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.

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.