Shark: Stories of Life and Death from the World's Most Dangerous Waters

by Nathaniel May (Editor), Clint Willis (Editor)

Overview

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.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781560253976
Publisher:	Hachette Books
Publication date:	05/08/2002
Series:	Adrenaline
Pages:	368
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x (d)

About the Author

Nathaniel May has swum in three of the world's oceans — the Atlantic, the Pacific and the Indian — without encountering a single shark. He graduated from Davidson College in 1995, and has worked as a freelance writer and photographer. He lives in Portland, Maine.

Clint Willis is the series editor of Adrenaline Books. His anthologies for the series include Epic and Adrenaline 2001.

Table of Contents

	Photographs	viii
	Introduction	ix
	from Blue Meridian	1
	from Savage Shore	33
	Shark Dive	67
	A Shark in the Mind of One Contemplating Wilderness	79
	The Shark's Parlor	89
	from The Lonely Crossing of Juan Cabrera	95
	Under the Deck Awnings	113
	from Close to Shore	123
	from Cousteau's Great White Shark	137
	from The Coast of Coral	161
	from The Lady and the Sharks	171
	Diving Into Shark-Fin Soup	183
	from Sharks Are Caught at Night	195
	from Tales of Fishing Virgin Seas	209
	from Last Horizons	221
	from The Old Man and the Sea	231
	from Desperate Voyage	239
	from In the Slick of the Cricket	253
	Great White Sharks	273
	from Jaws	289
	Acknowledgments	295
	Permissions	296
	Bibliography	298

Editorial Reviews

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 Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information.

Library Journal

This collection presents 20 accounts of survival, sport, and scientific encounters with sharks, by authors including Arthur C. Clarke, Zane Grey, and Peter Benchley. A few b&w photos are included. May has worked as a writer and editor. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR