Insects in the World of Fiction

Since early childhood, I have had a passion for two things: books and insects. While working on master’s degrees in library science and entomology, I’ve had the unique opportunity to combine these fields. My library background led to an interest in bibliographical information, and thus, as part of my master’s program in entomology at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln, I chose to research and compile a list of fictional works (published/produced in the United States, 1950–2012) about or including insects, spiders, related arthropods, and/or entomologists as main characters. Although there are numerous small bibliographies about insects, a full list seems to be missing from the literature. Therefore, this “Insectography” may be of interest and benefit to entomologists, librarians, teachers, and the general public (including parents) looking for a variety of resources in popular culture about entomology. Although this publication will focus on bibliographical works, the complete Insectography, which also includes a filmography of television shows/episodes, cartoons, and video games that incorporate entomology as a theme, can be viewed at http://unlcms.unl.edu/entomology/ bugbuddies/insectography