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Spineless: Portraits of Marine Invertebrates, the Backbone of Life
In Spineless , acclaimed photographer Susan Middleton explores the mysterious and surprising world of marine invertebrates, which represent more than 98 percent of the known animal species in the ocean.
Foreword by Sylvia A. Earle
This collection of more than 250 remarkable images is the result of seven years of painstaking fieldwork across the Pacific Ocean, using photographic techniques that Middleton developed to capture these extremely fragile creatures on camera, creatures who are astonishingly diverse in their shapes, patterns, textures, and colors—in nature’s fashion show, they are the haute couture of marine life. Middleton also provides short essays that examine the place these invertebrates occupy on the tree of life, their vast array of forms, and their lives in the ocean.
Scientist Bernadette Holthuis contributes profiles describing each species, many of them for the first time. Middleton’s book is a stunning view of nature that harmoniously combines art and science.
“A gorgeous, light-drenched book that treats the senses. In one exquisitely crafted portrait after another, accompanied by stirring prose, Middleton reminds us that we share the planet with equally fascinating neighbors, some of whom just happen to live beneath the waves.” —Diane Ackerman, author of The Human Age
Foreword by Sylvia A. Earle
This collection of more than 250 remarkable images is the result of seven years of painstaking fieldwork across the Pacific Ocean, using photographic techniques that Middleton developed to capture these extremely fragile creatures on camera, creatures who are astonishingly diverse in their shapes, patterns, textures, and colors—in nature’s fashion show, they are the haute couture of marine life. Middleton also provides short essays that examine the place these invertebrates occupy on the tree of life, their vast array of forms, and their lives in the ocean.
Scientist Bernadette Holthuis contributes profiles describing each species, many of them for the first time. Middleton’s book is a stunning view of nature that harmoniously combines art and science.
“A gorgeous, light-drenched book that treats the senses. In one exquisitely crafted portrait after another, accompanied by stirring prose, Middleton reminds us that we share the planet with equally fascinating neighbors, some of whom just happen to live beneath the waves.” —Diane Ackerman, author of The Human Age
256 pages, Hardcover
First published October 21, 2014
3 people are currently reading
781 people want to read
About the author
Susan Middleton
13 books4 followersSusan Middleton is a photographer and author specializing in the portraiture of rare and endangered animals, plants, sites, and cultures for the past 30 years. She was Chair of the Department of Photography at the California Academy of Sciences from 1982 to 1995, where she currently serves as Research Associate. Her most recent book, in collaboration with Mary Ellen Hannibal, is Evidence of Evolution (Abrams 2009). Previous books in collaboration with David Liittschwager include Archipelago and Remains of a Rainbow (National Geographic); Witness and Here Today (Chronicle Books). She has produced films and exhibitions in conjunction with her book projects. Her most recent project is ‘Hermit Crabs!’, a short film produced for the web.
Middleton was awarded a Guggenheim fellowship in 2009, and is the recipient of an Endangered Species Coalition Champion Award for Education and Outreach and a Bay & Paul Foundation Biodiversity Leadership Award. In the fall of 2008 Middleton was invited as a guest artist at Crown Point Press, San Francisco, to create a series of limited edition color photogravures. Middleton’s photographs have been exhibited and published throughout the world, both in fine art and natural history contexts. She lives in San Francisco.
Middleton was awarded a Guggenheim fellowship in 2009, and is the recipient of an Endangered Species Coalition Champion Award for Education and Outreach and a Bay & Paul Foundation Biodiversity Leadership Award. In the fall of 2008 Middleton was invited as a guest artist at Crown Point Press, San Francisco, to create a series of limited edition color photogravures. Middleton’s photographs have been exhibited and published throughout the world, both in fine art and natural history contexts. She lives in San Francisco.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 41 reviews
February 17, 2019
It's all about the pictures.
This is simply stunning. Middleton doesn't record invertebrates, she takes portraits. I adore nudibranchs--they are my favorites for flare and 'just don't care' attitude. And as a child, I've always been amazed by brittle stars, pencil urchins, and starfish; they are given a fine showing, here. Alas, I've never had a close encounter in the sea with an octopus. They are the elusive creatures that mesmerizes me in aquariums. The portraits of the Pacific octopus contained within really relays a sense of character: shy, mischievous, and master of disguise.
