Poseidon's Steed The Story of Seahorses, from Myth to Reality by Scales, Helen ( Author

by helen-scales

Hard to find

Genres: Nonfiction, Science, Animals, Nature, History, Biology, Natural History

Hardcover

First published July 23, 2009

Reviews

[Jen · Rating 1 out of 5]

You know how in college, you had that term paper that had to be so many pages long, and you only had like 3 pages of actual things to say. THIS WHOLE BOOK WAS LIKE THIS!!!

The intro is all about how she went looking for a seahorse for years and years and years and then more years, and then some years after that.

Then when she discusses how seahorses are used in traditional Chinese medicines, she goes in depth about how these medicines are tested and what they found, and how they are used, and..."but no one has done any studies on seahorses because yeah they know it's all bunk" (I paraphrase).

In the chapter about people keeping seahorses as pets, she talks about who made the first aquarium, and how they started, and what animals will be kept and how they had to figure out how to add oxygen to the water. And yeah, but not that many people keep seahorses.

And the much beloved and "omigod I want to lick you" final chapter as I scream for mercy, she discusses how important seahorses are BY CITING ARIEL--as in the MERMAID. Not the actual movie, mind you, but one of the straight to video "off shoots" where she rides "Stormy" the seahorse around the ocean.

I actually kept count of stars that this book lost along the way, as it was more interesting than the book. If you actually counted the information about seahorses this book contained, you might have a nice pamphlet. But as the publisher paid for a full book, you got a pamphlet about seahorse drowned in a sea of filler.

[Brandie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Poseidon’s Steed is a short, interesting read. I sold myself on this book that it would be more ‘sciency’. The author, after all, is a marine biologist and so I thought it would have a more in-depth look at the biology and evolution of the seahorse. And so I wanted to give the book a lower rating since it didn’t live up to what I thought it was about.

But, the book, like its subtitle says, is about The Story of Seahorses, From Myth to Reality. Dr. Helen Scales is passionate about marine biology and, in particular, seahorses, and it comes across in her writing and knowledge.

Her tangents on mythology and herbal medicines are fascinating to read but I would rather have had a more detailed description of the life and anatomy of seahorses and their relatives, the pipefish and sea dragons. The prelude too was confusing. It was less about seahorses and more about the diving history of the author as she, for many years, kept an eye out for her first sighting of a wild seahorse. It was an interesting side story but that’s about it.

Then, too, there were her disappointing notes referencing Wikipedia. I don’t mind Wikipedia being referenced in a review of a book but in an actual science-based book by a PH.D.? No. There are around seven references to information she gleaned from Wikipedia. :/ Sorry, but that is unacceptable by someone writing a science book or scientific article. She should have taken the time to dive a little deeper and find a better source. Seven is not that many to take the short amount of time to research. I understand it’s not in the bibliography but is in the notes (footnotes)…still should have pointed to a better reference. It makes her look amateurish and less trustworthy.

[Todd Martin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Everybody likes seahorses! Seahorses are members of the Syngnathidae family of fish which includes seahorses, pipefishes, and sea dragons. Even though they don’t do much more than twine their tails around a bit of seaweed and hang around eating and creating more seahorses they are odd and charming little creatures that have made their way into myth and popular culture.

In “Poseidon's Steed” author Helen Scales discusses everything ‘seahorse’ including their role in myth and culture, their natural history, and the threats to their survival from environmental degradation, fishing and their use in traditional medicine. Scales has a very pleasant writing style which is easy to read and keeps the subject matter interesting.

I have two criticisms of the book, one minor and one less so. My minor critique is that the glossy photographs in the center of the book are all black and white. Seahorses are extremely colorful; surely the cost of publishing color photos could not have been overly prohibitive. More significantly, in the section discussing traditional medicine Scales is hesitant to call these practices out for the complete and utter nonsense that they are. There is absolutely no empirical evidence to suggest that the crushed powder of a seahorse carcass will result in enhanced male virility. Deference to pre-scientific, environmentally destructive hocus-pocus only serves to perpetuate the myth. Given a choice between cultural sensitivity and species extinction, let’s agree to protect the species.

