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Animal Series
Jellyfish
Jellyfish are, like the mythical Medusa, both beautiful and potentially dangerous. Found from pole to tropic, these mesmeric creatures form an important part of the sea’s plankton and vary in size from the gigantic to the minute. Perceived as almost alien creatures and seen as best avoided, jellyfish nevertheless have the power to with the sheer beauty of their translucent bells and long, trailing tentacles, with a mouth that doubles as an anus, and without a head or brain. Drawing upon myth and historical sources as well as modern scientific advances, this book examines our ambiguous relationship with these ancient and yet ill-understood animals, describing their surprisingly complex anatomy, weaponry, and habits, and their vital contributions to the ocean’s ecosystems.
224 pages, Paperback
Published April 13, 2020
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
February 2, 2023
Good books on jellyfish are hard to find - there hardly exist any. I've had the German 'Quallen' by Thomas Heeger (2004) for years, and that really seems the most comprehensive scientific monograph on the subject: someone should translate that in English. I'm fascinated by the subject, so when I saw Williams' book reviewed in The Economist I bought it instantly.
Well, the English pendant to 'Quallen' this is not. At only 180 pages, this feels like an opportunity gone wrong. Williams has written a very strange text: it fails to find focus, as this book tries to present a bird's eye view on 'jellyfish' as a phenomenon, both biological as cultural. We get some biology, but also quite a lot on the history of jellyfish research, dating all the way back to the 16th century, and before, to Aristotle & Pliny the Elder, plus some random ruminations on jellyfish in popular culture - with stuff like a movie still from 'Finding Nemo', a picture of a Roman mosaic of the mythological figure Medusa, contemporary glass art jellyfish, and a paragraph on Margaret Atwood using jellyfish as a metaphor. What's worse: the biology and the cultural remarks are generally woven together, making for a disjointed reading experience.
One has to wonder what the target audience for this little book is: this is not exactly a popular science book: terms like 'phylum' or 'strobilation' are used without explanation, but the cultural ruminations are thin, and even a bit trite. On page 127 Williams talks about an eccentric Japanese professor doing songs about jellyfish in a funny costume, and on the next page the word 'prion' is used. In the end, all the culture stuff is just musings, variations on the fact that jellyfish are strange and fascinating. They fail to be true cultural science: for instance, Williams claims jellyfish tend to be used more in poems than in prose - but this isn't backed up by research.
The book is part of the 'Animal series' by Reaktion books, and this broad view on the animal in question seems a bit of a template for a text that had to fit in under 200 pages. As a result, the biology side is a bit underdeveloped. Williams read through the scientific literature, and knows his stuff, so much is clear. He manages to provide quite a few interesting tidbits of information, and luckily, I did learn a few things. But sadly, he hardly digs deep, and things I would have liked a full page on, only get a sentence or a short paragraph. It's good as an introduction, but would hardly satisfy anyone with an academic interest in the matter - except maybe for the bibliography and the references.
There is a silver lining though: in that bibliography, I discovered a 2016 monograph on jellyfish I wasn't aware of - 'Jellyfish: A Natural History' by Lisa-ann Gershwin. I've ordered that, and I hope that will scratch my itch more thoroughly.
More non-fiction reviews on Weighing A Pig Doesn't Fatten It
Well, the English pendant to 'Quallen' this is not. At only 180 pages, this feels like an opportunity gone wrong. Williams has written a very strange text: it fails to find focus, as this book tries to present a bird's eye view on 'jellyfish' as a phenomenon, both biological as cultural. We get some biology, but also quite a lot on the history of jellyfish research, dating all the way back to the 16th century, and before, to Aristotle & Pliny the Elder, plus some random ruminations on jellyfish in popular culture - with stuff like a movie still from 'Finding Nemo', a picture of a Roman mosaic of the mythological figure Medusa, contemporary glass art jellyfish, and a paragraph on Margaret Atwood using jellyfish as a metaphor. What's worse: the biology and the cultural remarks are generally woven together, making for a disjointed reading experience.
One has to wonder what the target audience for this little book is: this is not exactly a popular science book: terms like 'phylum' or 'strobilation' are used without explanation, but the cultural ruminations are thin, and even a bit trite. On page 127 Williams talks about an eccentric Japanese professor doing songs about jellyfish in a funny costume, and on the next page the word 'prion' is used. In the end, all the culture stuff is just musings, variations on the fact that jellyfish are strange and fascinating. They fail to be true cultural science: for instance, Williams claims jellyfish tend to be used more in poems than in prose - but this isn't backed up by research.
