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In Search of the Giants of the Sea
by Philip Hoare
The Whale by Philip Hoare is a enthralling and eye-opening literary leviathan swimming in similar bestselling waters as Cod and The Secret Life of Lobsters. Winner of the BBC Samuel Johnson Prize for Nonfiction, The Whale is a lively travelogue through the history, literature, and lore of the king of the sea—the remarkable mammals that we human beings have long been fascinated with, from Moby Dick to Free Willy. Bestselling author and naturalist Bernd Heinrich calls it, "a moving and extraordinary book," and Hoare’s sparkling account of swimming with these incredible behemoths will delight whale and wildlife aficionados, lovers of the sea and sea stories, as well as the socially and environmentally conscious reader.
"This singular, magnificent book inspires both awe and shame—awe of the whales, shame of the human species that has tried to destroy them. In the end, Hoare’s virtuosic sympathy for his subject makes you believe in the better angels of our nature." - Alex Ross, bestselling author of The Rest is Noise
"Starred Review. British biographer Hoare ....exults in the outsized glory of whales...a delightfully intimate and unapologetically personal engagement - a deserved winner of the 2009 Samuel Johnson Prize in Britain." - Kirkus Reviews
"Starred Review. This tour de force is a sensuous biography of the great mammals that range on and under Earth’s oceans." - Publishers Weekly Pick of the Week
"Fans of ... Richard Ellis's Men and Whales will enjoy. Sure also to appeal to whale enthusiasts without a formal science background." - Library Journal
"Philip Hoare's writing is quite untrammelled by convention and opens up astonishing views at every turn." - W.G. Sebald
"Philip Hoare's The Whale is everything you want from a book. It is unpredictable and amusing and informative and original, cavorting between biology, history, travel writing, and memoir with an engaging sense of the subject's charisma. And the book is even handsome." - Mark Kurlansky
This information about The Whale was first featured
in "The BookBrowse Review" - BookBrowse's membership magazine, and in our weekly "Publishing This Week" newsletter. Publication information is for the USA, and (unless stated otherwise) represents the first print edition. The reviews are necessarily limited to those that were available to us ahead of publication. If you are the publisher or author and feel that they do not properly reflect the range of media opinion now available, send us a message with the mainstream reviews that you would like to see added.
Any "Author Information" displayed below reflects the author's biography at the time this particular book was published.
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