The text goes from basic elementary level science to entry high school biology and brief conservation and climate change discussions. I did enjoy the discussion of the evolutionary advantages of different body plans as designated in the different phyla. But this book is about the images and the cover is a fair representation of the quality portraits. The paper quality is very good, too, making this a fine coffee table book.
This is simply stunning. Middleton doesn't record invertebrates, she takes portraits. I adore nudibranchs--they are my favorites for flare and 'just don't care' attitude. And as a child, I've always been amazed by brittle stars, pencil urchins, and starfish; they are given a fine showing, here. Alas, I've never had a close encounter in the sea with an octopus. They are the elusive creatures that mesmerizes me in aquariums. The portraits of the Pacific octopus contained within really relays a sense of character: shy, mischievous, and master of disguise.
The text goes from basic elementary level science to entry high school biology and brief conservation and climate change discussions. I did enjoy the discussion of the evolutionary advantages of different body plans as designated in the different phyla. But this book is about the images and the cover is a fair representation of the quality portraits. The paper quality is very good, too, making this a fine coffee table book.
October 15, 2015
I read a lot of books every year: fiction, nonfiction, graphic novels, books for teens, books for kids. A lot of books. I’m not complaining! I love to read, and I love being able to talk about books with a lot of different readers. Sometimes, though, my brain needs a little break. When I’m feeling particularly busy at work or in life, or if I’ve just come off a big book binge, I occasionally need a little break from characters and facts and stories and, well, words.
When I need to give the language center of my brain a break, I like to turn to photography books. That way I’m still “reading,” I’m still learning something new, but I’m using a whole different section of gray matter. Spineless was one of those books that I picked up at a busy time, and it also happened to be before a visit to the Denver Aquarium. Not only is it chock full of marine invertebrates to meet and admire, it’s also full of some of the most impressive and beautiful photographs you can imagine. Most of the photos of ocean creatures that I’ve seen concentrate on the showier specimens – the bright or strange fish, the sharks, the whales. None of those show up here. Instead, you get crabs, shrimp, sea slugs, jellyfish, and a creature I’d never heard of before, but that’s both fascinating and beautiful to look at. The nudibranch. (My favorite nudibranch is on page 44. Don’t miss it!) There are also two photographs of marine invertebrates that had never been photographed before. That’s right – Susan Middleton helped discover two new species with this book!
There is also a bit of text about evolution and genetic research and the process of collecting these animals to photograph, but the text is really a bonus. If you’re all texted out feel free to concentrate on the beautiful photos. They’re the real draw here, anyway. And if you can follow up with a trip to an aquarium, I highly recommend it!
If you like your animals to come with bones and be slightly cuddlier, you can get the same visual experience and beautiful photographs in Underwater Puppies.
For even more complex life forms, don’t miss Humans of New York. It’s hard to walk away from it without a big warm feeling for your fellow humans.
Or, if you’d rather skip the people altogether, The Glow of Paris: The Bridges of Paris at Night has some jaw-droppingly gorgeous photos of the City of Light after dark.
-Meagan
When I need to give the language center of my brain a break, I like to turn to photography books. That way I’m still “reading,” I’m still learning something new, but I’m using a whole different section of gray matter. Spineless was one of those books that I picked up at a busy time, and it also happened to be before a visit to the Denver Aquarium. Not only is it chock full of marine invertebrates to meet and admire, it’s also full of some of the most impressive and beautiful photographs you can imagine. Most of the photos of ocean creatures that I’ve seen concentrate on the showier specimens – the bright or strange fish, the sharks, the whales. None of those show up here. Instead, you get crabs, shrimp, sea slugs, jellyfish, and a creature I’d never heard of before, but that’s both fascinating and beautiful to look at. The nudibranch. (My favorite nudibranch is on page 44. Don’t miss it!) There are also two photographs of marine invertebrates that had never been photographed before. That’s right – Susan Middleton helped discover two new species with this book!
There is also a bit of text about evolution and genetic research and the process of collecting these animals to photograph, but the text is really a bonus. If you’re all texted out feel free to concentrate on the beautiful photos. They’re the real draw here, anyway. And if you can follow up with a trip to an aquarium, I highly recommend it!
