| CLASSIC DIVE BOOKS
Marine sciences - the Sharks - elasmobranchs. |
HOMEPAGE |
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Please note: The books are listed for interest only, and not offered for sale. Some of those listed may be available from Oceans Enterprises. For an essay published in the late eighties on shark books, enter here. Link for Shark Bibliography, pre 1970. |
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AUSTRALIAN
SHARKS
A Guide to Shjarks in Australian Waters. G.P.Whitley. First published 1940. many further publications. Lloyd O'Neil Pty Ltd, Melbourne, 1983. (imag on left). ISBN 0 85550 546 X Laminated board covers, 136 pages, mono and colour photographs, drawings. An excellent concise guide by one of Autrali' top ichthyologists. |
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AUSTRALIA'S
SHARKS AND RAYS .
Neville Coleman. Predominantly a basic identification book with good sized photographs and sufficient text top describe each species. Would make a nice gift, or a basic primer on sharks and rays. Large format, 64 pages, softcover. |
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BLUE
MERIDIAN: THE SEARCH FOR THE GREAT WHITE SHARK
Peter Matthiessen. Random House, New York, 1971. Hardcover, dustjacket, small 4to 9" - 11" ; 204 pages. Author and diver Matthiessen followed internationally acclaimed underwater cinematographer Peter Gimble in his quest to film the Great White, travelling to the Caribean, Indian Ocean, Sri Lanka, and ‘the bleak south coast of Australia'. This is an excellent read for anyoen interested in marine life, particularly sharks. It includes quite a bit on Australia including the attack on Henri Bource. But this is not a book of sensationalism. It is exceptionally well writen and considers not only the attitudes of those on the expeditions, but also shows a greater understanding of the creatures that they were out to film. |
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CLOSE
TO SHORE
The Extradorinary True Story of the New Jersey Great White Shark Attacks of 1916. Michael Capuzzo. Headline Book Publishing, London, 2001. ISBN 0 7472 7467 3. Hardcover, dustjacket, 317 pages, no photographs, extensive bibliography, no index. Was Peter Benchley inspired by the events of 1916 to writ his bestseller 'Jaws'. I have no doubt he was, and derived his initial knowledge probably from Shadows in the Sea (see also listed here). From the fly: As holidaymakers thronged the palatial hotels and sandy beaches along the Jersey Shore in the summer of 1916, America was bursting with optimism and self- confidence. But a hitherto unimaginable series of events was about to shake that self-confidence to its core and create a national frenzy. A lone Great White Shark, driven inshore by freak climatic conditions, began to develop a taste for human flesh, attacking swimmers all along the popular coast between New York and Philadelphia - and even, incredibly, swimming eleven miles inland to devastate a farming community. When the horrifying truth could no longer be denied, an entire nation mobilized its collective energy to hunt down the monster, and a mythic enemy was permanently lodged in our nightmares. The tragedy introduced the twentieth century to the terror of sharks and seemed to mark the end of an innocent age when ships were unsinkable and a shark, so experts believed, hadn't the jaw strength to hurt a man. They remain the most devastating series of shark attacks in history, anywhere in the world - the model for Peter Benchley's bestseller Jaws. , Combining fascinating science with thrilling narrative, Michael Capuzzo tells for the first time the epic story of the shark, its victims and the society it changed for ever. [ps] |
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DANGER
- SHARK!
Jean Campbell Butler. Published in UK by The Scientific Book Club, London, in 1965. The book is adapted from Sharks and Survival by Dr Perry W. Gilbert, published in the USA, with permission from the American Institute of Biological Sciences.. Hardcover, dust jacket, 190 pages, a few line drawings. Covers the biology of the sharks, various species, and many statistics regarding population and distribution, and attacks. Raises several questionss - is a shark a fish; the rogue shark theory, public safety. An important book. [ps-top] Lower image: Published 1964 by Little, Brown ? Co. Hardcover, dust jacket, 243 pages, a few black ? white photographs. "Shark attacks, always a serious menace, have increased greatly in the last few years. There are many reasons for this increase. Since world population has been growing so rapidly, the mathematical chances of a shark encountering a man have risen accordingly. The proportion of the population who can afford to travel to beaches, who learn to swim, who buy boats, water skis and deep sea fishing equipment, is very much larger than before. Also, the phenomenal growth of the popularity of skin diving has brought substantial numbers of people face to face with the shark under water in a whole new set of conditions. Lastly, sharks have probably become more abundant." The book claims to "give the facts to a reader who is not sure whether a shark will attack him on sight, attack only when attracted by blood, or never attack at all unless badly provoked". The book was apparently developed by the author from scientific papers given at the New Orleans Shark Conference, called by the Office of Naval Research in 1958. Mrs. Butler has written chapters on the continuing search for effective shark repellents, and helpful advice on public safety and first aid. |
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DIVING
WITH SHARKS and other Adventures Dives.
Include practical advice for experienced divers. Jack Jackson . New Holland Publications. Softcover, large A4 format, 160 pages, full colour througout. Beautifully photographed and presented, this is an interesting books for those who have ventured beyond the odd dive at the end of the jetty. Covers the fascinating experieinces of diving with sharks, whales, dolphons, manta rays, and turtles, potato cod and sea snakes, with locations throughoput the world, including Australia of course. There is an informative section on diving in strong currents, and wreck diving covers twelve sections including the Yongala, Andrea Doria and Truk Lagoon, and of course the Prsident Coolidge. Finally, the chspter on closed overhad environmnts includes cavern and sinkhole diving, and under the Antarctic ice. A very interesting read, informative and beautifully presented. An appendix provides a brief directory of locations with a star graded system for experience required. |
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ENCYCLOPEDIA
OF SHARKS.
S. ? J. Parker. Softcover, large format, full colour throughout (and very well designed), 192 pages. A very informative book, going beyond just identification and dispensing with the sensationalism normally associted with ‘shark books'. In seven excellent chapters it give a greater understamding of these magnificent creatutes: Shark Success, Ecology and Biology, Sence and Supersence, Design for Living, Design for Killing, More Sharks - or Fewer?, Shark Talk. |
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EXPLORES
SHARKS (READER'S DIGEST -)
Full colour, medium format, 160 pages, hardcover, dustjacket. A good, concise book expertly written as would be expected from Readers Digest. Covers the environment, identification, behaviour and integration with people. |
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FANGS
OF THE SEA. Norman Caldwell, in collaboration with Norman Ellison.
Angus ? Roberston Limited, Sydney and London, 1939. The autobiography of
a commercial shark-catcher in Melbourne who once saw a ‘horrible looking
brute' off St Kilda and ‘decided to catch and kill sharks at every opportunity'.
A very interesting read; how fortunate we have moved in from these days
ewhrn ‘shark fishing (was) a grand sport'. Hardcover, no dust jacket my
copy, 309 pages, no illustrations except a cartoon of the author.
Note: The dust jacket shown is off a paperback, 1966. The original 1939 edition probably had an embossed cover with the title and author, abd probably never had a dust jacket. Oceans Enterprises have created a pseudo dust jackeet for the hardcover edition based on the cover of thr paperback - not a reflection on the original of course, but it looks good and protects the book. [ps - cover from pb] |
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FIELD
GUIDE TO AUSTRALIA'S SHARKS AND RAYS
Daly, Stevens, Last and Yearsley. Softcover, 84 pages, full colour throughout, common name and scientific nme index, biblography. By the authors of the acclaimed CSIRO publication Sharks and Rays of Australia (now out of print), this excellent field guide allows easy recognition of species. A step guide to identification is not only useful for iots purpose, but extremely informative in showing how the species vary. The identification section contains two species per page, each with a full colour photograph, and details on habitat, teeth, full description of characteristics. A very useful book. |
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FOCUS
ON SHARKS
Sarah R. Riedman, and Elton T. Gustafson Abelard-Schuman, New York, London. 1969. Library of Congress 68-8563. Standard Book No. 200.71588.7 An excellent book, serious and informative. From the fly: Sharks, the most dangerous animals in the sea and the most hated, are also the most fasci- nating. For despite attempts to study their habits, these "splendid savages," as Cousteau h~s called them, remain enigmatic and unpre- dictable. Countless questions have been asked about sharks: How do you tell them apart? How long have sharks been around? How can one determine their age? What do they eat? Can they hear? Can they see color? Do they pro- duce sounds? How hard can a shark bite? What is being done about the shark menace? Can information be obtained about them that could be useful in the study of human dis- ease? This book takes up such questions as these, and many others, as it separates legend and myth from fact. Did you know, for example, that out of their llatural habitat, sharks often refuse food and are difficult to keep alive? That most sharks ignore humans and others bite only when provoked? The name "man-eater" has been well-earned, nonetheless. This lively and informative account ~ves readers a close look at currently available data on these despised marauders of the deep. Copiously illustrated, the book includes three tables and an index. [ps] |
1978 edition, William Collins. . 
1986 Crowood Press. . 
2000 editions. |
There
are basically three (at least) books to consider here, from several publishers.
GREAT SHARK STORIES
GREAT SHARK STORIES
It begs the question as to whether there was a 1978 edition printed in the USA. I suspect there was, and it would have had the same content as the William Collins English edition. But how is it that Harpers and Row are credited with its publication ownership at the time? The Crowood Press edition eight years later is a revised condensed 'hitch-on' publication for the general market. Why the full edition was not reproduced I do not know but no doubt commercialism and cost considerations would have come into it. Next, in the year 2000, we have another reprint, this time back to its full original content of the first edition in 1978. This is a USA edition, and was dumped on the Australian remainder market sometime mid 2000-2010. I don't know if it was officially released in Australia in 2000. GREAT SHARK WRITINGS
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GREAT
WHITE SHARK
Richard Ellis and John E.McCosker. Softcover. medium format, 270p, full colour. With original photographs by Al Giddings and others. It is billed as 'the definitive look at the most terrifying creature on earth', and were it not for the impressive authors, one could be forgiven for thinking that this is just another book of emotive drivel. But with the names of Ellis, McCosker and Giddings on the cover, you have to look further, and for good reason. Great White Shark turns out to be, indeed, the most definitive work on the species. The photographs are graphic without being sensational, and the text combines biological material with anecdotes, experiences, myth and public conceptions. A truly excellent book. |
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KILLERS
OF THE SEAS
The Dangerous Creatures that Threaten Man in an Alien Environment. Edward R.Ricciuti. Walker ? Co., New York. 1973. ISBN 0-8027-0415-8. Library of Congress 72-95785. Hardcover, dustjacket, 308 pages, mono prints and drawings, bibliography, index. From the fly: Here is a rousing, scientifically sound survey of all the sea creatures that put dread in the hearts of men. Edward Ricciuti, a science writer with a passion for scuba div- ing and oceanographic expeditions, has swum eye-to-eye with a killer whale, flippered about with dolphins, tagged and captured sharks, and had numerous tense visits with barracudas, moray eels, and sting rays. Augmenting his own experiences with interviews with scores of the world's leading marine biologists, Mr. Ricciuti explores the latest research and the lingering legends of oceanic and freshwater preda- tors. He writes of sharks and shark attacks and the little-known homed goblin shark: of the incredibly venemous Japanese puffer fish ("fugu" when cooked); of the increasingly ominous migrations of Pacific sea snakes through the Panama Canal; of that aquatic Borgia, the tiny blue-ringed octopus that can kill a man in seconds; and of monsters of the seas-legendary, prehistoric, and possibly still alive. [ps] |
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LORD OF THE
SHARKS.
Franco Prosperi. Translated by Camilla and Guido Roatta. First published 1955, Hutchinson ? Co. (Publsihers) Ltd, LOndon. Hardcover, dustjackt, 216 pages, mono and colour plates. Perhaps this book does not deserve a listing under 'shareks', as it is more to do with early adventure diving thn the majestic elasmobranch, but with a title like that, how could I resist. From the fly: Dr. Franco Prosperi, who is a Roman biologist, was the leader of a party of three high-spirited young Italians who, having become fully experienced in the new sport of underwater fishing in the Mediterranean, pioneered it in the waters of Ceylon in 1951. Lord of the Sharks is the exceedingly engaging account of the experiences of three young men enjoying themselves im- mensely in very novel surroundings - a gay and youthful book, but one with its serious side. Franco was not content merely to stalk and kill fish with his underwater harpoon gun, but also filmed and photographed them, took scientific notes and collected specimens. Franco, Paolo, and Carlo arrived in the Indian Ocean with no previous local experience to guide them, but at least they had no fear of the sharks. They found themselves able to deal wjth them - as the remark able illustrations show - though there were awkward moments during their first encounter and on a later occasion when Franco was filming the harpooning of a shark by one of his companions, and was nearly drowned because he was entangled with the harpoon line and was dragged away when the shark fled. The expedition,. well equipped in other respects, was short of cash. They therefore supplemented their funds by selling part of their catch, which ranged from lobsters to sharks, and included a quaqtity of curious submarine creatures. Indeed they were offered permanent employment as shark-killers by an enterprisihg Ceylonese merchant. By buying a rickety sailing craft with an unreliable auxiliary engine they increased their mobility and sold her again on their departure from the scene of their exuberant explorations. [ps] |
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MARK
OF THE SHARK
True Tales of Terror from the Deep. Edited by John Long. The Globe Pequot Press, Connecticut, USA. 2003. ISBN 0-7627-1163-9 Siftcover, 204 pages, no indx, no illustrations. This is an excellent compendium of fascinating shark tales, of encounters and evaluations, from seventeen authors, many well known. Hugh Edwards and Rodney Fox represent the Aussies, with shark experts Perry Gilbert, William Young, and Xavier Maniquet; and others including Bret Gilliam, Marty Snyderman, Joe Jackson, and others that I have not heard of, but now appreciate. Its not all blood and guts, but an excellent insight into these fabulous creatures. |
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MYTH
AND MANEATER
The Story of the Shark David Kenyon Webster Peter Davies limited, London, 1962. Hardcover, dustjacket, 223 pages, mono prints, bibliography, no index. It says that the author was at Harvard Univeristy before joining the RAF in WW2, which does not tell you anything about the credentials of the author. (My cousin was at Melbourn Univeristy for many years, as a gardener). The author was unfortunatel;y lost at sea when hunting sharks off the Californian coast, and probably did not get to see his book in print. It contains quite a wealth of information and is a good read. |
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SHADOWS
IN THE SEA. The Sharks, Skates and Rays.