[Mark Ferguson · Rating 2 out of 5]

Poseidon's Steed is (I should have known) all about seahorses. I really love good popular science books, which is why I decided to read this one at a friend's insistence. Although there was enough of interest to get me through this short book, and it was written well enough to keep me reading, I have to say that I was pretty disappointed. In short, the book never really transcended its very narrow focus, and although I now know a lot more about seahorses than I ever thought I would, the book didn't really make me think about anything that hasn't already been pounded into my head by Discovery channel ocean documentaries. In the chapter "Why Seahorses Matter" the author offers scant evidence of how the seahorse has shaped culture and attitudes towards the ocean. I could tell she was reaching for evidence when she mentioned a seahorse character in one of the straight-to-VHS Little Mermaid sequels as proof that humans are drawn to the strange creatures. This would have been a great article in Best American Science and Nature writing. But at 10 times the length of a typical article, I'd pass.

[Taveri · Rating 3 out of 5]

unfortunately i started with the Epilogue, which I have not done before. It informed me that "Seahorses may rely on a healthy ocean to survive but the oceans don't rely on them. They are not what ecologists call a keystone species." I suppose it is the same thing with humans.

Seahorses are on our family crest but I suspect the catalogue offer my father ordered is a fake. Perhaps better to have a fake one than none at all.

Seahorses are fascinated creatures - teolists (fish) with the prehensile (new world monkey like) tails and males giving birth to young. Dr Helen Scales recounts numerous antecdotes relating to seahorses from dubious Roman finds found in Britain to Jean Painleve's (pre Jacques Cousteau) underwater filming, where seahorse footage was the only film to earn him a profit.

It was a longtime for aquarium enthusiatists to "tame" seahorses where they learned they had personalities, some are: show-offs, shy, affectionate, put on airs & graces, politely wait at meal times, smart, lazy, bullies, cheeky or snicking playful (page 148).

3.5 rounded down for the somewhat lengthy chapter on Chinese medicine.

[Samantha · Rating 2 out of 5]

I picked up some interesting bits of trivia from this, but unfortunately it was an underwhelming, clunky, slow read that plodded along rather dully and often digressed into long discussions about things that had little to do with the main topic. With a name like Helen Scales, the author seems like the perfect person to chronicle sea life, but she's clearly more marine biologist than writer. I did enjoy the section on the Victorian origins of aquarium-keeping, but the rest was not at all engaging.

[Christine · Rating 2 out of 5]

Parts of the book are interesting, parts are digressions. I get she loves Seahorses, but I could have used a little more, Seahorse facts.

[Starbubbles · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really liked this book. It was very easy to read and follow. That is not true of all science, nature, ecology, etc books. I completely disagree with her premise on that we should protect seahorses just because they are cool. Yes, they are cool and remind at least some people of the magic and wonder of the sea. But I believe they are a good barometer of the health of the water in that area. It is a point she touched on, then quickly skipped back to her "because they are awesome" argument. Maybe address why they wouldn't be good barometers? I mean, that would be easy. They are hard to spot and detect. Therefore, other fish might be better at that job.

I was also left with other questions. Are there freshwater seahorses? If not, why? Can Cape Seahorses live places other than Cape Hope? (I think that's where they are)

But all in all, it was a good book that I would recommend to others. :)

[Gaute Seljestad · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you're looking for a book strictly about seahorses, this is NOT the book for you. If you on the other hand are looking for an interesting book partly about seahorses but with tons of digressions and sidesteps about anything and everything that can be remotely related to some part of seahorse history, look no further.

