A short treatise on natural history that finally gives due attention to the most unfortunate of all the animals: Noemi Vola's new book features the earthworm, or what we generally call the worm. From its eating habits to its bizarre behaviour, from its underground home to the different shades of pink it can take on, there is a great deal to discover about the worm, yet no one - with the notable exception of Charles Darwin - seems to have ever taken an interest in them.

Many questions about its world are still not answered by science: how did it evade natural selection? What is its tail for? And why does it insist on digging endless tunnels in the ground? What we know for sure is that the earthworm is in no way to be confused with the caterpillar, and that its life is not without dangers and adventures. Like when a thunderstorm arrives and lightning strikes in the wrong place: nothing will ever be the same again for the worm and its tail. 

Mixing scientific observation and brilliant irony in over 200 illustrated pages, On the Unfortunate Life of Worms reveals a tiny animal facing big changes and big question