Harold W. McCormick, Tom Allen, and Captain William Young. Copyright 1963. Chilton Company, Philadelphia. First published Great Britain 1964 by Sidgwick and Jackson, London. (Also Weathervane Books, 1963 ?). Hardcover, dust jacket, 414 pages, mono photos and drawings throughout. I still suggest that this is the best book on its subject I have read. Divided into four parts: Shark Against Man, Man Against Shark, Man and Shark, Shark and Company - it is not an identification book (although 30 pages are devoted to such), but more so to the life and times of the shark species and their relationship with man. I am convinced that Peter Benchley read this book and went off to write Jaws, for the basic theme in Jaws was a true story, related in Shadows in th Sea. A wonderful book, one of my favourites, and a great contribution to our selachian knowledge. The following is an excellent description from a book dealer in the USA (Interesting Books): NY: Weathervane Books, 1963. The 1963 date is wrong but it's the only date in the book; my guess is late '70's-early '80's. 415 pages with a lot of pictures/illustrations/tables/map. Also includes an Index and a 13 page Appendix titled "Selachian Cookery" (Shark recipes! The authors do point out that pretty much the whole world eats sharks except fishermen from the United States). "...What sharks are dangerous? How dangerous? When, where, and under what conditions? How can man protect himself against them? These and a thousand other questions are answered in Shadows in the Sea by one of the finest writing teams ever assembled for a specialized project. (The authors) have searched throughout the world for information on sharks. Every fact in the book has been authenticated. For the first time the incredible Selachians (skates, sharks, sawfish, and rays) have been thoroughly described - from luminous sharks twelve inches long to giant rays weighing a ton." From the fly (of the British Edition): To anyone who has bathed in tropical waters the word 'shark' has a very special significance. Nothing in the great and mysterious silence of the ocean strikes so much fear as this sinister, deadly, and evil-looking fish, the terror of the shipwrecked sailor, the scourge of the crowded beaches of Australia, and one of the most unusual and fascinating creatures in the animal ~ngdom. One can look at the shark from many different points of view. Biologically it is peculiar, for it has no bones. So perfectly strong and simple is its design and so well suited to its environment that it has survived virtually unaltered from prehistoric days before the animal world began to form bone. The rat-race of evolution has passed it by. Then there are shark attacks. Can they be anticipated? What sharks are dangerous? What is the best protection? There is the mystique of the shark in the religions and tribal rituals of. many primitive peoples. There is shark fishing, one of the most thrilling and dangerous of sports. There is the sharrk as big business, for his skin, for his oil, for his high protein value. And, to a much greater extent than most people realize, there ia the shark as food; not just such rarities as the famous Chinese delicacy 'shark's fin soup', but, under many disguises and pseudonyms, shark meat is eaten and enjoyed everywhere. There is here a section of recipes. This is a complete monograph on the shark and its related species, the skates and rays: authoritative, thoroughly researched, well illustrated, and compulsively readable.  .  . 
Editions as shown: Left column: This is the original 1963 UK edition published by Chilton Company. It is slightly larger than the other editions, dimensions of 24 x 16 x 4 cm. It also has illustrated endpapers.. Top, left : This is the 1964 British edition published by Sidgewick and Jackson, of London. The middle illustration above (green) was published by Weathevane Books, a division of Barre Publishing, distributed by Crown Publishers Inc, by arrangement with Chilton Book Company, USA. It has a copyright date of 1963 but this is certainly not the publication date of this edition which is identical to the original. This edition was available in Australia during the late seventies and eighties, so my guess is that the book was printed/published in the late seventies. It is slightly smallewre than the original, at 23.3 cm height. Note the similarity of the dusstjackets. The right edition with the hammerhead shark cover is a softcover reprint, 1996, by Thomas B. Allen (one of the original authors), published by The Lyons Press, New York. Paperback, 354 pages, index, biblioghraphy, mono images. The cover indicated that it is a 'Fully Updated Edition'; internally the author states that it is "an amended version", and the Preface indicates it is "a new edition". I have not compared the old and new editions except that the chaptwer headings are the same. [ps-all] There also appears to have been a 1978 softcover edition published in (or by) Scarborough, New York. |
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SHARK
Olaf Ruhen. Edited and condensed by Neil Stevens. Attacks and Adventures with Rodney Fox Published by O'Neill Wetsuits (Austalia) Pty Ltd in association with Rodney Fox. 1975. A small book of sixty four pages, full colour, unfortunately, throughout. Why the fascination with sharks? I guess it is understandabale as they are magnificent and terrifying creatures - the big ones anyway. And this book is about the big ones - the Great White - the White Pointer - fearsome killer of the seas that, for some people, are only of benefit if lying dead on a boat's deck or jetty, ready to have their jaws carved out as a gory reminder of how man can ever-so-bravely overcome the beast - providing he has the right tools. I knew Rod Fox back in the seventies and interviewed him for Skindiver magazine several years after he was attacked off Aldinga Beach (South Australia) on December 8, 1963. His courage and determination enabled him to survive the horrific attack in what would have surely killed most people. His wounds were enormous but they healed and Rod was initially determined to get his own back, and went on a 'rampage' to kill as many of his marine adversaries as he could find. He was assisted by another victim, Henri Bource, who lost a leg off Lady Percy Island (western Victoria); I knew Henri also and interviewing him for the diving magazine. So if you like the dramatic descriptions of a shark attack accompanied by blood-and-guts photographs, both human and shark, then this small book is a must. Fortunately, both Rod and Henri are/were (Henri has since died), intelligent and very fine men and soon gave up the futile challenge of ridding our seas of these 'terrible monsters'. Both in hindsight saw the 'error of their ways', understandable as it may have been, and became extremely active in education and the conservation of sharks. Perhaps the readers of this small book will appreciate what they went through, and how right they were to educate and protect these necessary creatures despite their ordeals. [pjs] |
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SHARK
ATTACK
A Study of Swimmers, Surfers, Skin Divers, Shipwreck Survivors, and Sharks V. M. Coppleson. Angus and Robertson, Sydney et al. 1958. Hardcover, dustjacket, 266 pages, mono prints, listing of shark attacks in Australin waters from 1919-1957, major attacks on other parts of the world, no index. This is the major work on shark attacks in Australia and overseas up to the time of its publication. It is both authorative, scientific and entertaining and although quite senational, it is not written for that effect. The author is Australian. From the fly: This book is the first ever published on shark attacks. It originated some twenty years ago when Dr.V.M. Coppleson, an adviser to the Surf Life Saving Association of Australia, began a study of the medical aspects of shark bite. This led to an examination of the features and'patterns of shark attack-how, when, where, and why they attack humans. On the scientific aspects of sharks Dr Coppleson has been advised and assisted by Mr Gilbert Whitley, Curator of Fishes at the Australian Museum and a world authority on the subject. Shark Attack traces the history of one of the sea's greatest scourges, from the days when there was not even a name for sharks, to the present, when science believes it is on the fringe of substantially freeing man from the threat of attack and the inherent fear that is with every bather-Perhaps subconsciously-whenever he swims in "shark waters". Dr Coppleson,proves the theory of the "rogue" shark-a man- eater who, having once tasted human blood, waits for further victims. He writes of the cruising shark, of the laws and timetables the sharks keep, and of the slight risk of attack. The book traverses the experiences of bathers allover the world, particularly along the east coast of Australia, in the Caribbean, at i Durban in South Africa, and along the east coast of the United States. It reviews attacks on fishermen and fishing boats, the fortunes and hardships of shipwreck survivors and men adrift at sea in rafts and lifebelts, and the perils of divers, spear-fishermen, and frogmen. [ps] |
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SHARK
DOWN UNDER
Alan Sharpe. Paperback, 164 pages, mono photos. Shark Attacks in Australian Waters. A good read, and more up to date than Coppleson. Includes Fox and Bource - and the incredible Shark Arm Murder Case. |
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SHARK
CAGE UNDER THE RED SEA.
