Spider

Description

The spider has a rich symbolic presence in the human imagination. Spider analyses the arachnid's appearance in literature and art. Horror stories, science fiction, folklore and children's tales are reviewed, as well as the affliction of arachnophobia, and the procedures used in curing the condition. A thorough, wide-ranging account of the natural and cultural history of the spider, this book will appeal to anybody who admires, or fears, this complex, delicate, yet powerful creature.

Katarzyna Michalska is a cultural historian in Tubingen, and co-author of the Eyewitness Guide to Munich and the Bavarian Alps (2002). Sergiusz Michalski is professor of art history at the University of Tubingen. His previous books include The Reformation and the Visual Arts (1993), The New Objectivity (1994) and Public Monuments: Art in Political Bondage, 1870 - 1997 (Reaktion, 1998).

'In phobia terms, Reaktion's terrific animal series has reached the king of beasts. Arachnophobia, the Miss Muffet syndrome, is "now counted among the most interesting human neuroses" ... Not everyone has this antipathy to the 400 different types of spider ... In this enjoyable (at least for some of us) monograph, the reader learns something new about this extraordinary creature.' - The Independent 'Spider weaves biological facts and global traditions into a satisfying analysis of how arachnids capture the imagination.' - BBC Wildlife Magazine