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Among Whales
How can we understand the language of whales? How will the evolving composition of seawater affect life on earth? Why do whales sing?
Roger Payne has listened to the whales' haunting songs for most of his adult life and taught us to listen too. He's swum with them. He's fought for them. He's studied them and become the world's foremost cetacean biologist.
Sharing his scientific observations in spellbinding detail, Payne brings vividly to life the awesome presence of these great, noble -- and desperately threatened -- creatures. A work of biology, of philosophy, and most certainly of literature, Among Whales is more than a book about whales. It is also a journey of the heart, a journey of discovery about the larger questions of life on earth.
Passionate in his love, Roger Payne is also passionate in his outrage at the whalers who slaughter whales for profit and at the pollutants that are destroying our oceans. His words shimmer with truth; his ideas strike powerfully at our consciences. Destined to become a classic, Among Whales is a book of great beauty -- a cautionary tale every one of us who cares about our planet must read.
Roger Payne has listened to the whales' haunting songs for most of his adult life and taught us to listen too. He's swum with them. He's fought for them. He's studied them and become the world's foremost cetacean biologist.
Sharing his scientific observations in spellbinding detail, Payne brings vividly to life the awesome presence of these great, noble -- and desperately threatened -- creatures. A work of biology, of philosophy, and most certainly of literature, Among Whales is more than a book about whales. It is also a journey of the heart, a journey of discovery about the larger questions of life on earth.
Passionate in his love, Roger Payne is also passionate in his outrage at the whalers who slaughter whales for profit and at the pollutants that are destroying our oceans. His words shimmer with truth; his ideas strike powerfully at our consciences. Destined to become a classic, Among Whales is a book of great beauty -- a cautionary tale every one of us who cares about our planet must read.
432 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1993
16 people are currently reading
288 people want to read
About the author
Roger Payne
2 books1 followerRoger Searle Payne (January 29, 1935 – June 10, 2023) was an American biologist and environmentalist famous for his 1967 discovery (with Scott McVay) of whale song among humpback whales.
Payne's recordings were released in 1970 as an LP called Songs of the Humpback Whale (still the best-selling nature sound record of all time) which helped to gain momentum for the Save the Whales movement seeking to end commercial whaling, which at the time was pushing many species dangerously close to extinction. Commercial whaling was finally banned by the International Whaling Commission in 1986.
Payne authored or co-authored dozens of scientific papers, gave hundreds of lectures, made countless television programmes and films, and led 100 oceanic expeditions. ~ Wikipedia & The Guardian
Payne's recordings were released in 1970 as an LP called Songs of the Humpback Whale (still the best-selling nature sound record of all time) which helped to gain momentum for the Save the Whales movement seeking to end commercial whaling, which at the time was pushing many species dangerously close to extinction. Commercial whaling was finally banned by the International Whaling Commission in 1986.
Payne authored or co-authored dozens of scientific papers, gave hundreds of lectures, made countless television programmes and films, and led 100 oceanic expeditions. ~ Wikipedia & The Guardian
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Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews
May 30, 2010
I was very excited to read this book when I finally got it, but I have to say, there are many books on whales that actually talk about whales, whereas this one could have saved a lot of trees if it had used a third of the words, and ink, and paper. I guess the author has a hard time keeping focused because he goes off on a billion tangents and at times forgets the book is about whales. When he stays on the subject, the things he says are interesting, but honestly, there are entire chapters that could be easily skipped without missing out on anything.
With this said, I think that those who are convinced that the illegal slaughter of the oceans must be stopped by only 'educating' the people(while the whales keep getting killed in the meantime), as opposed to a direct confrontation, might change their minds if they read even a little bit of chapter 7 of this book, entitled 'Whaling and Other Delights'. This chapter makes up for most of the book, I think: "I have been discussing how the International Whaling Commission works but have not said what it accomplishes or might accomplish. The organization has such a flawed history it's amazing to me that it works at all. There is a wonderful series of loopholes the whalers can use to avoid abiding by the will of the majority. In my opinion, the most infamous of these is the 90 day period for filing objections to any decision that has been taken by a majority of IWC nations but which some country does not wish to obey. In such a case, all that country has to do is send a letter to the IWC secretariat within 90 days saying that it will not be abiding by the law, and it is automatically exempt from it. Thus, as I write this, Norway has resumed commercial whaling even though the moratorium on commercial whaling is still in place ... but Norway's resumption of commercial whaling is entirely legal. Why? Because back when the moratorium was passed, Norway filed an objection to it within the required 90 days. And so it is perfectly legal for Norway to continue with commercial whaling. Also, back when it was declared that the North Atlantic stock of the minke whales hunted by Norway had been so overexploited as to require protection, Norway also filed an objection to that conclusion within the required 90 days, and so it is entirely legal for her to kill whales of this otherwise protected stock. By these means Norway has her own private North Atlantic whaling ground without the competition from other whaling countries who used to hunt there". Payne then continues describing all the scams perpetrated by Japan, still going strong today, 15 years after his book was published.