Capt. Ted Falcon-Barker. Published in 1969 by Chilton Book Company, Philadelphia, USA. Hardcover, dustjacket, 116 pages, mono prints. About sharks - in the Red Sea amd elsewhere - the Great White, Mako, Hammerhead, Tiger, Sand and Lemon. Basically a shark expedition to the Red Sea. [ps] |
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SHARK
HUNTERS
Ben Cropp. Rigby Limited, Adelaide, 1964. Hardcover, dustjacket, 192 pages, mono print, drawings. Reprinted many times. Cover on left, bottom, is from a pperback produced by seal Books, a division of Lansdowne Publishing, Sydney 1995, and combimnes with another Cropp book Whale of a Shark. Ben Cropps would be the first to suggest that the killing of shark for pleasure or 'revenge' is no longer politically correct. But we are looking at a book published forty years ago when sharks were nasty predators tht upset a fin Sunday at the beach, and the only good shark was a dead one. Cropp and his mates saw to it that quite a few ended up dead - as did a few other non-shark species. With headings such as 'Grouper Aren't That Tough', you know where I coming from. It includes of coure the usual descriptions of major Australian shark attacks - and Rodney Fox naturally, and ends with an appendix listing of common Australian sharks. Shark Hunters will not go down as an Australian classic, but it does record a history of attitudes which, fortunatly, have changed over the years. The harcover is well out
of print. The paperback is probably out of print by now but copies are
available from Oceans Enterprises.
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SHARK!
SHARK!
The Thirty-Year Odyssey of a Pioneer Shark Hunter. Captain William E. Young, as told to Horace S. Mazet. With a foreword by Count Felix Von Luckner [he of the WW1 German raider Seeadler]. Gotham House, New York, 1934. Hardcover, embossed shark image on front cloth board; it appears to have had a dustjacket as on my copy the title and author on the spine are pasted on, probably cut from the distjacket. Mono photographs, drawings, 297 pages. With all the killing, much of it for 'sport', I havn't brought myself to read this book, but I am led to believe that this is an important work on the nature of sharks (perhaps moreso on the nature of man!).It is regarded as somewhat of a classic, but I presume only by those who like to see big sharks caught and left hangling high on a gantry as a symbol of mans wonderful ability to kill anything that moves, especially if it can be seen as a ‘trophy'. Pity we cannot always match our ability with compasion and understanding. And how in the name of humanity can a docile Whale shark be taken as as ‘trophy'. (It was harpooned off the Galapagos - now doesn't that take skill???). Be that as it may, it is a remarkable read, and the moral debates are not ignored, nor are such matters as the rogue shark, or the skeptics suggesting that a shark would not take a human. Not a live one anyway! Australia gets a mention - where ‘the prospects are good'. Perhaps not a rare book, but hard to come by, and a collector's item for shark hunters. [ps] Note: Image is of embossed cloth board, enhanced. |
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SHARK
- O!
P. Fitzgerald O'Connor Secker and Warburg, London; 1953. Hardcover, presume dustjacket, 272 pages, mono photographs. I thoroughly dislike seeing photographs of dead sharks and abhor those who kill them for pleasure. For that reason I chose not to read this book all the way through, but my initial judgement of the book was incorrect. Apart from the adrenalin that must rise when the hunt is on, these men, from the villages of Mull and Muck and Rhum and Eigg, off Scotlan's west coast bordering thje Sea of the Hebrides, did not take to the sea in their tiny boat just for the fun of it. This was their living, hunting, killing and returning to shore with their catch so that they could feed their families. Fair enough, but I still don't want to go into detail. But from the little I have read, I must say this is an exceptionally well written book. I can recall a revierw of it many decades ago and always promised myself that I would read it, not knowing that one day I would came to appreciate these "fishes" so much. If you are into the understanding of sharks, and the people who live off them, read this book; it is quite brilliant. [ps-nodj] |
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SHARK!
NATURES MASTERPIECE.
R.D. Lawrence. Soft, 180 pages. There are dozens of books about sharks, but what makes this one special is that it reads ‘like a novel' with person experiences interspersed with fact - and legend. A very interesting book for anyone interested in these magnificent creatures. |
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SHARK
ATTACK! The Dangers Lurking in Australian Waters.
Mike Edmonds. Softcover, 256 pages, some mono prints. Not another book on shark attacks, you may well ask. Published in 2003, it does bring us up to date with more recent attack, particularly the three tragic attacks in the year 2000. It also, of course, covers some of the other fatal attacks that have made headlines at some time or other, and includes the tales of survival from such men as Rod Fox and Henri Bource. For education and amusement, there are sections on shark legends, shark mysteries (The Shark Arm Case naturally), what to do to avoid shark attack (go to Ayers Rock!!), shark humour and if you want to get your own back, shark recipies. And how the great Aussie golfing loser (sorry, legend) Greg Norman got his rather inappropriate nickname. The author is a Melbourne based journalist, and fisherman, who claims a love-hate relationship with sharks. This is a well written book, very interesting, and despite the cover, does not gratuitously exploit the ‘danger' of the shark, but tells it as it is. |
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SHARK
ATTACKS - THEIR CAUSES AND AVOIDANCE
Thomas B. Allen. Softcover, 294 pages, colour and mono prints. Documents sharks atacks throughout the world looking at the reasons for the attacks and determining if there is a pattern (ie rougue attacks), and what causes the attacks. Seeks also to determine shark behaviour in the various species, and which sharks are prone to attack. Extensive section on Australia. |
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SHARK
SUIT EXPERIMENT.
Ron ? Val Taylor. Interesting reading of a courageous experiment, of Valerie wearing a chain-mail suit. But really, why did they bother? I suppose it saves wearing a weight-belt. Stll, it was an interesting experiment. |
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SHARKS.
Identification guide to the must-know species. Leonard Compagno, Marc Dando, Sarah Fowler. One of the small Collins Gem guides: physcally small, 80 x 115mm, but big on information. A very handy pocket guide of 180 different species of sharks world-wide with an introduction to shark anatomy, reproduction and evolution. Each species is details with location of habitat, conservation status, size and diet, breeding and of course a good general description. Softcover, 224 pages of packed information. |
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SHARKS
Michael Bright. Published by the Natural History Museum of London. Softcover, medium format, 112 pages, full oplour, index, further reading, internet rsources. This is an interesting book at great value covering shark biology and behaviour, 'the world before jaws', great whites and their relatives, requiem sharks, shark attack, and a number of other chapters. Not for species identification - for a better understanding of these magnificent creatures. |
| SHARKS
AND OTHER ANCESTORS.
Wade Doak. Hodder ? Stoughton 1975. Hardcover, dustjacket, 8vo - over 7" - 9" talll ;333pp, maps on endpapers. The story of US marine biologist Dr Walt Starck ? his study of sharks on Lord Howe Island, New Caledonia, New Hebrides, the Solomons ? New Zealand. |
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SHARKS
AND RAYS.