The book is part of the 'Animal series' by Reaktion books, and this broad view on the animal in question seems a bit of a template for a text that had to fit in under 200 pages. As a result, the biology side is a bit underdeveloped. Williams read through the scientific literature, and knows his stuff, so much is clear. He manages to provide quite a few interesting tidbits of information, and luckily, I did learn a few things. But sadly, he hardly digs deep, and things I would have liked a full page on, only get a sentence or a short paragraph. It's good as an introduction, but would hardly satisfy anyone with an academic interest in the matter - except maybe for the bibliography and the references.
There is a silver lining though: in that bibliography, I discovered a 2016 monograph on jellyfish I wasn't aware of - 'Jellyfish: A Natural History' by Lisa-ann Gershwin. I've ordered that, and I hope that will scratch my itch more thoroughly.
More non-fiction reviews on Weighing A Pig Doesn't Fatten It
April 10, 2024
(DEUTSCH WEITER UNTEN)
The book gives a good overview of jellyfish (their history, biology, pop-cultural influences, influences in medicine and also space research etc), but those who want a more detailed insight into specific species will be disappointed here, apart from extremely brief excurses.
(DEUTSCH)
Das Buch gibt einen guten Überblick über Quallen (ihre Geschichte, Biologie, popkulturelle Einflüsse, Einflüsse in der Medizin und auch der Weltraumforschung etc), wer aber einen genaueren Einblick in spezielle Arten haben möchte, wird hier, bis auf extrem kurze Exkurse, enttäuscht.
The book gives a good overview of jellyfish (their history, biology, pop-cultural influences, influences in medicine and also space research etc), but those who want a more detailed insight into specific species will be disappointed here, apart from extremely brief excurses.
(DEUTSCH)
Das Buch gibt einen guten Überblick über Quallen (ihre Geschichte, Biologie, popkulturelle Einflüsse, Einflüsse in der Medizin und auch der Weltraumforschung etc), wer aber einen genaueren Einblick in spezielle Arten haben möchte, wird hier, bis auf extrem kurze Exkurse, enttäuscht.
December 3, 2021
An excellent, non-technical book about an important but seldom referred to group of animals.
September 14, 2023
This was a nice read and I enjoyed so many of the anecdotes—ranging widely from Sylvia Plath to the Octonauts. However, I’m afraid simply no information or stories I’m told about jellyfish will ever top a jersey shore summer many moons ago when we asked the lifeguard if it was safe to swim. There were jellyfish everywhere and so of course we asked if they were safe to even simply walk near. The lifeguard then proceeds to tell us it’s plenty safe and prove so by saying you could even eat them. Which he then jumped off his chair and proceeded to do just that. And then he ate another simply because he wanted to eat another. Needless to say, jellyfish you will always be so loved and fascinating to me. 🪼💙
June 8, 2020
Excellent illustrations and images. Great introduction to the complex and varied world of jellyfish.
July 16, 2024
› Rating:
— 2 Stars.
› Thoughts:
— Williams touches on many topics surrounding jellyfish, but that's about it. He rambles on about many things, but never goes more in depth into what he's talking about; it feels very superficial. This, for me, made it hard to keep my attention up.
I will give him that he put a lot of effort into his research, but even so I have the feeling that this book could very well have been a 30 minute video on YouTube. I'm a little disappointed, as I was really looking forward to learn more about jellyfish, but all I got was a very fast-paced mention (not deep-dive, really just a mention) of any topic you could possibly think of might be related to jellyfishes.
— 2 Stars.
› Thoughts:
— Williams touches on many topics surrounding jellyfish, but that's about it. He rambles on about many things, but never goes more in depth into what he's talking about; it feels very superficial. This, for me, made it hard to keep my attention up.
I will give him that he put a lot of effort into his research, but even so I have the feeling that this book could very well have been a 30 minute video on YouTube. I'm a little disappointed, as I was really looking forward to learn more about jellyfish, but all I got was a very fast-paced mention (not deep-dive, really just a mention) of any topic you could possibly think of might be related to jellyfishes.
May 24, 2022
cute, with interesting facts and cool artwork of jellyfish featured.
May 14, 2025
This book is a must read for anyone interested in pursuing a career in jellyfish studies/research. It's holistic, in depth, philosophical, witty, and just a good read!
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews