central Park? One cannot make up this stuff, it is too real so it must be history at its best. And written by one of our premier authors of history, a woman who makes our history live in The New Yorker to the acclaim of many, and yet whose best book, this one, is still too little known. If you appreciate Harry Truman's remark that the only new thing under the Sun is the history you haven't read, then this is one to curl up with and marvel at; a great way to spend a rainy day or a dark night.
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Reviewed in the United States on January 22, 2010
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Michael Pointer
New York, US
★★★★★ 4
Good, but not great.
Format: Paperback
Kudos to Lepore for delving into an important, little known subject, which she does better than most historians. At times, however, I think she felt the need to put every little piece of information she got into the book. It was way too long. Some good research, but she has done better. Still, worth checking out. I like to think I know American history, but I know nothing about this awful chapter.
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Reviewed in the United States on April 1, 2019
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John Warren
San Leandro, US
★★★★★ 5
DAMN, this is a great book!
Format: Hardcover
All history books should be this detailed, this readable, this humane. Lepore knows how to write about a horrible, nearly forgotten episode in NYC history. Unlike many historians, she steps away from overt politics or raw emotion. She knows that this subject is too serious to be shouted. It is the rare history book that is packed with facts as well as knowledge. I felt like Lepore was taking my hand and leading me through the smelly streets of lower Manhattan in 1741, like I could almost see the faces of...what were they, anyway? The victims of a horrible hoax? The demented planners of a plot to burn the city? Or something in between, where thieves can also be the keepers of ancient rites from a distant homeland, where the world is turned upside down? I could go on and on, but just buy the book!
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Reviewed in the United States on May 20, 2008
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Kim Burdick
Houston, US
★★★★★ 3
New York Burning
Format: Paperback
. This is an important book that explores in depth what is usually only found in textbooks as a one-sentence summation: "In 1741 there was a slave uprising in New York City." Scholars will probably be happier starting with the Appendix and bibliography and then reading the book. The text is disorganized and uneven, and although this is non-fiction, the characters could have been more finely drawn. Peter Zenger's trail keeps popping up in unexpected places, often disconnected from the action the author is working on. Some sections are heavy on primary documents and period writings, others are more poetic. Yes, I do understand the parallels with the Salem Witch Trials. The Salem Witch Trials get more press today because of Arthur Miller's "Crucible." Color and religion of the participants aside, both events are stories of group think and mass hysteria, fear and anger. There is plenty of room here for a first-class film or play to be written. Read this book, learn from it. Expect to complain about it. Kim Burdick Stanton, DE
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Reviewed in the United States on November 7, 2014
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Robert B. Tauber
Lexington, US
★★★★★ 5
What You Didn't Know
Format: Paperback
Did you know that if you were a Catholic Priest on the streets of New York in 1747 that you'd be arrested and hung! Great book if you're interested in the times during which our founding Fathers were growing up. It'll give you a different concept on how slavery was different in NYC as opposed to in the South, and how many of the streets in NYC got there names from English magistrates. If you like history, especially of NYC, you'll love this book.
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Reviewed in the United States on January 24, 2015

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