Ed. Leighton Taylor. Five Mile Press (Distributors for Readers Digest)., Sydmey, Australia 1997. Hardcover, dust/jkt, full colour throughout, 288pages. If there is a plethora of books on sharks, it is only because of their fascination. Readers Digest have joined the throng of publishers recognising this and have produced an excellent book at a reasonable price. The usual identification and biology of sharks and rays is included, providing an excellent guide to identification and knowledge of the species. In addition, there is a superb chapter by our own Aussie, Kevin Deacon. Titled, In the Field, it covers such relevant material diving with sharks and rays, underwater photography and filming, and conservation. There is also an excellent chapter on locations where sharks and rays are prevalent. Introductory chapters include: Understanding Sharks and Rays; Our Relationships with Sharks and Rays; Encounters with Sharks and Rays; Myths and Legends; What is a Shark?; The Dangers of Observation; Shark Fishing; Chnaginging Attitudes; The Nature (and Reality) of Shark Attack; Sharks and Ray's Behing Glass; Getting Involved in Shark Conservation; Protective Equipment; Underwaster Photography; Learning to Scuba Dive, and Scuba, Whay You Need to Know. Other contributors include Peter Last, Timothy Tricas, John McCosker, Terence Walker ands the editor. A superb book. |
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SHARKS
AND RAYS OF AUSTRALIA
Peter Last and John Stevens. At last, after over a decade as a much sought-after out of print book, and fourteen years since the first edition was released, this remarkable volume has been updated and reprinted as a second edition. It is the definitive work on elasmobranchs, by two respected Australian research scientists/icthyologists at the CSIRO. And it's a huge book, weighing in at over 3 kilos, hardcover, dustjacket, A4 size, 644 pages, colour photographs, maps, drawings, charts, an extensive index and reference bibliography, and a separate identification colour plate section. Did I say photographs - I am not so sure - they could be colour illustrations by Roger Swianston, so well done that they are hard to distinguish from photographs. The bulk of the book is divided into chapters on each of the families, showing distribution (worldwide, not just Australia), and specific details for identification, ie general description, gills, colour, size, distinctive features. Teeth identification is important and well illustrated. This is not a book to read in bed - you won't find any gory shark attack cameos here - but you will keep the book at hand. Written by academics yes, but concise, clear and distinctly readable. |
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SHARKS
AND RAYS OF AUSTRALIA
Kelvin Aitken. Small format, softcover (laminated folded card), full colour throughout, 96 pages, index. A handy identification and fact book, well designed with good photographs and text. A quality production. Just the book to have at hand when a quick identification is required. And the text is informative. |
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SHARKS
AND RAYS OF AUSTRALIAN SEAS
David G. Stead Angus ? Robertson Ltd, Sydnet et al. 1963. Hardcover, dutjacket, 211 pages, mono prints, drawings, classification of elasmobranchs, index. From the fly: Naturalist David Stead made the study of fishes the work of a lifetime, and this book on the Australian sharks and rays was the last of his writings, for he died just as it was finished. A lively, readable book, it is simply written but provides precise s?;:ientific information. It deals with all the known species of sharks and rays in our waters, ranging from familiar and harmless species like the Port Jackson Shark to oddly named. creatures like the Angel Shark and Goblin Shark and dangerous monsters of terrible aspect like the Great Sawfish and the Black Stingray. The author begins by des- cribing in a short general chapter the form of the sharks and rays, the differences between them and the true fishes, their breeding habits, and so on. lIe then takes the species in turn, examining them and their habits in more detail. Some of the best reading in the book concerns shark attacks and their typical pattern, in which David Stead took a special interest. Most of the species are illustrated, there is an appendix for lhe more technically minded reader that gives the classification of the various species, and the book contains a useful index. [ps] |
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SHARKS
AND SURVIVAL
Edited by Perry W. Gilbert, with the co-operation of members of the Shark Research Panel of the American Institute of Biological Sciences. D.C.Heath ? Co., Boston, USA. 1963. Hardcover, no dustjacket (my copy), printed cloth boards (as shown), 578 pages, mono prints and charts, index, appendix list of attack. Dr Gilbert was, and continued to be, a world authority on sharks. This book is more for the scientist specialising in elastmobranchs giving much detail on the physiology of sharks, as well as detailed accounts of attacks, and shark attack prevention. It is a most authorative work, printed at a time when shark-stusies were on the increase as a result of world-war military casualties, and the greater awareness of attacks by the general public A very important book and one still worth referencing. [ps] |
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SHARKS
IN QUESTION.
Victor Springer ? Joy Gold. Smithsonian Institution Press, Washington, USA, London. 1989. ISBN 0-87474-878-X (hard). 0-87474-877-1 (soft) Softcover (left), 186 pages, mono and colour prints, bibliography, index. This has been put out by the Smithsonian Institute so has some measure of credibility from that fact alone. There are dozen of "shark books' on the market, but I am always on the lookout for something that is new, interesting and informative. And this book meets the criteria. It is divided into five sections - part one answers some thirty specific questions - do sharks sleep?, how long do they live?, how do they detect prey, do they make sounds?; part two covers ten ‘super sharks', and what characterises their species - the great white, whale, hammerhead, blue, thresher etc; part three covers shark attack, and a very sensible coverage it is; part four concerns Sharks and Us - of what use are they to us, can we learn more; part five contains a classification. There is also an glossary, a very comprehensive bibliography, and an index. Probably still in print. Available from Oceans Enterprises. |
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SHARKS:
MYTH AND REALITY
Gaetano Cafiero and Maddalena Jahoda. A White Star Publication. Very large format (260x360mm), hardcover, 144 pages full colour on quality art paper. Spectacular photography, with scientific analysis and biological charts, drawings and graphs. This is not one of those 'popular' sensational books on 'man-eaters' , death and destruction. Nor is it simply a picture book on sharks. Nor is it a guide to shark species. Sharks - Myth and Reality is a sensible expose of the life of the shark, the habitats and specific characteristics of the various shark species. Sure, the Great White is mentioned, but the other species dominate for space, includiunng the harmless reef sharks and the huge whale shark. This is quite a superb publication. (Howard Hall's photograph of a Blue shark chomping into a school of squid is quite remarkable). Photographers include Australians Kevin Deacon, Kelvin Aitken, Bill and Peter Boyle, Ron and Val Taylor, and Parer Cook who I presume is Elizabeth Parer Cook; also Bob Halstead, David Doubilet, Carl Roessler et al. |
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SHARKS
- THE SEARCH FOR A REPELLENT
Theo W. Brown. Angus and Robertson, Melbourne et al. 1973. ISBN 0 207 12483 3. Hardcover, dustjacket, 134 pages, mono prints, index. From the fly: The author became dedicated to finding a means of repelling sharks when a thirteen-year-old boy with whom he was swimming in Sydney's Middle Harbour died in 1960 after being mutilated by a shark. Already an accomplished underwater diver and photographer, he set to work to study sharks and their behaviour, with his headquarters at Magnetic Island on the Great Barrier Reef. A firm believer in the vital importance of preserving the marine ecology, he does not wish to.destroy sharks but to find some means of preventing their attacks on swimmers and the survivors of disasters at sea. And the answer is not to be found, he believes, in the chemical repellents or electrical and bubble barriers or the meshing of beaches that have been tried up to the present. Theo Brown tells of his own experiments with sharks on the Great Barrier Reef, in New Guinea, at Darwin, Cocos Islands, Tahiti, and Rangiroa Atoll - first-hand reports that read like pure adventure stories. And he is convinced that the sounds that most certainly attract sharks (through the use of transducers, or underwater loud-speaker,) will, when the right frequencies have been discovered, also effectively repel them. This is a fascinating report on work in progress, profusely illustrated with th author's own excellent photographs. [ps] |
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SHARKS
- SILENT HUNTERS OF THE DEEP.
Reader's Digest. First edition published Sydney 1986. A fine book - factual and dramatic, fascinating to read for both knowledge and pleasure. If you wish to read just the one book on sharks, or want to commence studying these remarkable creatures, this is the book.The biology of the shark extends to the myths and realities of their activities. Sensation is not avoided, but it is inevitable as chapters cover the famous Shark Arm mystery, and attacks in Australian waters. Henri Bource is there, sitting with his one leg over a Great White. (Henri passed on in September 1998 after a battle with leukemia, 34 years after loosing his leg to a Great White. He was never bitter. "Sharks do what nature intended them to do..."). Rod Fox is there bearing all, as is the incredible Iona Asai, known as Treacle. The world of sharks - their behavior from birth to pursuit by human predators is covered in detail. The photographs and drawings are superb as would be expected of Readers Digest. Board cover, 208 pages. [ps] |
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SHARKS
AND RAYS OF AUSTRALIA.
