Product Description

The ultimate toilet book. This unique book is a treasure trove of irresistible information that you will want to share with friends and acquaintances for years to come.

'Ralph Lewin's elegant and vivacious prose proves only too well that one can be inspired by the prospect of shit ... Merde can be recommended as a Baedeker of the lower regions' - Peter Ackroyd, The Times

'By turns fascinating, amusing and deadly serious' The Guardian

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Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #1382451 in Books
• Published on: 2000-09
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 176 pages

Amazon.co.uk Review
Let's face it--coprology is not a good career choice if you want to talk about your job with friends and family. The study of solid animal excrement (or dung, if you will) isn't a big branch of science, but it's an important one. After all, everybody does it, from presidents to parasites. Justus von Liebig himself is reported to have said: "Society needs manure more than mathematics."

Ralph Lewin is a marine biologist who knows the value of poop. After all, the denizens of ocean bottoms receive much their nutrients by eating the expelled waste of animals above. But marine food chains are only one part of this faintly disgusting story. Lewin goes into detail about the minutiae of the subject, from shapes, sizes, colours, smells and textures of various droppings, to the social importance of defecation among various species. He describes how animals deal with it, as well as analysing human attitudes toward the stuff--from production to disposal. And it's all done with a wry sense of humour and a true scientist's curiosity about the world. An entire chapter is devoted to the famous dung beetle:

"The beetles clearly treat dung as a valuable commodity, sometimes fighting over choice bits; males of certain species may present prospective mates with small pellets as nuptial offerings."

While Merde is a delightful, informative introduction to an overlooked branch of science, we wouldn't recommend quoting from it at mealtimes. -- Therese Littleton, Amazon.com

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Customer Reviews

A Little Constipated
Ah, this book offers so much: 'Excursions into scientific, cultural and socio-historical coprology'. It unfortunately fails to fill its pan. The book does a very big job when looking at the animal kingdom (the author is a professor of life sciences) but these faeces facets dominate to the detriment of the probably more fascinating poo-poo habits of the many world cultures.

Lewin's language also seems rather smug. His broad access to biological terms can leave the reader(')s behind and one feels that he is merely showing off his professional knowledge. Verbal diarrhoea, perhaps.

So, if you're interested in this book, wipe around the rim a little before buying. If the toilet habits of the natural world are your bag, then enjoy. If you thought you'd learn about man's bizarre relationship with his stools, you'll have to struggle just that little bit longer.