MEN, ANTS AND ELEPHANTS: A Bite-Sized Wonder

 Men, Ants and Elephants 

Size in the Animal World

Written by Peter K. Weyl

Illustrated by Anthony Ravielli

What makes an ant different from a human and a human different from an elephant? Size of course, you'd say. When you're done reading Men, Ants and Elephants: Size in the Animal World, you will realise how size makes an ant an ant, an elephant an elephant and us us! In addition to that, lengths, areas and volumes would sit more comfortably in the grooves of your brain. This book written by Peter K. Weyl and illustrated by Anthony Ravielli in 1959 surely deserves a read.

No spoilers here but a warning: you need to know the story of Gulliver's Travels by Jonathan Swift, which you most probably do. It is because Weyl dips into this 1726 classic (which has been made into many movies too) very often to explain how size is not just size but something that decides nearly every attribute of a living organism - how much it eats, how much it can lift, how fast it walks, what kind of sound it makes, how it sees the world, what its bones look like and how it behaves.

One might think that most of this is obvious. Whether we know the reason and the conclusions drawn from sizes is doubtful. This is where Weyl steps in with his simple and curiosity-inducing prose, embroidered with Ravielli's apt and witty drawings. Men, Ants and Elephants has something to offer everyone - from a schoolkid just learning squares and cubes to a grownup who does numbers for only accounts. With a little bit of patience and mindful correlations, you will find that you can develop mathematical instincts and be able to make cool scientific observations.

And yes, with body shaming being the norm today, reading this book might make you feel grateful for what you are. 

*Insert evil laughter*

Speaking of the size of the book, it is just 103 pages long (including all the captivating drawings on almost every page), so very much bite-sized. Peter K. Weyl was a marine scientist at the Stony Brook University, which explains why this book was in the Zoology section (second floor) of the TNAU library. He also wrote the first textbook on oceanography, which I would surely read if I get the chance, just to see if Weyl has used the same style! You can read more about him here.

What Weyl's words say, Anthony Ravielli's pencil sketches of humans and animals do. The facial expressions of the human figures will stay in your mind for a long time and help you remember the actual scientific expressions. Ravielli was an illustrator for The New York Times.

Fun fact: Men, Ants and Elephants has been "Available on loan from 10-4-1965" in the TNAU library. I borrowed it on 11 April 2023 - exactly 58 years after this book came into the library! The last time it was borrowed by someone was in 1990 - 33 years ago. Don't you worry though, it is in quite a good condition with the original teal hardcover, waiting for you to read it!

No excuses. Squeeze this small book into your schedule. It may help you big time.