P.R. Last and J.S.Stevens (CSIRO Division of Fisheries). Colour illustrations by Roger Swainston. The definitive guide for Australian waters. Excellent value. Large format book produced by the C.S.I.R.O. The definitive guide for Australian waters. Excellent value. Hardcover, 580 pages, full colour plates, plus plus maps and details drawings of specific features of the species in question; superb layout, hardcover, laminated boatrds. This book invites superlatives. Being produced by an Australian government body, it is done professionally and exceptionally well produced at a most reasonable price. It is indeed the ‘bible' on sharks and rays of Australia. The book is divided into chapters on each species and contains both a scientific name index and a common name index. The book is very well written for the scholar and layman. The maps provide detail as to where each specie can be found. This book is a must.Over 180 species of sharks, 100 rays and 13 ghost sharks live in Australian waters. Each species is described with including 300 superb colour paintings that closely capture the living colours of each animal. Over 300 two-colour maps are included as a guide to distribution in the Pacific, Indian and Southern Oceans. An essential reference for professional and recreational fishermen, divers, naturalists, students, fish biologists and anyone interested in sharks and rays. Now well out of print and in great demand. |
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SHARKS
& RAYS - Elasmobranch Guide of the World.
Ralf M. Hennemann. First published in Germany in 2001 by IKAN-Unterwasserarchiv, Frankfurt. ISBN 3-925919-33-3 No other book worldwide gives so much information on so many species - 240 in fact, with over 600 photographs, and 33 picture stories that have made the IKAN series so popular. Includes also for the first time deep sea species taken from submersibles in their natural habitat. A detailed and comprehensive description for every depicted species is provided. Location of each photo is indicated. Approx. 320 pages, full colour throughout. A remarkable guide; a must for the diver and marine naturalist. Still in print. Available from Oceans Enterprises.[ps] Review: SHARKS AND RAYS Elasmobranch Guide of the World. Ralf M. Hennemann. "A Shiver of Sharks" - what an imaginative way to describe a bunch of elasmobranches. Luv ‘em or loathe ‘em, sharks and rays demand respect. From the tiny Catsharks to the great Whale sharks; from the docile Zebra sharks to the Great White, each animal has its own fascinating characteristics, and each is detailed in this new title in the IKAN series of marine publications. Lets go beyond the public sensationalism of shark attacks and get to know the species better. With over 600 photographs taken in their natural habitats by more than a dozen renown photographers, Sharks and Rays provides a detailed description of their taxonomy, habitats and distribution - an excellent identification guide to 240 species, including, for the first time, a deep sea species, photographed from a submersibles in their natural habitat. You wont find a photo of Rod Fox's punctured torso here, but like all the titles in the IKAN series, this book is made all the more enjoyable by the thirty-three ‘picture stories' - mini chapters on specific aspects related to sharks and rays - some of which you may find disturbing, many amusing and intriguing - all interesting. No doubt many elasmobranch enthusiasts became encouraged in their observations when Fernande Herwarth hand-fed sharks in the Maldives for the tourist divers. The fact that she was complete nude was, no doubt, beside the point. (Yes, yes, there is a photo of Fernande in the book). Most of us however take diving with sharks more seriously, and if an adrenalin-pumping opportunity arises to do so, we tend to have a better knowledge - and respect - of these magnificent creatures. (There is a picture story on ‘The Ethics of Shark Feeding'). You will not be impressed, (but no doubt not surprised), by the wholesale slaughter of sharks in Indonesia - just for their fins to satisfy the Asian market. As for the body of the animal, the nutrient rich meat, it just goes to rot on the seabed. Perhaps your outraged emotions will be balanced by the charming symbiotic relationship between the Angelfish and Hammerheads, or the "Dance of the Stingrays". Whereas Sharks and Rays has none of the drama of shark attacks, it does include several increcible photographs of the Great White. There is a wealth of knowledge in Sharks and Rays, not only as a ID guide, but as a great read. With the imaginative design by IKAN editor and producer Helmut Debelius, Hennemann has produced surely the finest book of elasmobranch identification and information currently available. Review by Peter Stone. Scuba Diver magazine. |
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SHARKS,
MORAYS AND TREASURE
Robert P.L.Straughan. Published 1965 by A.S.Barnes ? Co, New York, and Thomas Yoseloff Ltd, London. Hardcover, dustjacket, 208 pages, mono prints. From Crooks: While the majority of this book is about the ocean's natural history, there are two chapters about the author's adventures locating and salvaging a vintage shipwreck in the Caribbean. [ps] |
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SHARK!
KILLER OF THE SEA.
Thomas Helm. Robert Hale Limited, London. 1961. Hardcover, dustjacket, 190 pages, mono prints. From the fly: The hair-raising cry of "shark!'" is more common in many parts of the world than most people like to think - and not only in warm waters. For the shark is one of the oldest inhabitants of the sea, and from time immemorial the sight of his dorsal fin cleaving the surface has struck terror in the hearts of men. For a better understanding of this unpredictable killer of the sea, Thomas Helm tells the complete story of the shark, giving his origin and history as well as descriptions of the most important species. Dramatic accounts of shark attacks shed true light on his real danger, and studies of prevention and repellents show how tragedy may be averted. The author also discusses other dangerous species of the deep - moray' eels, octopuses, stingrays, etc.- in addition to the barracuda, whose assaults fare often attributed to sharks. From his own experience, love of adventure, and the narrative sense that distinguished his previous book, Treasure Hunting Around the World, Mr.Helm gives a thrilling and informative account. As The New Yorker says: "Mr. Helm is well equipped to separate fact from fancy. He has hunted sharks for sport and for profit and he has supplemented this : practical experience with wide reading. ! Among his conclusions is that 'under normal conditions a shark will not make an attack on a human without some provocation.' The question is, what constitutes provocation? It may be a movement of the bather's foot or hand, or a bleeding cut, or a threatening gesture. A first-rate popular monograph - lucid, comprehensive, abbsorbing." [ps] |
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SHARK
- THE SHADOW BELOW
Hugh Edwards. A good book should provide both entertainment and education. Hugh Edwards has done this admirably in an excellent book about one of life's most misunderstood creatures. He examines the reversal of human attitudes toward sharks since the 1950s when the only good shark was considered to be a dead one, and shows how public opinion had gone full circle and now ensures their protection. Combining real-life incidents with natural history, the author has provided a book which will give the reader a much better insight into the life of the shark, and their place in the oceans. He covers the myths and the mysteries, the tragedies and the terror, at all times relating back to the shark, and the human, psyche. A very important book to give us a greater understanding of these incredible creatures. Softcover, 360 pages, colour plates. [ps] Still in print - available from Oceans Enterprises |
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SHARKS
OF ARABIA
Dr. John E. Randall. Hardcover, dustjacket, A4 size, 148 pages, mainly line drawings and paintings with some photographs. The author is a well established ichthyologist and prolific author, with a particular interest in the Red Sea. This excellent volume covers the bilogy of the region's sharks, evolution history, man's involvement with sharks - and follows with a classification of the species found. |
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SHARKS
OF TROPICAL ? TEMPERATE SEAS.
