Sally Coulthard explores the miraculous world of the earthworm, the modest little creature without whom life as we know it would not be possible.

For Charles Darwin – who estimated every acre of land contained 53,000 earthworms – the humble earthworm was the most important creature on the planet. And yet, most people know almost nothing about these little engineers of the earth. We take them for granted but, without the earthworm, the world's soil would be barren, and our gardens, fields and farms wouldn't be able to grow the food and support the animals we need to survive.

Sally Coulthard provides a complete profile of the earthworm by answering fifty questions about these wiggling creatures, from 'What happens if I chop a worm in half?' to 'Would humans survive if worms went extinct?' The Book of the Earthworm offers a feast of quirky facts and practical advice about the world's most industrious – but least understood – invertebrate.