Helen Scales has a lovely way of writing and I find every single sidestep fascinating in its own way. It might not be her best book, and from the other reviews it's definitely not what many were hoping for, but I would still recommend it as Scales love for the oceans and it's inhabitants really shine through. This, along with descriptions of cultural history and significance of seahorses as well as many other organisms makes the book a fascinating read that I really enjoyed!

[Sally · Rating 4 out of 5]

Giving this four stars because I love seahorses and because it's an enjoyable science and exploration read. Came across this one on the sale table at U Bookstore. The author covers both the mythic and the factual history of seahorses, sea dragons and pipefish. She does a great job talking about the impact of fisheries and climate change on these small, odd little creatures. And there are pictures of seahorses!

[Nightingale · Rating 5 out of 5]

The book was fun and entertaining I learnt a lot about seahorses

[987643467881 · Rating 1 out of 5]

It's ironic that while trying so hard to convince readers how amazing and fascinating seahorses are, the book actually gave me the exact opposite impression... Are seahorses really so boring that a book on them would have to resort to using flowery, dramatic language (romantic under the sea re-enactments of seahorse copulation, etc.), random and arguably irrelevant stories (that just happen to include sculptures of seahorses, etc.), lengthy descriptions of traditional Chinese medicine (for erectile dysfunction, etc.) and random pop-culture references (Disney's The Little Mermaid, etc.) as fillers? Is there really so little to say about seahorses?! I refuse to believe that they're really just that boring.

Some examples:

We're told the story of the Lydian Hoard in a great amount of detail. The author's justification for this detour is that one of the pieces in the hoard was a golden seahorse. The story is re-enacted in a dramatic style:

“Inside, the tomb was silent, cool and still. Beneath a thousand-year darkness hid a vast treasure trove, an unimaginable Aladdin's cave. Outside, the hot desert lay stretched out like an unending yellow carpet with eye-stinging sand that danced through the midday wind...”

In Chapter 2 (An A-Z of Seahorses) I assumed we would finally get onto the sciencey bit of the book, only to discover that the majority of the surprisingly short chapter was filled with paragraphs like this:

“Like a chameleon's, a seahorse's eyes can move independently of each other, essential for spotting specks of potential food floating all around them in the water column. West African folklore warns us to fear chameleons because it is said they can look into your future and into your past at the same time. Perhaps the same goes for seahorses?”

[I thought we were done with the chapter on mythology?! This myth isn't even about seahorses...]

and

“Right now, somewhere in the world, early-morning sunbeams pierce through shallow water like spokes of a wheel and cast quivering pools of brightness on the seagrass meadow below. The night shift has ended and diurnal creatures begin to emerge from sleeping hideaways: grazing rabbitfish, bucktoothed parrotfish, and feisty damselfish tending their farms of algae. Two tiny silhouettes come together like a pair of knights on a chessboard. The seahorses greet each other with a nose to nose caress and, wrapping their tails around a single blade of grass, they begin a seductive dance.”

The last chapter (Why Seahorses Matter) was the most shocking of them all. In this chapter the author lists (and discusses) books, TV shows and movies that have seahorses in them in order to demonstrate how “Seahorses have also, for decades, infiltrated popular culture where they tell a host of different stories from the ocean.” The list includes: The Life Aquatic, Caroline and the Sea-Horse, The Little Mermaid, Pokemon, Sponge Bob Square Pants, and a 1990's British indie band called The Seahorses. So seahorses matter primarily because of their roles in pop-culture...?

Perhaps the only useful line in the entire book for me was the one referencing the book The Sea-Horse and Its Relatives (1958) by Gilbert Whitley and Joyce Allan (which oddly enough I can't seem to find on Goodreads), maybe that will prove to be a more readable and informative book.

[Christopher · Rating 3 out of 5]

A nice book about sea horses, or was it about aquariums and the history of, or was it about Chinese medicine and the history of...... I cant decide. Whatever it was about it made me want to read more about seahorses. I felt I learned about what becomes of seahorses when in this world at the hands of mankind and its not nice, for the seahorses at least. They are being fished to extinction along with so many other marine animals. The book is quite bias against Chinese medicine, and i cant help but agree with the author, its a practice which should be proved or disproved by science at a UN level to put a stop to the (in my view)unnecessary hunting of endangered species so that they can be ground up into to ash and drank to rejuvenate some guy/girl's qi/chi!!!