R.H.Johnson. Softcover, 170 pages. Excellent full colour standard book format guide. Includes identification and biology, with an excellent coverage on behaviour, perhaps one of the most useful books on the subject. Many photos. Reprinted as: SHARKS OF POLYNESIA R.H. Johnson Softcover, 170 pages, full colour throughout with some line drawings, index, bibliography. Written and photographed by a well known icthyologist and diver who lives in Tahiti, this book has been in print since 1978, with another edition in 1984. During its time it was a standard referenc on the subject. Chapters include: the devine predators, the benevolent benefactors, man and the marauder. These are followed by an extensive section on each specie indicating morphology, dustribution, habitat, repoduction, feeding and disposition, the latter being most intriguing. |
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THE
JAWS OF DEATH - Shark as Predator, Man as Prey.
Xavier Maniguet. Translated by avid A. Christie. First published Editions Robert Laffont, Paris, 1991 First English edition 1992, Harper Collins. ISBN 0 00 219960 2. (Presume hardcover) Harper Collins softcover in 2003. (Image left bottom). Hardcover edition by Crescent Books, a division of Random House, 1966. (Cover as per top left, with small black band around top, bottom and leading edge). [ps] Cover on left top is from softcover, Harper Collins 1994 reprint.. [ps] The book comes with a WARNING - This Books Contains Distrubing Photographs. This is not a publishers gimmick. A sixteen-page centre section in full colour is sealed, and needs to be carefully sliced open on the edge. This is a most sensible practice as it prevents a casual glance in a book shop that may distress the reader. This is a well researched and valuable addition to the library on shark behaviour, and includion of the photographs of shark attack victims is appropriate. Needless to say, Rod Fox and Henri Bource are included, so nothing new here, but some of the South African images are both horrifying and yet remarkable in that (some of) the victims survived. From the fly: Biggest of all fish and the best equipped for hunting, sharks are found in every ocean and threatened by no natural predator except the Killer Whale. Built like torpedoes, they possess an extraordinary physiology which includes eight fantastically developed sensory organs and a set of jaws whose extensibility, power and teeth are unrivalled in the animal kingdom. Their tenacity for staying alive is impressive. Gaffed, shot, harpooned, ripped open, they are still capable of ~oving about and tearing apart their victims. And they have existed unchanged for 350 million years. Litde wonder then that they are the stuff of nightmares and inevitable perhaps that, through the fear and loathing that surrounds them, fact has become confused with fiction. This is the book that documents the truth about sharks and - through the minute examination of case histories- about shark attacks on man. How many of the 354 shark species are man-eaters? How and why do sharks attack? How many attacks are there a year and how many of these are fatal? How can shark attack be repelled or avoided altogether? Xavier Maniguet answers all these questions without being afraid of challenging received ideas. With diving experience in every sea in the world, he is experdy equipped to have exhaustively studied sharks and shark behaviour. Best known as a survival specialist, he is also a doctor of medicine, pilot and parachutist. The Jaws of Death was one of France's biggest selling tides of 1991, consistendy at the top of the best-seller list. The author, Xavier Maniguet, died in an aircrash in March 2009. Maniquet, 62 years old, was an experienced pilot, a flying instructor, who was killed when a gust of wind caught his aircraft on the Etendard glacier near the French alpine resort of Saint-Sorlin-d'Arves. he was a remarkable man, skilled in many outdoor purssuites - an expert diver, a parhutist, an acrobatic pilot, sailor, and medical doctor specialising in diving injuries, hyperbaric medicine and aeronautical health. He was also an author of several books on survival - and The Jaws of Death. What is little known, except no doubt by the New Zealandd police, is that he was one of the men responsible for the sinking of the Greenpeace flagship Rainbow Warrier in Auckland in 1985. Added to his career cv is the fact that Maniqquet was a French secret sservice agent, and his role in the demise of the Rianbow Warrior and photographer Fernando Pereira who was on board that fatal day, was to smuggle in the explosives on the yacht Ouvea which out the Rainbow Warrior on the seabed and sparked exuberant international dialogue, especially between New Zealand and France. Still as a secreet agent, he later was involved in the secret service mission to free French hostages in Somalia just recently. He was quite a man. |
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THE
LADY AND THE SHARKS
Eugenie Clark. Harper ? Row Publishers, New York etc. 1969. Hardcover, dust jacket, illusrrated with drawings by the author, mono photos, bibliography, index 269 pages. I havn't read the book, and dont have a dust jacket to 'steal' the blurb. It was written som fourteen yars after th author's acclaimed Lady with a Spear. Chapters include Sharks and Abdominal Pores, The Mysteries of Serranus, Blennies and Mazes, The Shark Hax=zard, Mesoplodon, Sinkholes and Raptures of the Deep, More Educated Sharks, An Imperial Ichthyologist, Mantas and Other Rays. It is of course part-biography of the brilliant work done by the author as an acclaimed ichthyologist. [ps-no dj] |
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THE
LIFE OF SHARKS
Paul Budker. Weidenfeld and Nicholson, London, 1971. SBN 297 00307 0. Hardcover, dustjacket, 222 pages, mono plates.extensive bibliography, glossary, index. From the fly: In the past twenty years a large number of books and scientific articles has added considerably to our knowledge of sharks, their nature and environment. In preparing an English version of Paul Budker's well- established La vie des requins, the author and translator have incorporated the results of recent research in a book that was an already authoritative account of the subject. Dr Budker presents a broad background of information on the form of sharks, their remarkable breeding biolpgy, their feeding habits, their anatomy, their use to man and their folklore. His own experience of shark research, together with an assessment of the latest research on these animals makes this book an important contribution to the study of sharks; the section on anatomy, is particularly full. The book should be of interest to the layman, skin-divers and all those engaged in underwater research, as well as ichthyologists and scientists in related fields. [ps] |
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THE
NATURAL HISTORY OF SHARKS
Thomas H. Lineaweaver III, and Ricjard H. Backus. Foreward by N.B.Marshall. Andre Deutsch Limited, London. 1970. Hardcover, dustjacket, 256 pages, mono photographs and drawings, index, bibliography. From the fly blurb: The authors of this work have gathered together everything that is known about sharks; from the whale shark, the world's largest fish, to Squaliolus laticaudus which is about six inches long at maturity. What concerns most of us is the shark as maneater. The authors have gathered information on shark attacks from all over the world, and much of it is macabre in the extreme—one shark caught in the Adriatic contained 'a raincoat, three overcoats and an automobile licence plate'. Equally bizarre are man's efforts to discourage sharks and discover why or when they are likely to attack. The lack of success is summed up by a US Navy manual: 'Never count on a shark not attacking you. He may do it.' M ost people will have a generalised picture of a shark—a streamlined, dangerous-looking, grey fish about eight feet long. In fact the diversity of sharks is remarkable: the hammerhead, with its bizarre T-shaped head, the thresher with its sickle-shaped tale; even the dogfish, which most of us know as 'huss,' served up with a shilling's worth of chips, is a shark. Richard Backus is on the staff of the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Massachusetts, and is a professional zoologist. Thomas Lmeaweaver is a journalist who has been closely associated with this Institution, which has led the world in research on this subject. |
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THE
SEA MY HUNTING GROUND
Anthony Watkins Published by William Heinemann Ltd., London etc., 1958. Hardcover, dustjacket, 250 pages, mono photographs. From the fly: "There is many a 'daily breader' who dreams of a life in search of wealth and adventure in the open air; but few are so enterprising as to start a new industry from scratch in one of the wildest and most beautiful parts of the British Isles. Looking at an entry in a sales ledger in the office where he worked as a clerk, Anthony Watkins wondered why shark oil had to be brought from Japan to a firm in Scotland when there was evidence that basking sharks were regularly seen in Scottish waters. He set himself to find out everything possible about the habits and properties of these sharks and soon discovered that the ktlowledge he could acquire from experts and books amounted to very little more than he had already. But he was sufficiently encouraged to give up his snug job and to sink his small capital in a cheap boat, some hand harpoons, a home-made factory and ~ crew of tough, unemployed Sco~tish fishermen. From this almost accidental beginning Anthony Watkins became the first Briton to make a commercial success of extracting oil from the native basking shark. His progress was far from rapid and easy, and in The Sea My Hunting Ground he tells the thrilling story " of his first perilous attempts to catch a shark with only the most elementary of equipment; of being towed out to sea by one of these giants of the Hebridean lochs." Good grief - the guy was killing basking sharks. [ps] |
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THE
SECRET LIFE OF SHARKS - The Mysteries of Shark Behaviour.
