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

This book delivered on all expectations, and then more. I was fascinated by the descriptions of the honey hunts by various peoples, how honey is used as medicine, the history of honey, the recipes, etc. The one thing I would have liked to see more is information about honey in South America. Buchmann touched on the topic briefly, but never really elaborated like he did with other places. Yet I appreciated the amount of detail he devotes to Central and North American stingless bees. The writing style is simply AWESOME. I enjoyed very much how he and the writer peppered the book with fun remarks. For example, after reading the gruesome battles and killings between queen bees, they finish the paragraph by comparing it to Shakespeare's plays. Even if you are not into bees, you are going to enjoy reading this book.

I enjoyed this book tremendously. As a complete novice in the world of bees, it gave me the information I wanted while being thoroughly enjoyable to read and providing great historical connections. Added bonus, the recipes are terrific!

What a great book full of insights, humour and knowledge about bees in the world. Great easy read which has appealed to this new amateur beekeeper

When the book fell open to the chapter on Mead, I was hooked. In talking about Elizabeth I's favorite drink: spices, syrup, grape wine and honey, "a sickly-sweet concoction that would not appeal to the un-Tudored palates of modern Chablis drinkers." "un-Tudored," anyone who can write like that deserves to be read. The next chapter talks about what happens to any bacterium that happens to fall into honey. The highly concentrated sugars in the honey pull the water out of the bacterium. The bacterium then shrink up and die. The ancients, applied honey to wounds, they didn't get infected and they healed faster. Honey impregnated bandages are available in Europe, Australia and New Zeeland (but not in the U.S. - probably no way to get honey through the approval cycle) but worth a try next time you get a cut. Finally, the book concludes with an Afterword, which is entitled 'A Letter to the Hive.' It's a copy of what might be a letter to the bees, sent 'care of the hive.' It says, thanks and we love you. Delightful reading along with a great mass of information.

I just read the only review of this amazing book and am surprised at how much we differ. I am not connected to the bee world and I found this book to be very entertaining. It's raised my awareness of how important these critters are to our fragile environment. The earlier review seems focused on the author. I don't remember any "ego" comments. Just a great storyteller who managed to peek my interest in bees and their world. Wouldn't I love to go on the hikes Dr. Buchmann mentioned. I give this 5 stars. If you enjoy nature and have any sense of wonderment, I feel you'll enjoy reading this one.