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warrenl's review against another edition
4.0
A beautiful little book, an extended essay really, a poetic paean to the bee. As a hobby beekeeper I learned much from Maeterlink; his observations of bees are peerless, his love for them unmatched. But I have to knock a star off for his frequent digressions into flowery Victorian nature-worship and philosophical speculations.
uhambe_nami's review against another edition
5.0
No living creature, not even man, has achieved, in the centre of his sphere, what the bee has achieved in her own: and were some one from another world to descend and ask of the earth the most perfect creation of the logic of life, we should needs have to offer the humble comb of honey.
This book is a beautifully written treatise on the life of bees, the structure of their colonies and the formation of swarms, the perfection of the hexagonal comb cell, and their fascinating ways of reproduction. The book ends with a philosophical chapter on how bee societies compare with human ones in terms of progress as a species, adaptation to change, inventiveness and intelligence. A marvellous meditation on a species that can still teach us a thing or two.
This book is a beautifully written treatise on the life of bees, the structure of their colonies and the formation of swarms, the perfection of the hexagonal comb cell, and their fascinating ways of reproduction. The book ends with a philosophical chapter on how bee societies compare with human ones in terms of progress as a species, adaptation to change, inventiveness and intelligence. A marvellous meditation on a species that can still teach us a thing or two.
gbliss's review against another edition
4.0
A classic in the history of bee literature.
A fascinating and timely appreciation of the bee and the life of the hive.
The late 19th century mindset of the author adds to the interest. The musings on industry, work, community, royal rule vs workers' coop, and more. What adds to the interest is seeing the gaps in knowledge about bees at the time. The author notes that bees had only been studied closely for about 50 years at the time he was writing. Therefore, much has been learned but so much more remained unknown.
This is not a book for the general audience. I would, however, recommend it to hard core beekeepers. Having some knowledge of late 19th century intellectual life helps, but is not essential.
A fascinating and timely appreciation of the bee and the life of the hive.
The late 19th century mindset of the author adds to the interest. The musings on industry, work, community, royal rule vs workers' coop, and more. What adds to the interest is seeing the gaps in knowledge about bees at the time. The author notes that bees had only been studied closely for about 50 years at the time he was writing. Therefore, much has been learned but so much more remained unknown.
This is not a book for the general audience. I would, however, recommend it to hard core beekeepers. Having some knowledge of late 19th century intellectual life helps, but is not essential.
hoperu's review against another edition
2.0
This was OK. There were definitely moments of really great prose that made me go "Hmm...yes!" but there were a lot more moments where I was rolling my eyes. Maeterlinck really, really liked attributing human reason and emotion to the bees as they go about their business. As a history of the way people wrote natural history, it could be an interesting read, and for anyone who keeps bees. For me, not so much.
karolinka's review against another edition
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
relaxing
slow-paced
3.5
bogumila's review against another edition
3.0
Po niesamowitej "Inteligencji kwiatów" nastawiałam się na botaniczną, pełną informacji pozycję, przeplataną niewielką ilością filozoficznych wtrętow. "Życie pszczół" jest jednak dokładnym przeciwieństwem.
Mnóstwo dygresji i wodolejstwa, wiele powtórzeń i przede wszystkim bardzo mało rzeczywistej wiedzy o pszczołach, a szkoda, bo kiedy się ona pojawia to w genialnej formie, ktorą zabłysnął we wspomnianej wyżej "inteligencji".
Oczywiście w dalszym ciągu jest to książka dobra, pieknie wydana i kolorowa, ale trzeba mieć na uwadze, że bliżej jej do lekko chaotycznego filozoficznego wywodu niż wnikliwej obserwacji przyrodniczej, która wydaje się być tylko pretekstem.
Mnóstwo dygresji i wodolejstwa, wiele powtórzeń i przede wszystkim bardzo mało rzeczywistej wiedzy o pszczołach, a szkoda, bo kiedy się ona pojawia to w genialnej formie, ktorą zabłysnął we wspomnianej wyżej "inteligencji".
Oczywiście w dalszym ciągu jest to książka dobra, pieknie wydana i kolorowa, ale trzeba mieć na uwadze, że bliżej jej do lekko chaotycznego filozoficznego wywodu niż wnikliwej obserwacji przyrodniczej, która wydaje się być tylko pretekstem.
nwhyte's review against another edition
4.0
https://nwhyte.livejournal.com/2872453.html
It's quite short, and it's basically about bees. Maeterlinck was a keen bee-keeper, he knew what he was writing about (in this case at least - a later book about termites was allegedly plagiarized), and his enthusiasm is infectious. As the quote above demonstrates, it's a detailed, lyrical and rather passionate work, if somewhat anthropomorphic.
The downside is that, like a lot of nature writing of the time (the book was first published in 1901), it is a rather politically conservative text. There is no room here for departure form the natural order; although queens may be overthrown and replaced, this happens only as part of the set natural cycle of returning to the status quo. Bees manifest the importance of knowing your place and sticking to it. I was irresistibly reminded of Laline Paul's The Bees, one of the first books I read for the Arthur C. Clarke Award, which turns exactly the same setting into a revolutionary parable.
It's quite short, and it's basically about bees. Maeterlinck was a keen bee-keeper, he knew what he was writing about (in this case at least - a later book about termites was allegedly plagiarized), and his enthusiasm is infectious. As the quote above demonstrates, it's a detailed, lyrical and rather passionate work, if somewhat anthropomorphic.
The downside is that, like a lot of nature writing of the time (the book was first published in 1901), it is a rather politically conservative text. There is no room here for departure form the natural order; although queens may be overthrown and replaced, this happens only as part of the set natural cycle of returning to the status quo. Bees manifest the importance of knowing your place and sticking to it. I was irresistibly reminded of Laline Paul's The Bees, one of the first books I read for the Arthur C. Clarke Award, which turns exactly the same setting into a revolutionary parable.