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Did you know that the cockroach never appears in any of Shakespeare’s works?
The word did not enter English until shortly after he died. Just one of the
thousands of facts packed into The Compleat Cockroach by David George Gordon
(Ten Speed Press, Berkeley, $11.95, ISBN 0 89815 853 2), which covers
everything from their biology to their role in literature and art. Not to mention
how-to chapters on raising, and eradicating (just try) them. Consistently readable
and nicely illustrated—the book shows that Gordon—like roaches—has
stayed up nights, tracking down every roach reference, even an epic Japanese film,
Twilight of the Cockroaches.