A. Peter Klimely, PdD. Hardcover, dustjacket, 292 pages, mono prints, source material, index. (From the blurb). Most people think of sharks at all think immediately of great white sharks. But there are more than four hundred species of shark. Dr. Klimley has studied several species, most notably the great white and the hammerhead. He describes the great white as the athlete among sharks, and the hammerhead as the Ph.D. of the shark world.) In The Secret Life of Sharks Dr. Klimley reveals the significant discoveries he made about hammerhead navigation and great white eating habits. By studying hammerheads gathered around underwater seamounts, Dr. Klimley learned that hammerheads rely on sophisticated tracking of ocean-floor magnetism to navigate. His long-term study of great white sharks off the California coast demonstrated that these huge sharks prefer to eat seals and sea lions because of the energy contained in their fatty bodies. They are selective eaters, not the man-eaters we expect, and they sometimes go weeks between meals. But Dr. Klimley did observe a ritualized behavior that great whites practice in order to avoid deadly disputes over prey that one shark has captured and another wants. attacks. |
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THE
SHARK ARM CASE
I include these books simply because of their fascination. On the 17th April 1935 a large tiger shark was caught tangled up in a line off Coogee Beach, Sydney. It was taken to the Coogee Aquarium and given the run of the pool. For several days the 14 ft monster seemed quite active and had a voracious appetite, but suddently acted strange and appeared ill, moving slowly and seemingly disoriented. Late that afternoon before a group of a dozen horrified aquarium visitors, the shark regurgitated a volume of material - including a human arm with a piece of rope attached to the wrist. Police took the arm to the morgue where it was examined by Dr.Victor Coppleson (see Shark Attack); a slightly faded tatoo was noticed on the forearm, of two boxers shaping up to each other. Dr Coppleson concluded that the arm had been crudely severed by a knife, and had not been bitten by a shark. Through press publicity of the tatoo the arm was identified as being that of one James Smith, a 45 year-old ex-amateur boxer. The tiger shark became worse and was eventually killed. No more human remains were found in its stomach. Police tracked down the movements of James Smith leading to one of the most intriguing law cases in Australian history. Two men were suspected but one was assasinated - twice, having recovered from the first attempt. The case never got to court through want of evidence. The Shark Arm Murder became the most publicised of Australian crimes - until a family went camping at Ayers Rock. (At least) two books have been written on the Shark Arm Case, and of course it is mentioned in every book on Australian sharks. THE SHARK ARM MURDERS
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THE
SHARK CALLERS. Glenys Kohnke.
'An Ancient Fishing Tradition of New Ireland Papua New Guinea'. First published 1974 by Yumi Press, Boroko, Papua New Guinea. Hardcover, dust jacket, 116 pages, colour and mono plates. This is not specifically a marine sciences text - more of an anthropological study of a group of islanders as told by one of their elders - one who 'knows the way of the shark'. The book is listed here as it has been asked for on several occasions. [ps] |
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THE
SHARK CHRONICLES
John A. Musick ? Beverley McMillan. A Scientist Tracks the Consummate Preditor. Hardcover, dust jacket, 242 pages, index, and not a single photo or drawing - just the facts. This is a very entertaining and educational book, very well written in a first-hand narrative manner. It contains a wealth of information on sharks and shark behaviour from original research and actual experience by the authors. I was fascinated by their research on drag, the friction of the shark body that retards in-water speed; their heating mechanism that allows the warm-blooded creatures to survive in cold seas; the ‘bite-and-spit' procedure of shark predatory movement, and of course their remarkable ability to ‘smell'. An original and important work in the fascinating field of the elasmobranchs. |
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TITANS
OF THE BARRIER REEF
Norman W. Caldwell. (Author of Fangs of the Sea). Angus ? Robertson Ltd, Sydney ? London. 1938 Hardcover, probably no dust jacket, 248 pages, full page mono plates. I'm not much in favour of books that show macho idiots standing next to their shark-catch trophys, but I guess the attitude has changed over the years, although the kill-fo-the-sake-of-a-trophy mentality still exists in some lesser intelligent quarters. This is an excellent book in that it documents the attitude of the day, and provides an interesting aspect of the biology of the shark and other larger marine animals such as the rays. It's not my favourite book but deserves its place as a classic. [ps] |
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TWELVE
DAYS OF TERROR
A Definitive Investigation of the 1916 New Jersey Shark Attacks. Richard Fernicola. Lyons Press; imprint of The Globe Pequot Press, Connecticut,, USA. 2001. Hardcover, dustjacket, 330 pages, mono prints, bibliography, index. The true story of "Jaws". Is this where Peter Benchly got his inspiration? I hve no doubt that is so, for the basic premise behind Jaws was true - the inability of the public to accept that a rogue shark could exist, and once the facts were clear, the inability for a seaside town's business leaders to accept the truth. From the blurb: In July 1916, with the USA entangled in World War I and New York City in the throes of a deadly polio epidemic, the population thronged the Jersey Shore in search of respite from the stifling midsummer heat. However, the Atlantic's refreshing waters proved to be utterly inhospitable. In a shockingly brief span of just twelve days, a marauding shark (or sharks) violently and fatally mauled four swimmers. A fifth was seriously injured, escaping within inches of his life. By the third week of July, national newspapers were headlining "battles against man-eating sharks" above the battles of war across the ocean. Dr. Richard G. Fernicola spent nearly two decades researching and writing about this once-in-a-millennium event; e carefully examines clues and reconstructs evidence in an effort to resolve what scientists have been arguing over for decades. Was a rogue shark or a school of sharks responsible? Was it a bull shark or a great white shark? Was the shark's motivation hunger, fear, or something unknown? Through primary sources and face-to-face interviews with witnesses, Fernicola pieces together a conclusive-if controversial-theory regarding the character and the cause of the mysterious attacks. [ps] |
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WHALE
SHARKS - The Giants of Ninagaloo Reef.
Geoff Taylor. Hardcover, dustjacket, A4 size 176p, full colour, bibliography, index. Knowledge is important but having an affinity with the subject is the essence of a great book. It takes only minutes to realise that author Dr Geoff Taylor has all it takes to write, photograph and produce a memorable book, indeed a valuable contribution to marine science. Yet Whale Sharks is an immensely readable book and one that anyone interested in the sea would enjoy. The photographs are superb - and interesting - something lacking in many books on marine life. The text is fascinating being both educational and entertaining. I have only experienced diving with a whale shark once but Taylor's book has brought back many memories. For those who have not had the real experience go to Ningaloo - or read Whale Sharks. |
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