Reviews
Although the text is written for a technical audience, the lucid and fluid narrative is combined with sufficient engaging descriptions to make this work accessible to all audiences. Statistics about whale populations and whaling are present, but unlike many books on whaling that overwhelm readers with extensive tables, quantitative information is placed judiciously in the narrative to illustrate specific points. The figures are well-rendered and useful. Recommended.
The back cover states that the work is a masterpiece and I have to agree. Whatever you want to know about Atlantic whaling, its history and the eventual conservation of whales, this is the text to read.
This book’s highly detailed historical record without a doubt required an enormous effort to research, assemble, and present for a popular audience... Laist’s treatment of the right whale encompasses its entire history, from years of exploitation, to the first conservation concerns, to current threat-mitigation actions.
David Laist’s fascinating book about North Atlantic right whales takes us from the early days of whaling to current conservation issues. Thoroughly researched and extremely well-written, his book will appeal equally to academics, conservationists, and whale-watchers.
Book Details
Chapter Title
Preface
I A Right Whale Named Nantucket
II What's In A Name?
III Foraging with a Smile
IV. Evolution
V. The Origin of Whaling
VI Medieval Whaling in Northern Europe
VII Ghost Whalers
Chapter Title
Preface
I A Right Whale Named Nantucket
II What's In A Name?
III Foraging with a Smile
IV. Evolution
V. The Origin of Whaling
VI Medieval Whaling in Northern Europe
VII Ghost Whalers
VIII Basque Whaling in Terranova
IX The Dawn of International Whaling
X A Fitful Start for Colonial Whalers
XI Long Island Whaling
XII Cape Cod Whaling
XIII Nantucket, Martha's Vineyard, and Cape May
XIV Whaling in North Carolina and the Southeastern United State
XV Estimating Pre-Exploitation Population Size
XVI A Second Chance
XVII A Dedicated Recovery Program
XVIII Nobody Wants to Hit a Whale
XIX. Slow Speed Ahead
XX Entanglement
XXI Oh What A Tangled Web
XXII Ten Thousand Right Whales
Acknowledgements
References
Index