The Secret World of Slugs and Snails: Life in the Very Slow Lane

by David George Gordon

A preeminent expert on the small wonders of the natural world, David George Gordon playfully and thoughtfully sheds light on the fascinating lives of slugs and snails. Covering everything from snail sex to the manufacture of synthetic slug slime, Gordon takes us on a journey through the languid and magical world of these charismatic invertebrates. From essays like Grow Your Own Escargot to indispensable gardening tips, this book is chock-full of information on the much-maligned mollusks. Whether removing non-native slugs from your garden or following a native snail as it meanders across the forest floor, you'll never look at these underdogs the same way again. David George Gordon is the author of nineteen books about the natural world, including the best-selling Eat-a-Bug Cookbook and The Compleat Cockroach. Karen Luke Fildes is an accomplished artist who has studied at both the Art Institute of Seattle and Chapman University. Both live in Seattle.

Genres: Nonfiction, Natural History, Animals, Biology, Science, Nature

176 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2010

About the author

The Bug Chef

Reviews

[Linda]

I am the reluctant guardian of ten (well, nine, now) garden snails for the science unit I am teaching. As I cannot answer a single question my students are asking me about our guests (captives?), I was delighted to find this volume in a used bookstore.

Gordon is both informative and really funny, and the illustrations by Fildes are charming. The book concentrates on the Pacific Northwest without explicitly stating this focus, which was a slight detraction for me. Still a great read, though.

[rhi✨]

Cute and informative book about slugs and snails! Includes beautiful drawings, quotes, and essays about these gastropods.

[Erin Young]

There were definitely some gross out parts of this book, I don't recommend reading it over lunch as I did. Nonetheless, it was an uber-interesting book and I found the section on anatomy particularly fascinating. These creatures truly are miraculous. Gordon has a relaxed, poetic style and it's definitely a great vacation read for those with any interest in these fascinating creatures.

[Tweedledum]

What a fascinating book full of useful information and extra-ordinary facts. Reading this has definitely increased my respect for the humble slug and snail, and though I do not want my garden overrun David Gordon helps the gardener regain some perspective and think about environmentally sound ways to control.

[Handan]

This is mainly focused on North America's native and non-native species, and how to get rid of the non-native ones.

As a non-American, the "non-native" ones are actually native neighbors of mine, so it wasn't joyful to have them shown in a bad light. As a vegan, it was terrifying to read about the cooking methods and cruel ways of extermination. As a nerd, I expected more scientific information in general.

It does contain scientific information, especially if you are fairly new to the subject.
But unless you are an American gardener, I'd suggest "The Sound of a Wild Snail Eating" instead.

[Stephanie Warnement]

What a delightful, informative read about snails and slugs! I honestly didn't think I'd enjoy this book as much as I did. I finally learned what invasive species (Arion rufus) is the scourge of my flower bed/rhubarb and how to take care these slimy leaf chompers come spring/summer. The illustrations were also great!

[Jennifer]

Kind of interesting. It got pretty technical, throwing around a lot of anatomical terms that I would have had to work very hard to remember. I wasn’t willing to do that, so I kind of just gave up. I also got really worn out on all the listings of different snail and slug types, too, since without pictures it was simply too abstract for me to internalize.

[Emily Dehmer]

“Albeit less photogenic than the Pyramid of Giza and considerably smaller than the Colossus of Rhodes, land slugs and snails deserve to be placed among the wonders of the world” (79).

5 stars for the writing, -1 star for the escargot recipe and “removal” suggestions :(

[Scholastic Squid]

🐌

[K Sand]

I actually really enjoyed this book and learned a lot of interesting facts, the author did a wonderful job describing the life of a slug and using terms that were easy to understand.

[Irmi Willcockson]

Entertaining and enlightening. A quick read.

[Andrea Wright]

I ended up skimming some of this since it was fully informational and not really a story, but still enjoyed it and learned a few things on the way.

[Rebekah]

A short but enjoyable and informative book. I do wish it had had more information about east coast snails and slugs though.

[Adam]

Fascinating!

[Laura Gilfillan]

All kinds of slimy information about slugs and snails. I'm very impressed with their resilience. Not too bad for a bunch of mollusks.

[Angela Boyle]

I want to write so much slug and snail fan fiction, now! So much great info and so much humor, to boot. This is now a treasured reference on my shelf for my sci-fi writing.

[Carolyn]

I don’t like that the chapter on how to kill slugs and snails is last in the book, feels inappropriate :(

[Richard]

You learn a little more information about snails and slugs. Good read if your into learning new things ...

[Julia K]

so informative & fast-paced! who knew there was so much to learn about slugs & snails!!

now I need some slug nerd out there to make a documentary like this because slugs are so cool

[Melanie]

Now I know...

--what a wild snail eating sounds like: "... a cross between a bastard file and a chainsaw - like something out of Evil Dead II."

-- Some snails have elaborate mating rituals that involve kissing.

-- Speculation about Cupid's arrows in Greek mythology being inspired by the "love darts" that snails shoot into each other if they go the male/female route instead of using their hermaphroditic prowess.

-- that Darwin observed another scientist's experiment in which a sickly snail and its healthy partner were placed in an ill-provided garden. The healthy snail crawled away, over a wall, into a better garden. 24 hours later, it "returned and apparently communicated the result of its successful exploration, for both then started along the same track and disappeared over the wall."

-- That David George Gordon is one of the best nature writers ever.

Did you read The Sound of a Wild Snail Eating? Read this next. Really.

[Chance]

Very enlightening read. I found it funny and enjoyable. It could have used a little more proofreading, however, but they were only minor errors. It is packed full of good information, especially if you have a slug or snail problem in your garden, and you need a humane way of getting rid of them.

[Charity]

Super quick read. Who knew slugs and snails could be so interesting? And funny too!

[Jim Young]

Fun read. Would have enjoyed more detailed illustratons.

[Alissa]

Forward by CISCOE! Author describes geoducks as "Tubby"

[Laurie]

Cute little book. Trying to get over the disgusting factor. checked some of the names on google images - nudibranch - they were beautiful.

[Amanda]

I enjoyed this book but I had hoped for more information on how to cope with slugs in the vegetable garden.

[John]

Read this and you never look at these little guys the same way again. Very readable, very warm bit of science.

[Meredith]

A very adorable book. Had to read it for school, but thoroughly enjoyed it and now I love snails even more than I did before.

[Eric]

Absolutely Charming.

[Sarah]

The book didn't really grab me. It's little more than a collection of factoids. A few good tips for gardeners. Worth reading if the subject matter interests you.