Anyway, this is a book for those interested or curious about seahorses, but a book that doesn't answer all the questions. It was sometimes boring, but its a short book so worhtwile reading to the end. The pictures in the middle were a let down also, they could have printed them in colour (although you cant distinguish between species of seahorses by colour) because black and white pictures of these fab seahorses did them no justice.

[Alex · Rating 4 out of 5]

Buddy read with Erica!

This was so cute and fun, much like seahorses themselves. I do think the subtitle (From Myth to Reality) is a bit misleading, though, because there was hardly any mythology discussed at all. I also don't feel like she adequately explained why seahorses are important and need to be protected. Her answer to that was basically, "because they're cool", which seemed like an odd stance for a biologist to take. Still, I learned a lot and I had a lot of fun reading it.

A lot of reviewers complained about how the author frequently went off on tangents about things that had nothing at all to do with seahorses, but funnily enough I didn't really mind that. The chapter about alternative medicine was fascinating, for instance, as was the chapter on the first aquariums. Yes, they ventured off topic, but I learned something new and interesting so I'm okay with that.

I really wish the photo pages had been in color, though! I know she said color doesn't necessarily mean anything when identifying the species, but it would have been nice for the pictures to not be in black and white.

Also, can I just add that the author is a marine biologist and her last name is Scales? Because that's just awesome.

[Ruth · Rating 4 out of 5]

I had first heard of this during an interview with the author on the Diane Rehm show a year or two back, and was really interested in reading it. The local library never got it in, though, and earlier this spring I saw it drastically reduced at a Borders going-out-of-business sale in SLC, so I bought it. I love the etchings (or woodcuts?) of seahorses throughout the book, as well as actual photos of various species of seahorse mentioned by the author. She keeps you pretty interested (although during the chapter that was most scientific, on all the classifications, etc., my eyes may have glazed over once or twice, necessitating browsing rather than deep reading in one or two spots) and also talks about the mythology of this tiny creature, & the Victorian vogue for nature that created aquariums and started those trends that still continue today. This is definitely a fascinating sea animal (how many times outside of sci-fi novels can you speak of males that become pregnant and give birth? That's how sea horses propagate the species) and it was fun to learn more. I'm also amused by the apropos surname of the author, Helen "Scales." Interesting book.

[Ladiibbug · Rating 4 out of 5]

Non-Fiction

Wonderful book covering seahorses from a myriad of topics. From anatomy (the MALE carries the babies and gives birth!), to preferred habitat around the world, to various myths in various cultures over the centuries.

A highly interesting section of the book focused on Traditional Chinese Medicine(TCM), going back centuries through time. While abbreviated to just one chapter, lots of great info. I was sad to discover seahorses are highly valued to be ground into dust and used, to this day, in TCM.

Also discouraging is the information all over the globe of seahorse habitats being destroyed or damaged by pollution, climate change, "fish bombs", damage or destruction of coral reefs.

Positive work is being done to preserve marine habitat where seahorses thrive, thanks to marine experts working with native populations around the world.

[Sharon · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting but brief and still relatively superficial. I suspect Scales was reaching a bit in some of her argument about early cultural reference to seahorses, like arguing that the indigenous myth of the rainbow serpent refers not to a serpent but a seahorse or pipefish, interesting but I am not convinced.
From a pop science standpoint the book is informative enough and readable. The discussion on ecology and fishing is informative, as is the discussion on the Chinese medicine trade. An okay pop science read. A nice, interesting little book. Just wish some of the black and white illustrations and photos had actually been in colour.

