The book, "The Art of the Bee: Shaping the Environment from Landscapes to Societies," authored by noted honeybee geneticist Robert E. Page Jr. -- retired from administrative positions at UC Davis and Arizona State University -- has been translated into the German language by C. H. Beck Verlag, one of Germany's oldest publishing houses.
The book launch was on Thursday, Nov. 27, at the Deutches Museum in Munich where Page was to present a public lecture.
Oxford University Press published the book on Aug. 8, 2020.
The book "is 25 years in the making," said Page. "Twenty-five years ago, my friend and mentor Harry Laidlaw (for whom the UC Davis bee facility is named) wanted to write a honey bee biology textbook." When they finished the outline, "it looked very much like the excellent book by Mark Winston The Biology of the Honey Bee, published in 1987 by Harvard University Press. I decided we didn't need another one, and we still don't."
The book differs in that it's a collection of "sparkling essays" that "read like mystery stories," said Rudiger Wehner, professor and director emeritus of the Institute of Zoology, University of Zürich. "With these lucidly written stories, Page takes us on a delightful journey through the many biological traits that on the whole constitute the honeybees' social contract."
Page said his book is geared toward "the person who has a basic knowledge of biology and a fascination with bees, perhaps an educated hobby beekeeper -- there are a lot of them--or an undergraduate or graduate student with an interest."
Page, who received his doctorate in entomology from UC Davis in 1980, joined the UC Davis faculty in 1989 and left as emeritus chair of the Department of Entomology in 2004 when ASU recruited him for what would become a series of top-level administrative roles.
He advanced from director of the School of Life Sciences to dean of Life Sciences; vice provost and dean of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences; and university provost. Today he holds the titles of provost emeritus of ASU and Regents professor emeritus, as well as UC Davis department chair emeritus, professor emeritus, and UC Davis distinguished emeritus professor.
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