About the Book

City dwellers, especially in places like Manhattan, grow accustomed to having several hundred uninvited houseguests in their homes at all times: cockroaches. Slinking in the shadowy hollows between walls, under sinks, and along the floorboards, the ubiquitous urban insects are loathsome to most and frightening to many. But you only fear what you don’t know. Ekaterina Smirnova’s An Illustrated Guide to Cockroaches will help everyone terrified of their six-legged roommates: through Smirnova’s illustration and explanation, the entire life-cycle of the typical cockroach is laid bare. Part humorous, part disgusting, An Illustrated Guide to Cockroaches is a necessary component of every urban bookshelf.

About the Author

Ekaterina Smirnova is an artist, graphic designer, illustrator, and author from Novosibirsk, Siberia, Russia. She has been a member of the Art Students League of New York since she moved to the United States in 2006. At league events, she has won awards in printmaking and oil and watercolor panting. She had the honor of being the artist in residence at ASL of NY for June 2010. Smirnova’s graphic design skills were formed at the School of Visual Arts and were polished at various companies, where she has had roles spanning from web design to interior design.

About the Publisher

Mark Batty Publisher is an independent publisher dedicated to making distinctive books on the visual art of communicating, showcasing the visual power and innovation of contemporary culture in all of its varied poses. Today, the visual comes at us from more places than ever, and its dissemination is faster and more advanced every year. Books from Mark Batty Publisher capture this acceleration on the pages of every book. Affordable, well designed, thoughtfully created, and produced to last, MBP books are artful products that readers want to hold onto forever.