[Alice · Rating 3 out of 5]

I adore seahorses. Although this has been on my shelf unread for close to a decade I thought it would be more as the title describes it. Alas, it wasn't to be.

I wanted more mythology and history of this creature. I didn't want a breakdown of Chinese medicine except as it applies to seahorses. And while the information about how climate change and mankind are destroying our oceans is needed (if depressing) it shouldn't have been the focus of this book IMO.

Still I enjoyed parts of it a great deal and it did deepen my love of seahorses.

[Deborah · Rating 4 out of 5]

A little gem of a book just like the seahorse is a little gem of the sea. I have to admit I knew very little about seahorses until I read this. They are beautiful creatures and the book was very informative yet readable. I think this would be a good book for just about anyone.

[Katrisa · Rating 3 out of 5]

I learned some cool stuff about seahorses! Which is an animal I have previously not thought about too much. This book did make me depressed for the fate of our oceans though...

[Anna · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was informative in a lot of ways, but was extremely long-winded in other ways that had little to do with seahorses. We got an entire thesis on Traditional Chinese Medicine that included things like malaria remedies and whether or not TCM is effective, when all that would have been required is that TCM has seen a resurgence, it uses seahorses, here are the mentions of seahorses in the texts, and this is why they are being overfished. And that was not the only instance where the breadth of the subject matter lacked any relevance to seahorses.

[Nick Chang · Rating 5 out of 5]

It was good I like seahorses

[Stephanie Froebel · Rating 5 out of 5]

An absolutely incredible and profoundly interesting narrative of the sea horse. Helen is able to masterfully thread together history, natural history, science, and sociopolitical conservation battles and efforts. I am amazed. The sea horse is such a fascinating creature and with it, bringing deeply fascinating intercultural narrative.

If you like The Soul of an Octopus or books alike, this book is different, but still a wonderful choice. I hope more people write in this style or that Scales has more books in her repertoire.

[Jenny · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was an extremely quick and relatively fascinating read.

I hadn't previously known or thought much about seahorses, so this book provided a good, solid education of seahorses and how they are in need of protection. I found it interesting to hear of the way people use seahorses; not just in aquariums, but rather, as traditional folk remedies for certain ailments. Seahorses are definitely a cool creature that is in need of protecting from humans... but I'm not exactly sure why.

I did have some minor grievances about this book, despite the fact that it had a positive overall message. I really wish that the author had gone into more detail about how/why the seahorse is important. The overall impression that I took away from this book was that, yes the seahorse should be protected... because it's a really cool fish and can't fend for itself against humans... so we should protect it. I wish that the author had mentioned how the seahorse is important in the oceanic ecosystem, that would have made me much happier with this book.

I also wish that the author had given a little bit more information about the histories involving seahorses. The titles states that this book is "the story of seahorses, from myth to reality", but only the first chapter or two were about the myths surrounding seahorses. I would have been interested to learn more about where the seahorse shows up in history, or had the author leave that part out all together.

Overall, I think this book provides a lot of information on the conservation of seahorses -- how they are being protected and how we should try to protect them in the future-- but didn't give enough real information on seahorses for my taste. Normally I complain when a book is too scientific and not written in a manner that is easily accessible to the general public; in this book my complaint is exactly the opposite, the author writes in a manner that is too general and not scientific enough.

[Chris · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pleasant, inoffensive, and whimsical. Like seahorses. At the biological end it’s fairly skimpy- which just goes to show how little is known about these bizarre, secretive fish. I found the discussion on culture significance of sea horses to be a stretch—the inclusion of a sea horse on platterware that depicts a marine menagerie does not convincingly demonstrate a deep cultural enamor with the dainty weirdoes. Later chapters are devoted to topics that are applicable to sea horses but tackle much grander ecological concerns harming many species: overfishing, coral reef bleaching, traditional Chinese medicine, and the aquarium industry. One of the most impressive parts of this book was its tack on Chinese medicine. Dr. Scales explains the basic ideology and treats the topic with respect. Before this book I considered much of the traditional medicine practice infuriating, woefully outdated, and inexcusable for pressures on threatened and endangered wildlife species. After reading this book… I still feel that way. But now I comprehend why it is so difficult to convince users that rhino horn, tiger genetalia, and powered seahorse will not improve their health or wellbeing. Huzzah for my enlightenment yet I’m still bummed. After all, sea horses are another example of amazing, innocuous creatures- slowly operating at a tiny scale and oblivious to human activity- that are getting screwed over by our species.

Can’t end on that depressing note, so I’ll point out that the Monterey Bay Aquarium has a magical sea horse exhibit and I bet everyone who walks through there cannot help but be enchanted by the wee beasts.

[Rusty · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a fascinating look at seahorses. So little is really known about this fantastic sea creature that lives throughout the world in salt waters. There are 39 or more types with more being discovered as time passes. The former has been documented as it seems that many identified forms were really one of these found in another location. However, that decision is still to be verified so she lists all she could find in the many sources she examined. Seahorses are still used in homeopathic medicine for many ailments but their use has not been verified. Nevertheless, one type has been harvested so heavily that it is now on the endangered species list. Varying in size from a few centimeters to as long as one's forearm, these interesting creatures have as many as 300 babies. In another part of the book she notes that the larger seahorses may have a thousand or more while the pigmy types may have only a few. While the female carries the eggs she transfers them to the male for fertilization and birthing. My only concern with this book is that the author occasionally contradicts what she has said in another portion of the book. Nevertheless, I found this an interesting read indeed!

[Patsy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is one of the best non-fiction books I've ever read about any sea creature! I knew virtually nothing about seahorses, and now I know a whole lot more!

Helen is a marine biologist who has studied them and tells about them in an easy-to-read fashion. She didn't use any huge scientific words that I had to look up, she explains things in an interesting way, and the periods of history she covers are interesting.

I find it distressing that people hunt these tiny creatures and kill them to use for various purposes. They are so beautiful and unique, it is shameful that they are hunted in my opinion.

My favorite part was learning about Philip Henry Gosse who studied sea life and was the first to "coin the term aquarium" (pg. 130-131.) This book has made me want to research his books, too.

[Elizabeth Newell · Rating 3 out of 5]

Quite a good book, informative and entertaining. It generally did a good job of providing more than the usual types of information/trivia (OMG, the males get pregnant!) without being so scientific as to be a difficult read for a layperson. Some of the chapters meander a bit, like the one on Chinese Medicine, but after you read them you realize that they help to give a nice, balanced view of the issues. Saddening facts about conservation efforts and fishing, but ones that really help you realize how something seemingly unrelated (like eating shrimp) can affect other organisms. Could have used a few more pictures, especially of different species and of the seahorse artwork that the author rather laboriously describes in the first chapter.

[Allison · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wonderful! I love it when I pluck a book off the library shelf with the thought, "Why not? I might be interested in this topic?" and then the book is so well-written that I discover that I am, in fact quite fascinated--turns out that I very much like seahorses! They are something worth being curious about (which is the highest praise I can think of), and Scales does a great job of cataloging her curiosity and the answers she has found--as well as the questions that remain unanswered. I appreciated the healthy dose of ecological awareness, too, though it was a bit of a downer . . . it is an important message to hear. Such beautiful, fascinating little creatures, and so ably treated in this book!

[Carrie · Rating 4 out of 5]

In this book Helen Scales (please tell me this is her real name) provides an introduction to seahorse behavior, biology, habitat, mythology, and cultural significance. I'm very impressed that a contemporary marine biologist was able to describe her chosen species as real animals and as fairy princesses in the same book, and get away with it.

It's shorter and lighter than many popular science animal books, but this really didn't bother me. And I liked the pretty language, which seemed so fitting for seahorses. My only minor complaint is that some of the mythology was a bit of a stretch, but she admits that.