Victoria (YSB) - reviewed on 1/27/2010 + 636 more book reviews

Helpful Score: 1

Like most people, I have loved whales since I was a kid (though I have always been more fascinated by sharks...). This book's title, however, was a bit misleading... there were a lot of interesting facts about whales, but it was honestly more about whaling than the whales themselves. Which made it a pretty depressing read, all in all. And throughout, the book constantly referenced Moby-Dick, and the life of Herman Melville. So, if you are very familiar with that piece of classic literature, I think you will enjoy this more than someone who only has limited knowledge of the book.
My only real complaint was that I would have liked even more information about the whales themselves, their lives and their habits, and a little less about the cruelty and utter destruction brought upon them by mankind. Well-written (despite a few rather abrupt transitions), and well-researched, the photos and drawings added a lot to this good, but rather depressing book on the history of humanity's relationship with the whale.

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