Men and Whales

by Richard Ellis

Traces the complex history of humans and whales--from the aborigines to tenth-century Basques to eighteenth-century British and Dutch whalers to the Yankee sperm whale fishery and the whaling industry in Australia, New Zealand, and South Africa

Genres: Nature, Natural History, Nonfiction, History, Maritime

542 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1991

About the author

Richard Ellis is a celebrated authority on marine biology and America’s foremost marine life artist whose work has been exhibited worldwide. His nine books include The Search for the Giant Squid (a Publishers Weekly 1998 Best Book of the Year), Great White Shark, Encyclopedia of the Sea, Men and Whales, Monsters of the Sea, Deep Atlantic The Book of Whales, and Imagining Atlantis.

Reviews

[Lauren Pumpkin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Impressive and thorough research of the history of whaling into the modern age including the initial IWC ban in 1986. I'm impressed with the media references (snips from newspapers, etc) and the vast global view and perspective this book encompasses.

[Tonjia Atomic · Rating 5 out of 5]

I learned that Men are pretty much nasty horrible creatures that will stop at nothing to kill and destroy.

This book is absolutely fascinating. It describes the whaling industry and its impact on the planet in great detail. This is a very thorough book. It covers everything from the various whale species to the shape and functions of a whaling vessel to human social climate changes. This book could be dry to someone who isn't interested in this topic. It's very meaty and there were sections that I skimmed.

[Gig Wailgum · Rating 5 out of 5]

Vast, informative, grim, compelling, rich. A big read filled with great artwork and photos.

[Jim Jawitz · Rating 5 out of 5]

I can't imagine a more comprehensive treatment. Although, hopefully the subsequent editions beyond this one (1991) trimmed out some of the repetitive bits.