Anyway, if you are interested in the subject, I suggest A. Darby's 'Harpoon' as it is a lot more focused and, I guess, more updated too.
This book dragged and dragged and it did require an effort to keep going instead of just putting it down for good.
With this said, I think that those who are convinced that the illegal slaughter of the oceans must be stopped by only 'educating' the people(while the whales keep getting killed in the meantime), as opposed to a direct confrontation, might change their minds if they read even a little bit of chapter 7 of this book, entitled 'Whaling and Other Delights'. This chapter makes up for most of the book, I think: "I have been discussing how the International Whaling Commission works but have not said what it accomplishes or might accomplish. The organization has such a flawed history it's amazing to me that it works at all. There is a wonderful series of loopholes the whalers can use to avoid abiding by the will of the majority. In my opinion, the most infamous of these is the 90 day period for filing objections to any decision that has been taken by a majority of IWC nations but which some country does not wish to obey. In such a case, all that country has to do is send a letter to the IWC secretariat within 90 days saying that it will not be abiding by the law, and it is automatically exempt from it. Thus, as I write this, Norway has resumed commercial whaling even though the moratorium on commercial whaling is still in place ... but Norway's resumption of commercial whaling is entirely legal. Why? Because back when the moratorium was passed, Norway filed an objection to it within the required 90 days. And so it is perfectly legal for Norway to continue with commercial whaling. Also, back when it was declared that the North Atlantic stock of the minke whales hunted by Norway had been so overexploited as to require protection, Norway also filed an objection to that conclusion within the required 90 days, and so it is entirely legal for her to kill whales of this otherwise protected stock. By these means Norway has her own private North Atlantic whaling ground without the competition from other whaling countries who used to hunt there". Payne then continues describing all the scams perpetrated by Japan, still going strong today, 15 years after his book was published.
Anyway, if you are interested in the subject, I suggest A. Darby's 'Harpoon' as it is a lot more focused and, I guess, more updated too.
This book dragged and dragged and it did require an effort to keep going instead of just putting it down for good.
November 13, 2021
Read around 1999; my review from then: Fascinating, informative, and inspiring. A lot of information about whales: physiology, social groupings, observed behavior, a strong consciousness of how much we don't know, and hypotheses and speculation on what we may learn. And that's just the first half of the book. Then there are interesting looks at whale-human interaction, a history of whaling, and an enlightening behind-the-scenes look at the workings of the IWC (International Whaling Commission). From there, the author goes on into a long and on-target scientific explanation, essay, and impassioned rant on how human pollution is harming the whales, the ocean ecosystems, and the entire world ecosystem, and how each of us must change our consciousness in order to turn the process around and avoid the extinction of wild animals, ourselves, and possibly all life as we know it. He ties it all together at the end of the book with a chapter on how we can save it all through interactions with other species, especially whales. He has an overview of the entire situation facing us, yet you can tell where his enthusiasm lies: whales. I loved the whole book.
May 21, 2007
I loved the natural history part of this book, but, despite the fact that I agree with him, the activist angle got wearisome. He could have gotten his point across much more effectively if he had used half as many pages.
August 10, 2018
Really enjoyed this. It was a little all over but I think even the parts I slogged through some, like a section on the IWC and a chapter in the end where I came out feeling pretty pessimistic about humans, added perspective for me in the end. Per the author: "this book is not intended to be a compendium of information on whales-there are many such books available". He discusses both science and speculation and takes some time here to share what inspires him, including some "fairly outrageous speculation". Plus there are 50 pages on ocean acoustics. Who doesn't enjoy aquatic acoustics graphs?!?
November 18, 2019
read this a while ago, never got to add it to here. i used to wanna be a cetologist
January 17, 2025
Really enjoyed this.
December 27, 2025
4.5/5
He’s a wonderful writer, a lot of it is technical which was actually interesting. My love for whales grows deeper at the minute,
He’s a wonderful writer, a lot of it is technical which was actually interesting. My love for whales grows deeper at the minute,
August 17, 2021
The book is from 1995 so some of the info could be dated. I think the author is a bit of a Malthusian who thought (in '95) that the earth was over populated. He also is a bit anti-biblical as he faults Christianity and the bible several times as a cause of human disregard for nature. Of particular strangeness to me was sighting the incidence of people befriending animals and being tried for witchcraft. I have to wonder how frequent this was and how many people it effected. I find it curious that persons of this persuasion do not seem to grasp the concept of humanity's fallenness and the Biblical doctrine of depravity.
