Our first reaction to the Spider may be one of revulsion or fear⁠. To many of us, she is a distasteful creature destined to be crushed underfoot. But here in this book we meet the Spider as Fabre did-industrious builder, talented weaver, wily hunter, ill-fated mate. His observations, often surprising or amazing, on the lifecycle of the Spider are drawn from more than fifty years of studying and caring for them. Yes, the Spider is well worth studying.

Jean-Henri Fabre is considered by many to be the father of modern entomology. He lived from 1823-1915, recording his research and reflections in the ten-volume work Souvenirs Entomologiques, from which the contents of The Life of the Spider have been compiled. The first volume of this set was written in 1879, he finished the tenth, and final, volume in 1909 when he was 86.

The Life of the Spider was first published in 1912. Clement B. Davis added 16 full-page black and white drawings in 1919, which are included in this new and unabridged edition.