If you like your animals to come with bones and be slightly cuddlier, you can get the same visual experience and beautiful photographs in Underwater Puppies.
For even more complex life forms, don’t miss Humans of New York. It’s hard to walk away from it without a big warm feeling for your fellow humans.
Or, if you’d rather skip the people altogether, The Glow of Paris: The Bridges of Paris at Night has some jaw-droppingly gorgeous photos of the City of Light after dark.
-Meagan
February 22, 2016
The photography in this book was stunning and superb, and the subjects were otherworldly and beautiful. This is the kind of book that forces one to appreciate the significance and sheer, amazing beauty of our planet's marine biodiversity.
February 14, 2015
Beautiful and sublimely moving. I found the text a bit repetitive, but I'm a biologist, so perhaps I wasn't the target audience. Absolutely stunning photos.
March 16, 2019
Spineless is more than a beautiful collection of portraits. The author has included scientific information about these invertebrates and the many species in the book. You won’t find too many charismatic creatures here, instead readers will discover hermit crabs, flatworms, nudibranches and probably other unusual creatures you have never heard of!
May 27, 2015
They're creepy, fascinating, gross and beautiful. Some have prosaic names, some provocative. Did you know there was a Graceful Decorator Crab?! No, seriously, it attaches bits of seaweed and other creatures to itself as camouflage. And who knew there were some many different varieties of nudibranch?! Middleton's stunning photography captures the ocean's invertebrate life in all its glorious splendor.
May 4, 2019
This is a book that caught my eye as a recommend from GR. As much as I enjoyed the colored photographs and getting to know these animals that make up so much of the world's ocean denizens there was just so much that bothered me with the book itself.
First of all this is one of those behemoth books so it isn't going to be a nice little convenient read to carry around with you as you run errands. At first it doesn't seem like there is any rhyme or reason but you find out inside why. Although it allows the photos to be blown up and more shared on one page it is the writing that I think dominated the way the book was made.
For a book based on photography there was a bit way too much writing. Although I did enjoy the introduction the writing quickly declined from there. The font was small and it was in clean column forms to allow as much writing as possible as the author needed to get their point across for each chapter. But what exactly was their point in many cases as they basically repeated the information so many times over but just spaced out in other areas?
At the same time where the writing that should have been more important was severely lacking. Each photograph included the name and scientific name of the animal that it was showcasing but that was about it while in cases where multiple species were included there wasn't any indicator to separate the species from each other. This in some instances was fixed all the way in the back where the book further explored species shown in the photographs or gave more information about the animals but that means you had to flip all the way back through the giant pages to pinpoint.
Which leads to my next point. The presentation should have been overhauled in my mind. The written chapters I think could have been removed without the book missing any character or if it had to be included it should have been a gateway to different species. And instead of having the different species scattered haphazardly throughout all the octopuses, nudibranchs, corals, etc. should have been classed together while the back captions should have been included on the page. As a result the reader would have had a chance to compare so much species with each other while getting an even deeper scope of the beautiful differences just between these animals.
For someone who is interested in just a photo book of marine invertebrate life this is definitely one I could suggest as much but otherwise it didn't impress much. The writing although informative just didn't cut it for me but for others it may be an interesting read to get to know how these animals came to being and just as much how they influenced those of us with a spine.
First of all this is one of those behemoth books so it isn't going to be a nice little convenient read to carry around with you as you run errands. At first it doesn't seem like there is any rhyme or reason but you find out inside why. Although it allows the photos to be blown up and more shared on one page it is the writing that I think dominated the way the book was made.
For a book based on photography there was a bit way too much writing. Although I did enjoy the introduction the writing quickly declined from there. The font was small and it was in clean column forms to allow as much writing as possible as the author needed to get their point across for each chapter. But what exactly was their point in many cases as they basically repeated the information so many times over but just spaced out in other areas?
At the same time where the writing that should have been more important was severely lacking. Each photograph included the name and scientific name of the animal that it was showcasing but that was about it while in cases where multiple species were included there wasn't any indicator to separate the species from each other. This in some instances was fixed all the way in the back where the book further explored species shown in the photographs or gave more information about the animals but that means you had to flip all the way back through the giant pages to pinpoint.
Which leads to my next point. The presentation should have been overhauled in my mind. The written chapters I think could have been removed without the book missing any character or if it had to be included it should have been a gateway to different species. And instead of having the different species scattered haphazardly throughout all the octopuses, nudibranchs, corals, etc. should have been classed together while the back captions should have been included on the page. As a result the reader would have had a chance to compare so much species with each other while getting an even deeper scope of the beautiful differences just between these animals.
For someone who is interested in just a photo book of marine invertebrate life this is definitely one I could suggest as much but otherwise it didn't impress much. The writing although informative just didn't cut it for me but for others it may be an interesting read to get to know how these animals came to being and just as much how they influenced those of us with a spine.
July 31, 2015
Wonderful photography of amazing, mostly out of sight animals. Just some notes -- not a review:
Spineless
Portraits of Marine Invertebrates, The Backbone of Life
Susan Middleton
The human population has more than doubled since the 1950s. Cost: One the land, natural systems and the diverse forms of life they contain have declined precipitously, meadows have disappeared along with 90 percent of many kinds of fish, squid and other ocean wildlife. (Sylvia Earle)
Lilliputian realm
97% Earth’s water is ocean
There is no better designer than nature. (Alexander McQueen)
Includes newly discovered like the Kanaloa squat lobster and Wanawana crab.
Vernal pools ephemeral shallow freshwater pools that dry out in summer and replenished by winter rains and snowmelt.
Some eggs can withstand years of desiccation and extreme temperature fluctuation.
Ornate tubeworms
Jean-Baptiste Lamarck and Georges Cuvier early 19th c fundamental plan of org of the animal body. Disticont vert and invertebrates without blood, hough many inv possess red blood. Animal kingdom: animals with backbones and not (inv).
Each creature fantastically endowed with elaborate regalia devised to allure and deceive, protect from predators, attract mates and meals, and express survival strategies that are utterly delightful to the eye and mind.
Spineless….tough characters perfectly adapted to their lives on Earth.
Animals who display such enchanting gestures, colors and postures, such extravagant eye makeup and such various moods, animated, kin prose, stubborn, independet and oddly generous.
OCean acidification already harming calcareous shells most notably molusks and corals.
Fieldwork.
Capture the dignity of these animals.
Earth 4.5 billion, 3 billion first life emerged - blue-green algae (cyanobacteria)
Cell langage, division of labor i multicellular.
Some cells in sponge can regenerate/build a new sponge...sponges can lies 1000s of yrs.
Collagen, protein provides structural support, ubiquitous throughout the animal kingdom.
Taxonomy
Linnaeus established 1758
100 yrs later Darwin challenged the Linnaean assumption that animals are immutable and posited instead that all animals have descended from some primordial form through the process natural selection, that is, descent with favorable modifications preserved over time.
Cambrian explosion 500 mil yrs ago, rise to animal diversity.
Ancestry of all creatures traced back to then.
Candy corn nudibranch
Graceful kelp crab
Stubby squid adorable.
Rainbow comb jelly,
Red-eye Medusa
Sea gooseberry
Island Nudibranch resembles ceramic art swirled.
Textile cone shell artful
Rose lace coral
Life forms body plan adapt to environment
Spherical, radial and bilateral. Sponges an exception, not symmetrical
Spherical: Radiolarians, Ernst Haeckel, exquisite renderings of the, inspired furniture designs and arch of the day.
Radial: no head, tail...drift.
Arthropod - bilateral advanced onto land, trails
Dogs members of same species, but even within a species, differentiation is less obvious in the early developmental stages. She photog adult and newborn to show how diff mature dogs look yet puppies strangely look much more alike.
Radial animals drift or lead a sessile life. They have a top and bottom but no right or left sides, head, tail, no side leads, redering locomotion relativelly ineffective.Circle of tentacles aoround exposed mouth.
Sponges
rudimentary lifeforms
invented collagen, a protein found in all animals that provides the body with the rigidity required to grow large. Sponges are active and powerful pumping organisms, filtering a ton of water for every ounce of food they consume. Deceptively simple, they can resurrect themselves from a single cell. Nervous systems - the centralization of cells into nerve cords -developed after sponges.
Fossil evidence traces the first footprints on land, called track ways, more than 400 million years ago, and thus pioneering animal (arthropods with jointed exoskeleton) walked out of the sea and onto land on legs with hinged joints. Arthropods landed with a winning design. The field of robotics has drawn inspiration from the arthropod body plan and used it as a model. Versatile.
Chambered nautilus a living fossil.
Octopuses intelligent.
Expressive colors patterns textures, live short lives or would achieve.
Chromatophores pigment cells ability to change color, pattern. Can alter appearance quickly and dramatically.
Echinodermata sea stars fearsome predators.
Worm adapted to almost every habitat on Earth.
Tube-building marine worms are architectural artisans, carefully selecting individual sand grains and assembling them into tubular homes by secreting a mortar-like substance.
Shape env many ways: recycling plant and animal matter into carbon dioxide gas and therefore helping stabilize the atmosphere, and stabilize mud bottom.
3 percent of phylum Chordata invertebrates : tunicates (sea squirts) and lancelets (nearly transparent flattered spear-shaped animals. 3 defining chordate creature features are a motochord, dorsal nerve and pharyngeal gill slits.
Fantastical creatures
Mosaic Pom-Pom Crab
Diamondback nudibranch and all other nudibranches
Graceful decorator crab
Tiger cowrie
Christmas tree hydroid - colony, indivs called polyps
Mantis shrimp best eyes in the world
Blue-eyed hermit
Pacific giant octopus
Chitons - 8 overlapping shell plates across back.
Hermit appropriate shells of dead others.
Sea snails quick and agile in bipedal mode.
Fuzzy island crab resembles costumed dancer
Some: mucus discharge helps them survive stinging prey attacks.
Unity and diversity
water- support
secretions, digestion, respiration, circulation, reproduction.
Slugs including nudibranches are snails without shells.
Smooth brown peanut worm move well with muscular proboscis.
Sea gooseberry shiny jewel-like glassy orbs belong to gelatinous comb jellies.
Spineless
Portraits of Marine Invertebrates, The Backbone of Life
Susan Middleton
The human population has more than doubled since the 1950s. Cost: One the land, natural systems and the diverse forms of life they contain have declined precipitously, meadows have disappeared along with 90 percent of many kinds of fish, squid and other ocean wildlife. (Sylvia Earle)
Lilliputian realm
97% Earth’s water is ocean
There is no better designer than nature. (Alexander McQueen)
Includes newly discovered like the Kanaloa squat lobster and Wanawana crab.
Vernal pools ephemeral shallow freshwater pools that dry out in summer and replenished by winter rains and snowmelt.
Some eggs can withstand years of desiccation and extreme temperature fluctuation.
Ornate tubeworms
Jean-Baptiste Lamarck and Georges Cuvier early 19th c fundamental plan of org of the animal body. Disticont vert and invertebrates without blood, hough many inv possess red blood. Animal kingdom: animals with backbones and not (inv).
Each creature fantastically endowed with elaborate regalia devised to allure and deceive, protect from predators, attract mates and meals, and express survival strategies that are utterly delightful to the eye and mind.
Spineless….tough characters perfectly adapted to their lives on Earth.
Animals who display such enchanting gestures, colors and postures, such extravagant eye makeup and such various moods, animated, kin prose, stubborn, independet and oddly generous.
OCean acidification already harming calcareous shells most notably molusks and corals.
Fieldwork.
Capture the dignity of these animals.
Earth 4.5 billion, 3 billion first life emerged - blue-green algae (cyanobacteria)
Cell langage, division of labor i multicellular.
Some cells in sponge can regenerate/build a new sponge...sponges can lies 1000s of yrs.
Collagen, protein provides structural support, ubiquitous throughout the animal kingdom.
Taxonomy
Linnaeus established 1758
100 yrs later Darwin challenged the Linnaean assumption that animals are immutable and posited instead that all animals have descended from some primordial form through the process natural selection, that is, descent with favorable modifications preserved over time.
Cambrian explosion 500 mil yrs ago, rise to animal diversity.
Ancestry of all creatures traced back to then.
Candy corn nudibranch
Graceful kelp crab
Stubby squid adorable.
Rainbow comb jelly,
Red-eye Medusa
Sea gooseberry
Island Nudibranch resembles ceramic art swirled.
Textile cone shell artful
Rose lace coral
Life forms body plan adapt to environment
Spherical, radial and bilateral. Sponges an exception, not symmetrical
Spherical: Radiolarians, Ernst Haeckel, exquisite renderings of the, inspired furniture designs and arch of the day.
Radial: no head, tail...drift.
Arthropod - bilateral advanced onto land, trails
Dogs members of same species, but even within a species, differentiation is less obvious in the early developmental stages. She photog adult and newborn to show how diff mature dogs look yet puppies strangely look much more alike.
Radial animals drift or lead a sessile life. They have a top and bottom but no right or left sides, head, tail, no side leads, redering locomotion relativelly ineffective.Circle of tentacles aoround exposed mouth.
Sponges
rudimentary lifeforms
invented collagen, a protein found in all animals that provides the body with the rigidity required to grow large. Sponges are active and powerful pumping organisms, filtering a ton of water for every ounce of food they consume. Deceptively simple, they can resurrect themselves from a single cell. Nervous systems - the centralization of cells into nerve cords -developed after sponges.
Fossil evidence traces the first footprints on land, called track ways, more than 400 million years ago, and thus pioneering animal (arthropods with jointed exoskeleton) walked out of the sea and onto land on legs with hinged joints. Arthropods landed with a winning design. The field of robotics has drawn inspiration from the arthropod body plan and used it as a model. Versatile.
Chambered nautilus a living fossil.
Octopuses intelligent.
Expressive colors patterns textures, live short lives or would achieve.
Chromatophores pigment cells ability to change color, pattern. Can alter appearance quickly and dramatically.
Echinodermata sea stars fearsome predators.
Worm adapted to almost every habitat on Earth.
Tube-building marine worms are architectural artisans, carefully selecting individual sand grains and assembling them into tubular homes by secreting a mortar-like substance.
Shape env many ways: recycling plant and animal matter into carbon dioxide gas and therefore helping stabilize the atmosphere, and stabilize mud bottom.
3 percent of phylum Chordata invertebrates : tunicates (sea squirts) and lancelets (nearly transparent flattered spear-shaped animals. 3 defining chordate creature features are a motochord, dorsal nerve and pharyngeal gill slits.
Fantastical creatures
Mosaic Pom-Pom Crab
Diamondback nudibranch and all other nudibranches
Graceful decorator crab
Tiger cowrie
Christmas tree hydroid - colony, indivs called polyps
Mantis shrimp best eyes in the world
Blue-eyed hermit
Pacific giant octopus
Chitons - 8 overlapping shell plates across back.
Hermit appropriate shells of dead others.
Sea snails quick and agile in bipedal mode.
Fuzzy island crab resembles costumed dancer
Some: mucus discharge helps them survive stinging prey attacks.
Unity and diversity
water- support
secretions, digestion, respiration, circulation, reproduction.
Slugs including nudibranches are snails without shells.
Smooth brown peanut worm move well with muscular proboscis.
Sea gooseberry shiny jewel-like glassy orbs belong to gelatinous comb jellies.
Want to read
May 3, 2019Oh my, the book is gorgeous. I'm looking forward to diving in!
August 5, 2016
This is not just a coffee table book (though you will want to page through the gorgeous photographs over and over again), it is a very illuminating read on the nature of invertebrates. Susan Middleton has dedicated her work to photographing rare and endangered wildlife. Set against a stark white or black background, she captures the unique essence of these impressive animals. Here are some interesting excerpts:
"In sheer number and diversity, invertebrates eclipse all other forms of life on Earth: They comprise more than 98 percent of all animal lief, and that proportion is only increasing as more species are described. Their interactions form the biological foundation of all ecosystems. Because life evolved in the oceans, marine invertebrates form the bedrock of all life o Earth. They are, as Dr. Edward O. Wilson puts it,'the little things that run the word.'"
"We share our origins with every animal. Scientists have uncovered evidence linking us to the simplest of creatures, confirming age-old beliefs in the unity of life. Many indigenous peoples have understood this intuitively; a deep and inextricable connection to nature is part of their cultural identities. When there is no separation between nature and self, the natural world is respected and even revered. In contrast, modern Western cultures view natures as distinct and separate from humankind, as "other," and accordingly assign it an inferior status, which ultimately leads to a great loneliness of spirit. When we become too self-focused as a species, we miss out on the spectacular diversity of the animal kingdom. Recognizing this profusion of life as our own ancestral lineage, as truly part of us, can be thrilling! Photographing marine invertebrates over the last several years has introduced me to all of these cousins I didn't know I had. The fact that the simple flatworm invented the architecture to support motion directed by a central nervous system stirs and delights my imagination!"
"In sheer number and diversity, invertebrates eclipse all other forms of life on Earth: They comprise more than 98 percent of all animal lief, and that proportion is only increasing as more species are described. Their interactions form the biological foundation of all ecosystems. Because life evolved in the oceans, marine invertebrates form the bedrock of all life o Earth. They are, as Dr. Edward O. Wilson puts it,'the little things that run the word.'"
"We share our origins with every animal. Scientists have uncovered evidence linking us to the simplest of creatures, confirming age-old beliefs in the unity of life. Many indigenous peoples have understood this intuitively; a deep and inextricable connection to nature is part of their cultural identities. When there is no separation between nature and self, the natural world is respected and even revered. In contrast, modern Western cultures view natures as distinct and separate from humankind, as "other," and accordingly assign it an inferior status, which ultimately leads to a great loneliness of spirit. When we become too self-focused as a species, we miss out on the spectacular diversity of the animal kingdom. Recognizing this profusion of life as our own ancestral lineage, as truly part of us, can be thrilling! Photographing marine invertebrates over the last several years has introduced me to all of these cousins I didn't know I had. The fact that the simple flatworm invented the architecture to support motion directed by a central nervous system stirs and delights my imagination!"
February 6, 2018
A break away from fantasy and contemporary books to escapism of a different kind, ‘Spineless’ tempted my imagination as much as any YA novel or artwork in a gallery. Comprised of jaw dropping photography with just enough detail to awe and inspire, igniting the inner observer and scientist in us all. Plus, touching on the artistic with hues of colour and iridescence expertly captured through the lens.
I loved the literary and pop culture quotes scattered through the narrative it provided an additional tidbit grounding this amazing work in the now for folk who don't have a science degree.
This whole book is a great snapshot of the environmental and scientific landscapes. ‘Spineless’ gives you a great deal of technical oversight, as well as educating the reader about our environment and its threats. But on the whole it simply illustrates the beauty of nature and adaptation in the invertebrate world.
The writing style is both academic and flamboyant at the same time, drawing the reader along on an adventure both informative and inspiring. I was certainly ready to jump back into my marine biology studies after reading the book.
A great addition (and better than a glossary) were the inclusion of Species profiles towards the rear of the book. A photographic reference and brief zoological description.
We also get a bit of the behind the scenes mechanics of how this photography was executed in the final pages, which I feel not only adds credence, but is yet another aspect of inspiration for those thinking about producing their own accounts of nature through the lens.
I loved the literary and pop culture quotes scattered through the narrative it provided an additional tidbit grounding this amazing work in the now for folk who don't have a science degree.
This whole book is a great snapshot of the environmental and scientific landscapes. ‘Spineless’ gives you a great deal of technical oversight, as well as educating the reader about our environment and its threats. But on the whole it simply illustrates the beauty of nature and adaptation in the invertebrate world.
The writing style is both academic and flamboyant at the same time, drawing the reader along on an adventure both informative and inspiring. I was certainly ready to jump back into my marine biology studies after reading the book.
A great addition (and better than a glossary) were the inclusion of Species profiles towards the rear of the book. A photographic reference and brief zoological description.
We also get a bit of the behind the scenes mechanics of how this photography was executed in the final pages, which I feel not only adds credence, but is yet another aspect of inspiration for those thinking about producing their own accounts of nature through the lens.
February 25, 2015
This is a gorgeous book of invertebrate photography that zooms in close on the wonders of small marine creatures. Each page is breathtaking, for those of us who are smitten by marine invertebrates. Many of the animals were photographed when the author worked on San Juan Island, so this book is especially informative for people on the Pacific Northwest coast. I borrowed this book, so didn't have it long enough to read the author's text, but did really enjoy the brilliant marine biologist Sylvia Earle's introduction. I wish each photo stated where the animal lived, because it is a bit confusing seeing animals from all over the world grouped together, recognizing some and not knowing if others are local or not. More information is provided at the end of the book, but I would have preferred having it with the photos.
June 26, 2015
This book is stunning. From the endpapers in, it's just gorgeous. There's some interesting scientific background about evolution and genetic research, etc., but what really makes this book special is the photographs. Anyone who can make a flatworm that beautiful gets a tip of the hat from me. And the Frosted Nudibranch on pages 44-45 is one of the most beautiful things I've ever seen. I'm taking a trip to the aquarium tomorrow, and I think I'll find myself paying more attention to the invertebrates this time. Screw you, fish! Bring on the crabs! Show me the jellyfish!
I'll definitely be looking for more of Susan Middleton's work.
I'll definitely be looking for more of Susan Middleton's work.
June 18, 2015
This is a lovely large format book full of lush pictures of sea creatures, great pics, fun anecdotes in the species profiles, only thing i wish there was a better sense of scale some of these things within the "text" and not have to wait for the notes, like the butterfly crab are not at all what i thought they would be, i think that would hold true for more than i know. that is all, it is beautiful though,
February 14, 2017
Gorgeous photos, great print quality, inspiring organic forms. Especially love the Frosted Nudibranch (p. 44), reminds me of the Sydney Opera House. I also might have to hunt down the flower-like San Juan Stalked Jelly (p. 21), beautiful.
p. 21 San Juan Stalked Jelly on blade of eelgrass whose edges are adorned with a delicate red seaweed.
p. 36 & 37 Candy Corn Nudibranch and Candy Corn Nudibranch eggs
p. 21 San Juan Stalked Jelly on blade of eelgrass whose edges are adorned with a delicate red seaweed.
p. 36 & 37 Candy Corn Nudibranch and Candy Corn Nudibranch eggs
February 22, 2018
Some of the animals in this book were so gross yet intriguing. A lot of them appeared more than once though; I kind of expected there to be more than there were. The pictures are gorgeous, but there are so many more invertebrates that could have been included in here. For once I actually found the writing more attention holding. It gives insight into the evolution of some of these invertebrates and even into how evolution itself as a human construct came about.
January 16, 2015
While I didn't have the chance to read all of the essays word from word, I did love the pictures. They were pretty amazing, and I like how the author is trying to raise awareness on these underwater creatures who often go unrecognized and unappreciated, because they're not as cute or cuddly as other animals.
December 4, 2016
These portraits of marine invertebrates are unbelievably gorgeous. I actually don't even know how to talk about these anemones and crabs and jellies and urchins and octopods; they're otherworldly.
And at least 1/5 of them are threatened with extinction, so you can have a hearty dose of existential despair along with your aesthetic marveling.
And at least 1/5 of them are threatened with extinction, so you can have a hearty dose of existential despair along with your aesthetic marveling.
January 8, 2017
This book is so, so gorgeous!
I got it for Christmas and I absolutely love it. Be aware this book is heavy on pictures, and although there are many pages of writing, there are just as many, if not more pages of pictures. This isn't a text book, this is a coffee table book that's absolutely stunning.
I got it for Christmas and I absolutely love it. Be aware this book is heavy on pictures, and although there are many pages of writing, there are just as many, if not more pages of pictures. This isn't a text book, this is a coffee table book that's absolutely stunning.
June 26, 2017
Absolutely stunning photographs that get up close and personal with nudibranches, crabs, shrimp, coral and many other invertebrates of the ocean. Beautiful work, but I admit I began to skim the writing when I realized it was all agenda driven. However, I still want to own this coffee table book to peruse and dwell on the wonders within our world that we rarely get to see. Gorgeous!
November 21, 2014
the octopus was beautiful there were many things that were pretty and you can't believe that they are found in nature but then you think oooowwww what can they do to the human body. where are they found in nature? it was great!!!
December 16, 2014
beautiful photographs of amazing creatures!
February 3, 2015
A beautiful collection of photographs of invertebrates. The perfect addition to any biology enthusiast's coffee table.
February 13, 2015
Amazing photography.
June 10, 2015
Fantastic collection of magical photographs.
July 8, 2015
the beauty of marine , deep, curious life.
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January 20, 2016As Oprah would say, this book was ah-maze-inggggg. Great photos, awesome animals I never knew existed and hear idea. Would like to see more from the author!
December 30, 2015
So beautiful!
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February 2, 2016Absolutely gorgeous photographs! Fascinating creatures!
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