Other than this, the book was very interesting and inspiring. His time in Patagonia was fascinating. Many of his descriptions of whales are intriguing and awe inspiring. His description of the International Whaling Commission and the work done by conservationists such as himself was also inspiring. One of the most memorable moments in the book was his detailed and frustrating descriptions of several nations who engaged in deception and manipulation in order to keep up their whaling industries. And yet he sites the progress made over time and the patient arguments presented as worth it in the long run and a much better solution than resorting to violence.
All in all I enjoyed the book and benefited from it.
Other than this, the book was very interesting and inspiring. His time in Patagonia was fascinating. Many of his descriptions of whales are intriguing and awe inspiring. His description of the International Whaling Commission and the work done by conservationists such as himself was also inspiring. One of the most memorable moments in the book was his detailed and frustrating descriptions of several nations who engaged in deception and manipulation in order to keep up their whaling industries. And yet he sites the progress made over time and the patient arguments presented as worth it in the long run and a much better solution than resorting to violence.
All in all I enjoyed the book and benefited from it.
September 6, 2019
The begining and end are the best with a more text book like middle section. I loved it and was inspired by it, especially by the last 3 chapters and the beginning.
May 2, 2011
This book felt like sitting down with a very brilliant and interesting chatterbox and letting him go at it. For the most part, the conversation was extremely riveting. I didn't agree with him on everything, but he sure made me think.
Roger Payne packs this book with intriguing facts about much more than just whales, lots of raw emotion, beautiful scenery, and a lot of rhetoric about saving whales (some of which I think is needed). Sometimes the extra information gets a bit overwhelming, but there were so many interesting parts weaved throughout this book that I couldn't put it down. I especially enjoyed his descriptions of Patagonia and his study of the right whales down there. Some of the descriptions of life in Patagonia are some down-right amazing pieces of literature. Roger Payne can write.
I guess what I liked least about this book was Roger Payne's perspective on life that is present throughout the book. To boil it all down, he does not acknowledge the Creator of the universe and he worships the creation. This error in his outlook on life has resulted in false conclusions about how this world came to be, the purpose of humanity and nature, and the future of our world.
Roger Payne packs this book with intriguing facts about much more than just whales, lots of raw emotion, beautiful scenery, and a lot of rhetoric about saving whales (some of which I think is needed). Sometimes the extra information gets a bit overwhelming, but there were so many interesting parts weaved throughout this book that I couldn't put it down. I especially enjoyed his descriptions of Patagonia and his study of the right whales down there. Some of the descriptions of life in Patagonia are some down-right amazing pieces of literature. Roger Payne can write.
I guess what I liked least about this book was Roger Payne's perspective on life that is present throughout the book. To boil it all down, he does not acknowledge the Creator of the universe and he worships the creation. This error in his outlook on life has resulted in false conclusions about how this world came to be, the purpose of humanity and nature, and the future of our world.
May 5, 2011
I'm a total freak for writings about the ocean, but often you must wade (if you will) through a lot of shitty writing to get to the interesting stuff. Not so with this guy-- the man can write. And it's not just scientific data spewed out at ya. Rather, it's his personal observations from living amongst whales for many years.
Something of which I am immensely jealous.
Something of which I am immensely jealous.
May 21, 2013
This is an excellent memoir from a leading authority on cetaceans. It's full of high-quality scientific insights, but also discusses philosophical and ethical issues, and is whimsical and enlightening. At times the author goes off on tangents which may annoy some readers, but I personally enjoyed every page of this book.
August 1, 2007
just beautiful.
what can i say about these creatures? i dream of them.
they inspire me. i want to work with them.
this book is written with love, respect & beautiful prose. it inspired me.
what can i say about these creatures? i dream of them.
they inspire me. i want to work with them.
this book is written with love, respect & beautiful prose. it inspired me.
August 24, 2008
a wonderful story of a life studying whales - well worth the read and the imagination of what these beasts are like
April 10, 2009
I read this book in high school and it made me want to be a marine biologist. Too bad I had already committed to going to college in Ohio.
Read
July 24, 2012Fantastic descriptions for any whale lover; a must read...
August 19, 2012
Lots of great information, but very thick and hard to get into. However, great look into the whale world!
November 23, 2013
Great descriptions of humpback whale songs.
December 30, 2013
My favorite non-fiction book ever!
Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews