The Ocean at Home: An Illustrated History of the Aquarium

by Bernd Brunner

The mysterious world beneath the ocean's surface has captivated man for centuriesthe Egyptians, Greeks, Romans, and ancient Chinese all kept fish in their homes for purposes other than the culinary. But it was not until the nineteenth-century invention of the aquarium that the deep was trulydomesticated, offering the curiously inclined a chance to invent their very own exotic sea world within their own walls. In this fascinating history of the aquarium, Bernd Brunner traces the development of this most wonderful invention, giving insight into the cultural and social circumstances that accompanied its swift rise in popularity. Brunner tells a compelling story of obsession, beauty, discovery, and delight, from the aquarium's humble origins as a tool for scientific observation to the Victorian era's elaborately decorated containers of oceanic curiosity, to the great public aquaria of the twentieth century.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Nature, Microhistory, Science

144 pages, Hardcover

First published August 12, 2003

About the author

Bernd Brunner, a graduate of the Free University of Berlin and Berlin School of Economics, is an independent scholar, freelance writer, and editor of nonfiction books. He is the author of The Ocean at Home: An Illustrated History of the Aquarium. Lori Lantz received a Ph.D. in comparative literature from UCLA and attended the Free University of Berlin as a Fulbright Scholar.

Reviews

[Tom Quinn · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is exactly what it claims to be: descriptions of aquariums and how they have operated, presented in chronological order. Illustrations abound.

2.99999... stars out of 5. This book achieves the Platonic ideal of 'nonfiction.' It is a beautiful π-like elegance, the way it approaches forever the intersection of interesting and factual without ever being both simultaneously. To say more would only detract from its perfect ordinariness, its essential blandness, its stubborn resistance to any character at all.

[Irene · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am equal parts fascinated and appalled by what I’ve learned in this book. It’s incredibly well researched and it has an abundance of illustrations and photographies that accompany the text.

The history of the origin of the aquarium is thorough, and a bit dry to read, but listen, you pick up a book about the history of aquariums and that’s what you’re gonna get, so don’t complain. The mechanical aspect of water changes, aeration, and resilience of the container itself went through many iterations and I really appreciated the illustrations for them.

The way animals and plants were originally collected and contained went from quaint to disturbing very quickly. Not surprisingly, when people started trying to keep sharks and whales indoors, it did not go well for them. The horrifying practices of cyanide fishing that are still in use today are also discussed, as well as the operation of modern aquariums, which are a nebulous mixture of entertainment and education, sometimes leaning towards a good thing, and sometimes firmly in abhorrent territory.

What delighted me the most about this book was how it ends. The author is, in fact, more concerned with conservation and the wellbeing of animals than with showing off a collection of exotic fish, so he has an aquarium filled with mechanical fish. You can love fish and want to look at them and also give that up because you’d rather they’d stayed in the ocean, if you can believe that.

[Andrew Horton · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've been lusting after this book for the past year, but I felt it was overpriced at $20 for a slim little "gift book"-styled hardcover. It was finally remaindered, and I scooped it up for a few bucks.

I'm always amazed by the early days of technology that we take for granted or that's considered a no-brainer by modern standards, but which would have been near-impossible or quasi-magical a mere 100 years ago. See: computers, internal combustion, flight.

"The Ocean at Home" is essentially a history of aquariums, but with an emphasis on the very beginnings in the mid-1800's. It's full of amazing and mindbending little tidbits about how goldfish were transported across the atlantic, how gilded window-based home aquariums were first popularized in the Victorian era, and the very first public aquariums in the early 1900's. It's full of amazing little etchings of victorian aquariums and reprinted excerpts from the first aquarium mail-order catalogues and so on.

If you're one of those people that goes nuts for things like this, "the ocean at home" will pluck the strings of your steampunk heart.

[John · Rating 3 out of 5]

This short book gives a fascinating overview of the history of the modern aquarium, focusing primarily on its Victorian era origins and early days, with numerous illustrations. Admittedly the book is more likely to be of interest to aquarium hobbyists or enthusiasts.

[Jessica · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very interesting and insightful. Translated from German, so there are a few typos, but info and pictures/examples are great.

[Daphne · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a wonderful history of the aquarium. Well researched with tons of interesting little tidbits from the Victorian period and beyond. Such a great reading find. :)

[Vivian Blaxell · Rating 4 out of 5]

So light and clever but I wanted just a little more political meat.