Available:*
Material Type | Library | Call Number | Item Barcode | Location |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Book | Searching... Andover - Memorial Hall Library | 597.3 SHA | 31330004991562 | Searching... Unknown |
| Book | Searching... Westford - J.V. Fletcher Library | 597.31566 MAY | 31990002377369 | Searching... Unknown |
Bound With These Titles
On Order
Summary
Summary
Shark picks up where previous Adrenaline titles such as Rough Water and Deep Blue left off, with a collection focusing on man's terrifying interactions with one of the planet's most frightening beasts -- an animal that arouses our most primal fears -- fears that were recently brought to the surface by an outbreak of fatal attacks on this country's beaches. From novelists to sailors to oceanographers to divers, man's encounters with sharks have produced a diverse body of gripping, often inspired writing by great names in adventure literature. Along with 16 black-and-white photos, selections feature a wide range of work with an emphasis on thrills and chills, including Peter Matthiessen on the great white shark, Edward Marriott on hunting man-eaters off Nicaragua, Richard Fernicola's account of the 1916 shark attacks that inspired Peter Benchley's Jaws, and Jacques Cousteau's studies of the creatures.
Reviews (2)
Booklist Review
Adventure fans with a special affection for sharp-toothed ocean dwellers will gobble up this collection of short pieces about sharks and the people who love them. The variety here is remarkable: there are essays, excerpts from nonfiction books, short stories, excerpts from novels, and even a poem (by James Dickey). Some of the pieces may be familiar: excerpts from Benchley's Jaws, for instance, or Matthiessen's Blue Meridian. Others are drawn from recently published books, including Michael Capuzzo's Close to Shore (2001) and Edward Marriott's Savage Shore (2000). But most are relatively unfamiliar: Peter Hathaway Capstick's look at "Nicaragua's dread freshwater shark"; an excerpt from J. Joaquin Fraxedas' 1993 novel, The Lonely Crossing of Juan Cabrera, about three Cubans trying to reach Florida alive; and Francois Poli's description of a very risky way to catch sharks (from his 1959 book, Sharks Are Caught at Night). We emerge from this exciting anthology with a deeper appreciation not only of sharks but also of the men and women who devote their lives to them. David Pitt.
Library Journal Review
Last summer, the media fueled a shark attack scare when in fact the number of incidents was below average. This year seems primed to be the "Summer of the Shark Book," in which authors interested in the predatory fish capitalize on last summer's hype just in time for this summer's beach crowd. Shark is an anthology of excerpts from previously published books and articles, including Peter Benchley's Jaws, Eugenie Clark's Lady with a Spear, Ernest Hemingway's The Old Man and the Sea, and Jean-Michel Cousteau's Cousteau's Great White Shark. The only apparent common thread is that the selections feature people being attacked by sharks or sharks being attacked by people. The fact that this is part of the "Adrenaline Book" series is a good clue as to the nature of this volume. Benchley's Shark Trouble is intended more as an argument against the hype than more fuel for it. The author's introduction emphasizes how much has been learned since he wrote Jaws in 1974 and that sharks, including the most fearsome ones, are in much more danger from humans than humans from sharks. A chapter called "The Summer of Hype" sets the record straight on last year's media hysteria. Other chapters discuss the real dangers of swimming in the ocean (e.g., tides, rips, and other currents) and how to avoid getting caught. Some personal shark anecdotes add excitement as well. Benchley's solid and informative book is recommended for public and school libraries, especially where there is an interest in the ocean and scuba diving. Shark is not recommended; libraries would do better to purchase the publications that it highlights, plus a few other classic shark books, such as Thomas H. Lineaweaver's The Natural History of the Shark. [John A. Musick and Beverly McMillan's The Shark Chronicles: A Scientist Tracks the Consummate Predator is coming in September from Holt. Ed.] Margaret A. Rioux, MBL/WHOI Lib., Woods Hole Oceanographic Inst., MA (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Table of Contents
| Photographs | p. viii |
| Introduction | p. ix |
| from Blue Meridian | p. 1 |
| from Savage Shore | p. 33 |
| Shark Dive | p. 67 |
| A Shark in the Mind of One Contemplating Wilderness | p. 79 |
| The Shark's Parlor | p. 89 |
| from The Lonely Crossing of Juan Cabrera | p. 95 |
| Under the Deck Awnings | p. 113 |
| from Close to Shore | p. 123 |
| from Cousteau's Great White Shark | p. 137 |
| from The Coast of Coral | p. 161 |
| from The Lady and the Sharks | p. 171 |
| Diving Into Shark-Fin Soup | p. 183 |
| from Sharks Are Caught at Night | p. 195 |
| from Tales of Fishing Virgin Seas | p. 209 |
| from Last Horizons | p. 221 |
| from The Old Man and the Sea | p. 231 |
| from Desperate Voyage | p. 239 |
| from In the Slick of the Cricket | p. 253 |
| Great White Sharks | p. 273 |
| from Jaws | p. 289 |
| Acknowledgments | p. 295 |
| Permissions | p. 296 |
| Bibliography | p. 298 |