“The Secret World of Slugs and Snails: Life in the Very Slow Lane”
By David George Gordon
(Sasquatch Books, $14.95)
What it is:
From the get-go, “The Secret World of Slugs and Snails” is a charmer, and one you won’t have to slog through. You’ll devour chapters that lay out the wonders of the prehistoric mollusks, from stories of how they got to these shores in the first place (blame a French explorer) to how they’ve managed to survive a rather trying string of ice ages, earthquakes, volcanoes and lesser climatologic troubles. You’ll gasp, perhaps, at the “Seven Wonders of Snaildom” (from Slime to Sex, you’ll find it all). You’ll unearth long lists of plants they snub. How to keep them as pets. And a medieval recipe for escargot, one that dates back to 1394.
What makes it armchair-worthy:
Who wouldn’t want to curl up with a tome that shares such biological deliciousness as the fact that the slug has 27,000 teeth? (And does it make us feel any better, knowing the slimy fellow is no slouch in the dental department, when, overnight, he makes chopped salad of our hostas?) David George Gordon, a naturalist and author of 19 books, including the best-selling “Eat-a-Bug Cookbook,” knows how to spin a yarn. Best of all, his fascination with the underappreciated slowpokes is downright contagious. Don’t be surprised if you hoist a Slug Lookout Booth in your own backyard.
One fine line:
“But why study snails, of all things?” the parents of an ex-seminarian asked their son, who had decided to abandon his path of religious study, leaving the seminary to become a student of malacology — the branch of biology that includes slugs and snails. The ex-seminarian is said to have replied, “Slugs and snails are living reminders that not everyone gets to be an eagle.”
