Letters from the Hive: An Intimate History of Bees, Honey, and Humankind

  • Stephen Buchmann &
  • Banning Repplier
Bantam Books, $14 0553382667 | ISBN: 0-553-38266-7

A book interweaving the natural history of bees with their small but vital place in world culture. The story ranges from prehistoric honey-hunting to mead-making, pollination, bees in warfare, and the medicinal properties of honey.

A Keeper of Bees: Notes on Hive and Home

  • Allison Wallace
Random House, $23.95 1400062713 | ISBN: 1-400-06271-3

A beautifully written book that peers into the hive for a hard look at honeybee behaviour, then swerves all over the place, covering the events that first sparked the author's interest in bees, the effects of pollution, bees' place in myth and nature, and the many hives the author has created over the years in various back gardens.