CLASSIC DIVE BOOKS

    Marine sciences - the Sharks - elasmobranchs.

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    Please note: The books are listed for interest only, and not offered for sale.

    For an essay published in the late eighties on shark books, enter here. 
    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.
    BLUE MERIDIAN: THE SEARCH FOR THE GREAT WHITE SHARK
    Peter Matthiessen.
    Random House, New York, 1971. Hardcover, dustjacket, small 4to 9" - 11" ; 204 pages.
    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]

    		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.
    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]
    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]
    GREAT SHARK STORIES
    Ron and Valerie Taylor
    Forward written by: Peter Benchley
    Initially published by: Harpers and Row, Marlborough, Wiltshire, UK, 1978. 
    This reviewed edition published by The Crowood Press, Wiltshire, 1986; in association with The K.S.Giniger Company, Inc. .
    Hard cover blue boards; 171 printed pages. Dimensions: 24 cms tall by 17 cms wide.
    This second edition book (1986) is described as "the Taylors’ ongoing crusade to reduce myth to fact, to tell the truth about sharks”.  It is a collection of stories put together by the Taylors about sharks, which is exactly what the title of the book suggests.  The book is divided into five sections and within each of those sections, it is further divided into the stories.  Section headings are: Stars of the Silver Screen, Shark Behaviour, Scientific, Divers and Sharks and Sharks that Attack.  The first section has a lot of input from Peter Benchley but each of the 22 stories in the five sections are written by various people including William Beebe, Hans Hass and Arthur C. Clark. [pt]
    From PS: I wonder - why would you bother? But the general public are interested in 'great shark stories' so I guess it would have been a profitable commercial venture. I don't think it will ever make a 'classic' book but the contributors are interesting. See comment below.
    GREAT SHARK STORIES
    (Edited by) Ron and Val Taylor with Peter Goadby.
    Published by William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd, London, Sydney etc. Published in association with The K.S.Giniger Co. Inc., New York, in 1978. 
    Hardcover, dust jacket, 329 pages, no illustrations, no index. 
    Contains no less than 42 articles withoin ten sections, the sections being: Stars of the Silver Screen, Adventure, Shark Behaviour, Scientific, Divers and Sharks, Sea Giants, Catching Sharks, Game Fishing and Sharks, Sharks That Attack, Fiction. Authors include: Peter Matthiessen, Thomas Helm, Franco Prosperi, Williame Beebe, Wade Doak, Arthur C. Clarke, Hans Hass, Thor Heyerdahl, William B. Gray, Arthur Gimble, Peter Goadby, Hugh Edwardss, H. David Baldridge, Perry W. GilbertVictor Coppleson, Ernest Hemingway etc etc etc. Many of these are Aussies as you will note. The essays invariably start with a description of the author. The essays are generally extracts from the authors publisahed books.
    I initially dismissed this as just another sensationalist shark rave but with few exceptions it is a great read from many brilliant authors. (My favourite is Arthur Grimble. Never heard of him? Well, you are missing out!). It is a great omnibus of very interesting shark-related stories, and not by any means sensationalist. 
    Note: It is intrigueing that there are two books of the same title published at the same time but of vastly different content. No doubt somew of the stories are identical however this William Collins 1978 edition is vastly superior in content than The Crowood Press edition above. They have obviously come out of the same publishing stable - refer The K.S.Giniger Co. I would suggest that the Harpers and Row 1978 edition was similar to this William Collins edition which was released (I presume) only in Australia, the UK edition not having so much Australian content. 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. [ps] 
    Also published by Bantam Books, New York, in 1978 as a paperback. 
    Also appears to have been published by Harpers and Row in New York, 1978. So that would make four 1978 editions: UK, USA, Australia and a paperback. 
    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]
    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]
    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 quit a wealth of information an 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. 
    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]
    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.
     
    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.
    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]
    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. 
    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]
    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]
    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.
    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]
    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]
    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. 
    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]
    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]
    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] 
    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
    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.
    No dount hardcover available - cover on left is from softcover.  [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 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]
    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]
    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]

    .
    		THE SHARK ARM CASE
    I include these 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
    Alex Castles.Wakefield Press, Kent Town, SA, 1955. ISBN 1 86254335 6.
    Softcover, paperback, 182 pags, mono prints. (Only edition published)
    THE SHARK ARM CASE.
    Vince Kelly. 
    First published in 1963, by Horwitz Publications, no doubt as a hardcover. This edition (bottom image) by Angus and Robertson, Sydney, 1975. ISBN 0 207 13212 7. 
    Softcover, paperback, 167 pages, mono prints.
     
    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]
    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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